editing

[robertreams]

I recently had this experience: A writer in this forum asked for a new editor because he/she had lost the editor who had helped him edit his first four installments. he needed a new editor for chapter 5 et al. To ensure that we understood, we editors were to read the other four stories to see if we were capable of carrying on the great tradition. I began to read the first published story. In the third sentence the word 'there' was used in place of 'their'. In the fifth sentence, there was a misspelling. in the first four graphs, the usage was so garbled it was nearly impossible to understand what the "author" was trying to say.

When i pointed out to the "writer" that perhaps his previous editor had not been so great, he quickly found someone else.

have other editors had similar happenings?

 

[sr71plt]

The author is the last one to have a story file in the Literotica submission system. So, there's no real presumption that it was the editor who left the mistakes there. It very well could be an "I know better" author--which would explain being miffed that you pointed to the mistakes, wouldn't it?

Anytime I do an edit here, I ask that I not be acknowledged as the editor. Because there is no guarantee that it's going to be posted as I edited it.

 

[robertreams]

I hear you. I probably should not have hinted there was an editor who erred. It seemed more to me like the author had sent his editor screaming. The whole experience soured me a bit to the whole editing thing. I have seen some bad writing, but most writers have been grateful when I have pointed out errors or made suggestions. And no one is infallible. I once edited a story 3 times and did not notice that I had changed my protagonists name, lol

 

[sr71plt]

I never go look at them after I've edited them. Again, I didn't have it last.

 

[DeYaKen]

Writer's viewpoint.

I recently had this experience: A writer in this forum asked for a new editor because he/she had lost the editor who had helped him edit his first four installments. he needed a new editor for chapter 5 et al. To ensure that we understood, we editors were to read the other four stories to see if we were capable of carrying on the great tradition. I began to read the first published story. In the third sentence the word 'there' was used in place of 'their'. In the fifth sentence, there was a misspelling. in the first four graphs, the usage was so garbled it was nearly impossible to understand what the "author" was trying to say.

When i pointed out to the "writer" that perhaps his previous editor had not been so great, he quickly found someone else.

have other editors had similar happenings?

Sometimes an editor can take a long time, maybe they are too busy with real life. A writer may make suggested modifications to a story then, being eager to see his/her work posted, posts the amended version without resubmitting it for editing. I have been tempted to do this myself but in the end I wanted my editor to see the finished article before publication.

If there are errors it may not always be due to poor editing.

The relationship between writer and editor can be a close one as it was with myself and my beloved Juicystarchild. If done in a callous manner, criticising a writers editor can be like insulting a friend. Guaranteed to alienate.

 

[sr71plt]

Oh, on a no-fee edit, I certainly don't want to see the story again for what essentially is a second edit. You still have to read through the whole thing again. And what then, a third edit when more work has been done? It's really a lot to be asking someone to spend their time editing someone else's work for free--especially someplace like Literotica, where so many think that throwing a lot of words at it makes it better and the goal seems to be three Lit. pages.

 

[DeYaKen]

This could be why we will never work together

Oh, on a no-fee edit, I certainly don't want to see the story again for what essentially is a second edit. You still have to read through the whole thing again. And what then, a third edit when more work has been done? It's really a lot to be asking someone to spend their time editing someone else's work for free--especially someplace like Literotica, where so many think that throwing a lot of words at it makes it better and the goal seems to be three Lit. pages.

You seem to have so little respect for anyone other than yourself whereas i have great respect for my editor. I wouldn't dream of submitting a story without letting them see the results of their suggestions. If an editor isn't interested in my stories I would rather they not bother and let someone else do it. If it is such a chore then don't bother.

With the extreme shortage of editors in the publishing industry I am surprised you have enough time to spend so much of it on lit. You could be making a fortune working for publishers and editing work that you might actually appreciate.

 

[sr71plt]

You seem to have so little respect for anyone other than yourself whereas i have great respect for my editor. I wouldn't dream of submitting a story without letting them see the results of their suggestions. If an editor isn't interested in my stories I would rather they not bother and let someone else do it. If it is such a chore then don't bother.

