How many experienced Lit writers use editors here?

[DrHappy]

UPDATE: By "experienced" I'm referring to someone has published at least a few stories and is comfortable with the writing and submission process.


I’ve written dozens of erotica stories for my wife, and she eventually encouraged me to publish some stories on Literotica. My two latest stories have been published here. I was too impatient to use a volunteer Lit editor, but I managed to get them both published on the first submission. Both stories are about 30K words and both have done reasonably well.

Untrusted : 4.86. (64)
Reckless: 4.48 (21)

Link to my stories

I’m wrapping up my third story and I’m really excited at how it’s turned out. I decided that I’d be more patient this time and seek out an editor to help make the story that best that it can be. However, the first two editors I’ve attempted to contact on the editor system have not acknowledged my requests. How long is a reasonable time to wait for someone to acknowledge a request and let me know whether they might be able to help me? It sounds like the backup plan is to seek help in the Editors forum.

How many of you here use a Lit editor? My latest story is 34K words, which seems to be longer than most, but I suspect that the editing needs are light. I’m mostly hoping for someone to look for story weakness and a few grammatical problems and typos that slipped through the cracks. Some of you guys are REALLY good and there is plenty left for me to learn.

 

[KeithD]

My publishing house editor posts to Literotica, so I guess I can say I use an editor here. I don't use the Volunteer Editor program people.

 

[Blind_Justice]

I do. We've worked together for about ten years and he's still not sick of me. I had girlfriends with a lot less patience.

 

[GinnyPPC]

Although I have not published something yet (working on it) I just did a beta read for a very respected author who also has an editor. Having an additional set of eyes to catch some stupid mistakes that grammar checking sites miss is a good idea. Or to have some feedback, this works, that doesn't etc.

 

[Javahead]

Although I have not published something yet (working on it) I just did a beta read for a very respected author who also has an editor. Having an additional set of eyes to catch some stupid mistakes that grammar checking sites miss is a good idea. Or to have some feedback, this works, that doesn't etc.

I’ve worked with one for my more recent stories - it does make a difference. I have grammar checking enabled in my editor, use Grammarly, and try to reread before sending the files for review, and he still manages to find minor errors and - much more important - point out areas that could be improved, even if technically ‘correct’.

An editor can’t save a piss-poor story idea if you insist on publishing it, but at least it will be GRAMMATICAL, correctly spelled schlock. And they can help polish a good idea until it’s a much better one.

 

[DrHappy]

Thanks for the responses so far!

For those of you who are using a volunteer editor from Lit, how did you find your editor? Did you use the Editor tool and contact one there? Or did you request one from the Editor’s forum?

I searched a long time using the editor tools to find editors who like my category (Erotic Couplings) and also someone who has written stories of comparable length (6-10 Lit pages). However, I haven’t heard back from the first two I’ve tried. Do you send out 3 or 4 requests at a time until someone eventually responds? Is what I’m experiencing unusual? With my second attempt, I made sure that the editor had updated their profile within the last couple of months.

Do they get overwhelmed and just start ignoring new requests? I wish that they’d disable their account if they are too busy to even acknowledge a request. I’ll probably hear back from one tomorrow and I’ll learn that their kid was in the hospital and I’ll feel like a heel. I can’t complain too much for people volunteering their time like this.

 

[SamScribble]

I have a friend (who is also an excellent writer) who gives my stuff a final read-through. Occasionally she will pick up on something. Mainly she just flags it on through.

I did try an editor a few years ago. She wanted to turn everything into 'her story'. We parted company.

 

[RelentlessOnanism]

I don't know whether you'd call me an experienced writer, but I don't use an editor. Whenever I tried, I just bristled against their suggestions, so decided not to bother. I know some people will disagree with my practice, and tell me it would be better if I did have an editor, but it's not like I’m signing a book deal.

 

[ElectricBlue]

I self-edit, and have had various beta readers who might caution me. Sometimes I pay attention.

 

[HeyAll]

Sometimes.

