Editing Tip

[JaxRhapsody]

I figure this could help some people, I know it helps me some. I know people have their ways of doing things and staring at a single text box/processor things could be missed. Sometimes or often we think what we have is straight- editors and beta readers exist for reasons. I've found that going in another text box often helps me catch things I didn't see at first; extra spaces between words and letters, stuff spell check might not catch, et cetera. I pretty much write on my phone and even switching from print view to web view has helped with the new story I'm putting here, since I'm putting each chapter in its own file before submitting- I caught things I didn't see at first.

Since I usually copy pasta stuff and review, like on wattpad, or Ao³, with the different size and such another text box does, it just helps. Plus it seems that some sites work with Firefox and Googles spell and grammar checks, as well. It's just something I noticed. After spending so long writing, it's like a fresh view.

 

[Altissimus]

+ Read it out aloud.
+ Change the font and the colour; this helps distract the eye from what you think you wrote to what you actually have.

 

[Altissimus]

... and hope I can snag the interest of a brilliant editor or three to point me in the right direction on the stuff I miss or don't remember/care enough about to implement on my own.

Which reminds me: having just finished my latest story, I have editing to do. Back in a bit...

 

[EmilyMiller]

I’ve been getting my phone to read drafts to me. Even with the robotic tone, things stand out, like duplicated words words, or ones that missing.

Also helps with words that are spelled right, but not the right word.

Em

 

[BobbyBrandt]

I firmly believe that having the text read back to you is the single most effective way of catching errors.

 

[Altissimus]

I firmly believe that having the text read back to you is the single most effective way of catching errors.

The single most effective way of catching errors is waiting until it's published on Lit and then reading it to someone while sitting in a hot tub. Trust me on this.

 

[SeraphNocturne]

Since I usually copy pasta stuff and review

Fettucine? Or something with a bit more substance, bucatini perhaps?

Heh, all jokes aside, Grammarly and Google Docs work well together for me. I've also started preliminary editing by scene as I write, going back and reading it aloud before I end up 10K words in makes for much less headache later... especially if you're anything like me, with the attention span of a goldfish.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

The single most effective way of catching errors is waiting until it's published on Lit and then reading it to someone while sitting in a hot tub. Trust me on this.

Possibly, but not everything I write ends up here so I have to find a more effective alternative that works in all cases.

 

[Euphony]

+ Read it out aloud.

Text to speech has made significant improvements in my prose.

+ Change the font and the colour; this helps distract the eye from what you think you wrote to what you actually have.

This is a SuperTip™

I didn't really see the point but did it almost by accident one day.

The mindset shift it can engender once you settle on a specific "editing font" and stick with it surprisingly beneficial.

 

[Euphony]

especially if you're anything like me, with the attention span of a goldfish.

We meet alternating Tuesdays in the Sunday school room just off fellowship hall.

Coffee and cake will be served.

 

[KachinaDoll]

Read it through three times then congratulate yourself on finding all the errors. Then run it through 'Grammarly', which is free, and realise that you aren't as smart as you thought you were.

 

[BarracudaSwordfish]

I have found that the Word read aloud function has decreased my silly error count exponentially.

And the nice posh British voice may garble things occasionally, but when she talks dirty...