With the extreme shortage of editors in the publishing industry I am surprised you have enough time to spend so much of it on lit. You could be making a fortune working for publishers and editing work that you might actually appreciate.

I think the difference is that I am and editor and you aren't--and this is a free-use site asking for free support, not the real publishing world, where, of course, I edit differently. Oh, and I think the other significant difference is that I'm actually editing here for free and, as far as I can determine, you're only expecting free editing service, not giving any.

You are completely out of line in suggesting that I would have no respect for what I edit no matter what the project is, including Literotica. And this is a free-use, online story site, not the New York Review of Books. (I am in the second read of a Literotica edit I'm doing for someone else right now. What you are doing for anyone else on Literotica?) Yes, we obviously would be a bad fit, because of the assumptions you make about me and the nasty way you express them.

Isn't this an easy position for you to take because you are freeloading and just taking services, not providing any?

 

[MarieWriter]

Kind of an interesting thread... I do some editing on here as well, and have found it sometimes quite challenging as most of my "real" work is in the business world where editing if VERY different.

I will look at something multiple times if the author is interested in really making some effort in the changes suggested. Always remembering that the story BELONGS to the author and not me.

But when I look at something, just doing a spelling and punctuation edit seems so casual. After all, WORD does that for them... I'm looking at quite a bit of stuff most of the time and usually pass when all someone is looking for is a spell check.

So that puts me here, reading SR's comments about not asking for credit and not being the last one to look at a work--- I've kind of come to the same position. I don't care about the credit, it can be nice at times, but not an issue for me... I once edited a work and then the author posted it with some huge errors and credited me as the editor. When the truth was he made changes and got impatient and posted it. I took a beating for that.

Not interested in that when this is after all a volunteers position...

-Marie

 

[sr71plt]

just doing a spelling and punctuation edit seems so casual. After all, WORD does that for them... I'm looking at quite a bit of stuff most of the time and usually pass when all someone is looking for is a spell check.

Unfortunately not, and some understanding needs to go into using spell check (although it's a godsend over editing of decades ago because it does point to more potential problems than an author or editor usually can see on her/his own).

There were only two words misspelled in the edit I just did (although misspelled more than once): "lead" when it should have been "led" and "threw" when it should have been "through." Obviously the author had done a spellcheck, which will not pick up misspellings like these. And a comment on the post of the original story dwelt on the misspelling of "through" over any other aspect of the story.

 

[DeYaKen]

Not out of line at all

I think the difference is that I am and editor and you aren't--and this is a free-use site asking for free support, not the real publishing world, where, of course, I edit differently. Oh, and I think the other significant difference is that I'm actually editing here for free and, as far as I can determine, you're only expecting free editing service, not giving any.

You are completely out of line in suggesting that I would have no respect for what I edit no matter what the project is, including Literotica. And this is a free-use, online story site, not the New York Review of Books. (I am in the second read of a Literotica edit I'm doing for someone else right now. What you are doing for anyone else on Literotica?) Yes, we obviously would be a bad fit, because of the assumptions you make about me and the nasty way you express them.

Isn't this an easy position for you to take because you are freeloading and just taking services, not providing any?

In your previous post you wrote:
Oh, on a no-fee edit, I certainly don't want to see the story again for what essentially is a second edit. You still have to read through the whole thing again. And what then, a third edit when more work has been done? It's really a lot to be asking someone to spend their time editing someone else's work for free--especially someplace like Literotica, where so many think that throwing a lot of words at it makes it better and the goal seems to be three Lit. pages.

Now you say that you are in a second edit of a literotica story. So which is true? Is is the "Oh, on a no-fee edit, I certainly don't want to see the story again" or is it the "I am in the second read of a Literotica edit I'm doing for someone else right now"

I said you have little or no respect for the writers, meaning those of us giving our work for free here on this site. Your attitude of I'm not reading it again when I'm doing it for nothing, shows a lack of respect. I remind you that all writers on lit do it for nothing. If we all adopted your attitude of, what do you expect for nothing we wouldn't bother with editors.