The truth is, a really good editor (whether it be for big rewrites, contributions, or improving word/sentence choices) are difficult to find. And it's difficult to get their services regularly.

It's like a quote I read a while back, that no one cares more about your work than you do.

 

[Omenainen]

Don't know about experienced, but I'll answer anyway. I started out by editing myself, since then I've had some beta readers, although with some of them I'm not sure where's the line between a beta reader and an editor? Anyway, I've been thinking about my process lately. I'm a pantser, and one side effect to that is that by the time I've got something ready for beta reading I'm not really prone to any suggestions. I'm done with the story by then, so anything larger than fixing simple typos is something I don't have much interest in. So I think it's a waste of my beta readers, when they spend time on my story, suggest changes, and I'm like "good idea but not gonna do it". It also slows the process down to wait on somebody's feedback, and sometimes I'm impulsive enough to just want to be done with it and publish already. So now I don't even ask anyone to beta read if I don't feel like it.

I don't doubt using an editor would make my stories better. The thing is, I'm not really motivated by that. Maybe if I had a really big story, or one that's for some reason really important to me (but then, would I want to change it as per editor's suggestions if it was important?). I don't think the gap between my stories now and what they would be if polished to death is big enough to go through the trouble. This is a free site and I'm writing to amuse myself, and that's accomplished by what I can do on my own.

So maybe consider your process to see if you need an editor, a beta reader, or maybe you just need to leave the story be for a week or two and read it with fresh eyes yourself. Finding editors can be difficult and I have no hints for that. My beta readers are mostly writerly friends, "you read mine and I'll read yours" type of deals, so maybe check out some writers you like and offer to beta read for them, maybe that'll lead to something.

 

[surferjake]

As a volunteer editor, some of that difficulty may be the editor experience. I have done a few edits over the years. However, I have gotten way more 'requests to edit.'

Then I reply, and sometimes I get no response. I mean, they went out, pm'd me, then don't answer.

Or, I reply, give my email, they say they'll send something then never do. And I follow up with a PM and email and still ghost.

Or, I actually get something, edit it, and send for another round, and get no response. Did they like the edits? Are they going to use them? Are they going to send me their next version? But nothing. Not even a "sorry, don't like it" or "thanks" or "I'm submitting to Lit for publishing".

Very few instances has the author bothered to acknowledge things. When they do, though, it has been positive and I believe we came out with a stronger story together.

As someone who has use a professional, paid editor in real life for non-Lit kind of work, editors are hard to find and deal with some of their challenges - so when you have a good editor, treating them well is one thing.

I firmly believe editing always makes something stronger. I know I can write, but the difference between self-edits and editor edits, I find the editor edits are way better and catch things I may get blinded to as the writer.

But, hey - treat your editors nicely.

Sometimes.

The truth is, a really good editor (whether it be for big rewrites, contributions, or improving word/sentence choices) are difficult to find. And it's difficult to get their services regularly.

It's like a quote I read a while back, that no one cares more about your work than you do.

 

[Ginlover]

The best thing to do is ask multiple people. I edit but for content not SPaG as I’m dyslexic. I’ve had a few stories I’ve been asked to edit off here but often I’ve read the first page and gone back with major issues on flow or content. I’ve said these need addressing before carrying on. I don’t want to read tens of thousands of words if the author likes head hopping or is either under or over describing details in the first few paragraphs or there is a major issue like underage content. My role has been more about advice on basic writing technique s than editing. Another barrier is I only edit in live google docs and some authors don’t use this method. That’s fine they just need an editor who is happy to work in their medium. I’ve been lucky to connect with a few great authors on here and we all beta read and edit each other’s work. I couldn’t submit any story without the help of editors.

As I said I would ask multiple editors, if you end up with two or more editors then great. Use a live document to share the story so the editors and beta readers can see others comments and your changes. I think my last two stories had six or so editors/beta readers before I submitted them.

