How long does it take to get something done with a volunteer editor?

[Tomh1966]

How long does it take to get something done with a volunteer editor?
I'm doing my 'Fixing the Past' chapter 2. I'm basically finished but...
My story is about 10K words. There are a couple of places I have the transitions between subsections. The subsections seem a bit stilted (Not awfully) but the transitions between them are much worse. Overall, it is a transition story going from loving wives to (probably) the Exhibitionism section.

The loving wives angle within this chapter is there but it is last due to the sequence of events leading up to that loving wives angle.

The story is fun to write so I am not looking to lose any of the parts in this chapter. The punctuation has not been fixed yet either but that is not a big priority

Yes, I know readership will drop in the series just from being chapters but also going into a lesser trafficked category. I'm having fun with the characters so it is all good.

I can make different copies and have them in google docs with individual permissions.

 

[AlinaX]

There's a separate forum to talk about volunteer editors. Finding someone to edit for you is the hard part. Make it very clear what you're asking the editor to do. It's really not clear from your post. Do you just want a beta reader to give thoughts on structure? Or do you need grammar fixed, etc.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Yes, as Alina notes, you should ask this over in the Editor's Forum. I get the impression that most AH writers either self edit, or have their own private beta/editor networks, so we're probably not huge users of the VE service.

 

[Tomh1966]

Beta reader is the best description. Thanks for the information.

 

[TheRedChamber]

There is no particular fixed length of time. Having editors is a volunteer process and will depend on who they are, how busy their real life is, and to some extent, how much they are into what you are writing.

Yesterday I gave initial editing on a piece from my regular reciprocal reader in the space of two hours - but that was because a) I happened to see his message b) I happened to be free at that precise time and c) If I didn't do it then and there I might have struggled to find time this week (plus I'm several tens of thousands of words in debt to him in terms or reciprocity atm)

Had he caught me today, it might have taken a week to get round to doing it. Though I would still have tried to find the time.

Once you start to get regular beta readers you start to learn to become more chilled in the process. It'll take as long as it takes. Write something else while you wait.

 

[alohadave]

Naturally, I made sure that these editors were talented writers themselves, as it would be futile otherwise.

Editing is a different skill than writing, and while they overlap, being good at one does not imply being good at the other.

 

[Trionyx]

Editing is a different skill than writing, and while they overlap, being good at one does not imply being good at the other.

True, but if someone is a horrible writer with lousy grammar and spelling, it’s unlikely they’ll be a superb editor or beta reader.