1. When first contacting a VE, DO explain what you want from the editing process. Some authors welcome ideas for plot extensions, others only wish orthographic and grammatical advice. Some authors need an urgent response, others prefer a thorough edit.
2. When contacting a VE, DO respect their religious beliefs. If an editor says that as a Jedi Knight they are not allowed to sent or receive email on Tuesdays or on Thursday afternoons, respect that. The VE will not expect you to know that, but will tell you if it matters.
3. When first contacting a VE, DO make it clear whether you are using more than one VE. Most VEs don’t mind you using more than one, but it is nice to know when the VE reads the posted version that more than one hand has shaped the changes.
4. The very last moment before sending something to a VE, DO run a spell check. The editor is a volunteer and does not want to spend precious time finding the words you cannot speel. The MSWord grammar checker seems to be dedicated to reducing everything to the intellectual level of a fairly bright seven year old or, to put it another way, to what a genius computer programmer would understand.
5. When you receive your edited version, DO acknowledge its receipt. Email is still unreliable from time to time.
6. When you have looked through your edited version, DO feel free to ask about any comments you may not understand.
7. When you have looked through your edited version, if you think the VE has made a valid point about some facet of your writing, DO try to learn from it, and DO try to avoid making the same mistake again … and again … and again.
8. Remember always that the VE is just that, a volunteer. DON’T abuse the generosity of your VE. If you want to know what you are getting for free, one US dollar buys you professional editing of about 50 words, one Euro buys about 65 words, and one Pound sterling buys about 100 words. One Literotica page is about 3,750 words, so that would cost about $75, or €57.50 or £37.50.
Do any VEs want to add to this list?
2. When contacting a VE, DO respect their religious beliefs. If an editor says that as a Jedi Knight they are not allowed to sent or receive email on Tuesdays or on Thursday afternoons, respect that. The VE will not expect you to know that, but will tell you if it matters.
3. When first contacting a VE, DO make it clear whether you are using more than one VE. Most VEs don’t mind you using more than one, but it is nice to know when the VE reads the posted version that more than one hand has shaped the changes.
4. The very last moment before sending something to a VE, DO run a spell check. The editor is a volunteer and does not want to spend precious time finding the words you cannot speel. The MSWord grammar checker seems to be dedicated to reducing everything to the intellectual level of a fairly bright seven year old or, to put it another way, to what a genius computer programmer would understand.
5. When you receive your edited version, DO acknowledge its receipt. Email is still unreliable from time to time.
6. When you have looked through your edited version, DO feel free to ask about any comments you may not understand.
7. When you have looked through your edited version, if you think the VE has made a valid point about some facet of your writing, DO try to learn from it, and DO try to avoid making the same mistake again … and again … and again.
8. Remember always that the VE is just that, a volunteer. DON’T abuse the generosity of your VE. If you want to know what you are getting for free, one US dollar buys you professional editing of about 50 words, one Euro buys about 65 words, and one Pound sterling buys about 100 words. One Literotica page is about 3,750 words, so that would cost about $75, or €57.50 or £37.50.
Do any VEs want to add to this list?