 

[8letters]

How many of you here use a Lit editor? My latest story is 34K words, which seems to be longer than most, but I suspect that the editing needs are light. I’m mostly hoping for someone to look for story weakness and a few grammatical problems and typos that slipped through the cracks. Some of you guys are REALLY good and there is plenty left for me to learn.

I've published 24 stories, and I use an editor. I want my stories to be perfect. I regularly get comments on my stories about not seeing errors or only seeing minor errors. The last time I didn't use an editor, I got comments saying the story wasn't up to my usual standard of quality of writing.

Some of it is also how are you going to learn what grammatical mistakes you make if you don't have an editor look over your story? I'm not an expert on grammar, and I've learned from my editor about correct comma usage and other grammar issues. My first drafts now are much better written because I've learned what to look from my editor.

I had little luck with the volunteer editor program. What has worked for me is going to the Editor's Forum and contacting people in the "Available to edit" sticky.

 

[DrHappy]

Thanks again everyone for your feedback and suggestions. You've convinced me to be patient and to continue looking for an editor.

I've posted a request in the Editor's Forum which gives some background and describes the premise of the story. Maybe I'll have better luck there than with the Editors tool in the Volunteer Editor program.

 

[TxRad]

A good editor or even a good beta reader can learn you a lot. I've had two good editors here at Lit. One was a retired pro editor. She lasted about six months and wandered off to write her own stories. The second was a retired college English professor. I'm sorry to say, she died about a year later.

Now, I have an editor for my mainstream stuff. It has been a learning curve for both of us. My style is writing the way people talk so that throws most grammar out but it makes reading easier. I've learned a lot that I try to apply to my lit stories.

Something else to keep in mind. You are writing for free here and the readers are reading for free. If you want an edited edition, send money and I'll see what I can arrange. Works for me anyway.

 

[SimonDoom]

Thanks again everyone for your feedback and suggestions. You've convinced me to be patient and to continue looking for an editor.

I've posted a request in the Editor's Forum which gives some background and describes the premise of the story. Maybe I'll have better luck there than with the Editors tool in the Volunteer Editor program.

I haven't used an editor, although I have no doubt that if I had my stories would be better -- better proofread and with some useful changes to the way I handle plots and characters. I may change the way I do things but I don't see a lot of reason to, since my stories are doing fine and I'm not making any money off of this. Having an editor would just slow down the pace of production, and I'm not sure I want to do that.

I scanned the first page of your story Untrusted. It has a great score. You should be pleased with that. I saw no major errors of the kind I see all the time at Literotica. Your mechanics and style are solid. I usually check out the dialogue first because that's where people slip up so often, and the only thing I found in my quick scan was a missing comma after the word "Ivan" in the third line of dialogue. Since you use commas in other similar lines, it's obvious this was just a slip up rather than deficiency in skill.

So, if you want an editor to keep improving things, be patient and keep looking, but know that by Literotica standards your writing is just fine as it is.

 

[BobbyBrandt]

UPDATE: By "experienced" I'm referring to someone has published at least a few stories and is comfortable with the writing and submission process.


I’ve written dozens of erotica stories for my wife, and she eventually encouraged me to publish some stories on Literotica. My two latest stories have been published here. I was too impatient to use a volunteer Lit editor, but I managed to get them both published on the first submission. Both stories are about 30K words and both have done reasonably well.

Untrusted : 4.86. (64)
Reckless: 4.48 (21)

Link to my stories

I’m wrapping up my third story and I’m really excited at how it’s turned out. I decided that I’d be more patient this time and seek out an editor to help make the story that best that it can be. However, the first two editors I’ve attempted to contact on the editor system have not acknowledged my requests. How long is a reasonable time to wait for someone to acknowledge a request and let me know whether they might be able to help me? It sounds like the backup plan is to seek help in the Editors forum.

How many of you here use a Lit editor? My latest story is 34K words, which seems to be longer than most, but I suspect that the editing needs are light. I’m mostly hoping for someone to look for story weakness and a few grammatical problems and typos that slipped through the cracks. Some of you guys are REALLY good and there is plenty left for me to learn.