Personally I want to do the best job I can and if an editor can help me do that I am very grateful for their assistance. Just because you don't get paid there is no need to do an amateur job.

What have I ever done for anyone on Literotica? Simple I, along with many others have given my work, which people seem to like, to the site giving it content which attracts visitors who in turn provide income for the owners and the funds for competitions. I'm happy to do that. If I ever start selling my work I would expect to pay my editor.

Incidentally the stories that I self edited were as well received as those where I worked with an editor. The difference is that I preferred the ones where I had input from an editor.

 

[sr71plt]

Well, that was a lot of nothing. Bottom line is that you're just a demanding freeloader drone with a nasty attitude.

A second read doesn't imply that the author looked at it in between, by the way. The edit is back to the author, so for today, my service to Literotica authors is one and yours is zero.

 

[DeYaKen]

Kind of an interesting thread... I do some editing on here as well, and have found it sometimes quite challenging as most of my "real" work is in the business world where editing if VERY different.

I will look at something multiple times if the author is interested in really making some effort in the changes suggested. Always remembering that the story BELONGS to the author and not me.

But when I look at something, just doing a spelling and punctuation edit seems so casual. After all, WORD does that for them... I'm looking at quite a bit of stuff most of the time and usually pass when all someone is looking for is a spell check.

So that puts me here, reading SR's comments about not asking for credit and not being the last one to look at a work--- I've kind of come to the same position. I don't care about the credit, it can be nice at times, but not an issue for me... I once edited a work and then the author posted it with some huge errors and credited me as the editor. When the truth was he made changes and got impatient and posted it. I took a beating for that.

Not interested in that when this is after all a volunteers position...

-Marie

Marie I understand your viewpoint completely which is why I think it's only common courtesy to let the editor see what I'm going to submit before I do so. I see it as a mark of the respect I have for my editor. I also forward any positive emails to them because I see it as a partnership, any credit should be shared.

 

[robertreams]

Marie I understand your viewpoint completely which is why I think it's only common courtesy to let the editor see what I'm going to submit before I do so. I see it as a mark of the respect I have for my editor. I also forward any positive emails to them because I see it as a partnership, any credit should be shared.

If I edit a manuscript in pieces, I certainly want to see the entire final. I was a teacher for many years, so i do not mind helping people who really need it,, I have seen some authors on Lit., some to whom English was no their first language, improve vastly in a very short time. I speak casually five different languages, but wouldn't dream of trying to write a short story in French. My god, it is hard enough in English, So more power to em, and I'll help all I can, time allowing.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

Anytime I do an edit here, I ask that I not be acknowledged as the editor. Because there is no guarantee that it's going to be posted as I edited it.


Well said.

 

[LadyVer]

Depending on the author and the story, I may do up to three rounds of editing. I usually like being credited, but it depends on the story more than who the author is. After the last editing round, I trust the author to submit the story without adding errors in the process. And I've learned no matter how good an editor is, something usually gets missed.

I've been fortunate that I've worked for the most part with Lit authors who listen to my suggestions and accept them, but in the end, the stories are theirs to do with what they want. It's been a good experience and I've learned a lot. I'm not currently editing Lit projects because I'm working on a book project, which is more interesting. It's nice to get paid for the same work I was doing for free. I expect to do more volunteer editing on Lit again when the book winds down, but probably on a limited basis, as I recently started working a pt job, and I also hope to find more paid projects.

 

[ishtat]

A lesson Learned.

Anytime I do an edit here, I ask that I not be acknowledged as the editor. Because there is no guarantee that it's going to be posted as I edited it.

I learned that lesson the hard way here. I edited a couple of stories for a delightful lady who had been educated in both UK and USA.

Unfortunately she constantly switched between US and UK spelling and punctuation conventions. I edited it to US standards as she is an American submitting to a US site. Result: she posted the original with an effusive thanks to me as editor. Further result: I received some 'interesting' pm's.

Later I noticed that she also removed any negative comments from her stories and realized that she was writing for praise and validation. I was mildly irritated at the time (it was 80,000 words) but on reflection decided that she was entitled to seek what she wanted from Lit.

But I didn't edit any more stories for her!