Just submit whatever you write into the Loving Wives category and you'll get all the "editors" you could hope for commenting on your story.

Seriously, I believe using an editor on a story that I write for Literotic to be pointless since it's a free site. Beta or proof readers are fine, but the feedback from actual readers will usually serve to help you "polish"your work. Take the constructive comments, make the changes, and then submit an edited version.

If you want someone to review your story, you can check out the list on the Indie Book Reviewers list (http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/). There are several listed who review erotica.

 

[jsmiam]

Thanks again everyone for your feedback and suggestions. You've convinced me to be patient and to continue looking for an editor...

Results vary widely.. I’ve dabbled a few times trying to find an editor, with no luck. But now and then in this very forum, someone comes along asking who here uses more than one Volunteer Editor. What? How??

Then I proceed without beta readers or editors to publish my occasional story, with its requisite amount of typos and other errors. Nonetheless, I think you’re on the right path, good things come to those who wait!

As a side note, I have a hypothesis, that careful editing is worth somewhere in the region of .1 to .2 of a point, primarily from people who give four-scores if you have one typo/error too many.

 

[_Lynn_]

Several years ago I asked someone to edit a story for me. Said editor was supposed to be one of the best Lit had. I was skeptical so I purposely left a few major errors in the text to see if they caught them. Not only did they miss each one, their suggestions made no sense. Since then, I've had a few people do a read for me, but the editing I take care of myself.

 

[marriedheat]

A Hard Man is Good to Find - Mae West

I've been doing a lot of editing in the past few months. I've needed a break from writing. Some of the stuff I receive is pure rubbish. Some is pretty good. I've started writing a helper document titled, "Issues I'm Likely to Find in your Story" to send out before I start editing. A "be your own editor before requesting an editor" handbook. Some people don't bother with a Spell Check before asking for help.

 

[KeithD]

Twelve years ago, under the sr71plt account and as a professional book editor and prolific Literotica author, I published an essay on self-review for Literotica publishing here:

https://www.literotica.com/beta/s/self-review-for-literotica

 

[thatsbogus]

It took me a while to find an editor I’m happy with, but the editor I use now is brilliant. I don’t make a lot of grammatical or spelling mistakes but she always finds a few that I’ve missed, and she’s added ideas and other suggestions that have dramatically improved my stories. Sometimes it’s as simple as realizing that something I wrote isn’t quite as clear as I intended. If you can find someone you work well with then your stories will get better as a result.

 

[gunhilltrain]

Just submit whatever you write into the Loving Wives category and you'll get all the "editors" you could hope for commenting on your story.

Seriously, I believe using an editor on a story that I write for Literotic to be pointless since it's a free site. Beta or proof readers are fine, but the feedback from actual readers will usually serve to help you "polish"your work. Take the constructive comments, make the changes, and then submit an edited version.

If you want someone to review your story, you can check out the list on the Indie Book Reviewers list (http://www.theindieview.com/indie-reviewers/). There are several listed who review erotica.

I guess the "free" part is the main reason I haven't used editors. (And I don't know anybody who would be a beta reader for me.) If I was getting paid for it, I'd slow things down and definitely get an editor - probably a paid one too. That would be even more true if it was going into print (they still do some of that, don't they?) Reader's comments are usually about content, not errors in grammar or spelling. Grammarly does an adequate job, but it can be misleading without a human double-checking it.

A story: in 1968 or so I had to learn to set type by hand, with a composing stick I think they called it. Ben Franklin would have approved. I managed to get a typo in the very first thing I did - a business card!

I have no idea why the New York City school system was still teaching that.

 

[lovecraft68]

I have an editor for my horror material, but for here, and a lot of my smashwords e-books I fly solo. Am I that good? Hell no, but I'm not paying a lot to an editor for a $2.99 smut book, and as for the volunteers here? I am sure there are some good ones, but the ones I've tried didn't seem any better than me.