The benefits of an editor

[Brutal_One]

Following one of my recent posts on grammar it brought up the question of the benefit of an editor.

I have been extremely lucky to have had an exprienced Lit editor reach out to me via pm after presumably reading that thread.

Needless to say if I didn’t appreciate the benefit of a good editor, after a short period of time I very much do now.

I will just say she has been very generous and has a great respect and in some cases a great friendship with many of you writers who post and support here.

I think I can tell already the benefit of a good editor and feel lucky and fortunate to have one reach out to me.

Brutal One

 

[HeyYoureThatGuy]

For someone with dyslexia, editors save so much writing.

I've also got a very large vocabulary, but without the help of spell-check, and the editors who catch when words like witch and which are switched, my stories would be far less intelligible.

 

[Salacious_Scribe]

I;ve ried to use editors here. many have offered and I send them my story and no repsponse.

Three did work with me.

One changed a characters name and randomly cut entire paragraphs.

One was great until a medical condition forced her to stop

One mispelled more words than he fixed.

I'm sure there are good ones, but I'll stick with Hemmingway Editor and Grammerly.

 

[SamScribble]

I think that the value of an editor rather depends on why you want an editor in the first place.

If you want someone who can spot your typos and other such errors, that’s one thing. But if you want someone who can help you to tell your story more convincingly, that’s something else again.

I think the editor to avoid is the editor who wants to turn your story into their story.

 

[_Lynn_]

I used an editor years ago. They were supposed to be one of the best Lit had. After reading some of what they edited, I wasn't confident of what they could offer, so I left errors in the story. They didn't catch a single one. At that point, I chose to learn as much as I could from assorted threads on the forums as well as asking questions to people I believed had the right answers.

Since then, I haven't used an editor. I have asked people to read a story to get their view on what works, etc. Most of those helped a great deal.

As others said, the value of an editor is in what you need from them.

 

[KeithD]

I think the value of an editor is mostly in what, if anything, they know about editing. On Lit. it's a crap shoot, because there's no vetting.

 

[AloneTooLong]

there sometimes seems to be a bit of confusion between proof-reader and editor; I am a very good proof-reader, no desire to edit. So spelling, mixing up past and present verbs incorrectly in same sentence, "I seen her", their vs they're, etc. I am listed as a beta reader for several of my favorite (non Lit) erotica authors.

 

[KeithD]

Technically, a proofreader (note, no hyphen) strictly compares dead (a previous version) copy with live (the current version) copy and notes any differences. A proofreader doesn't change or correct anything or fact check. What has been added in recent years that's short of a full-blown editor is the beta reader. Yes, they are useful. An actual proofreader wouldn't be very useful in the Literotica process. It's lost a lot of its utility in the digital age, where copy can be replicated exactly--doesn't need to be rekeyed.

 

[LKilkenny]

When I wrote my first story, just a few months ago, I knew I wanted someone to look at it before throwing it out there to everyone. I tried the LIT editor tool and sent out a request for an editor about once a week, to a different editor each time. No one ever responded so I finally put a post here in the AH. I got 3 PM's from that and I did finally get a response from the editor's tool but that was just a kind note to let me know that her queue was full, which I appreciated.

I made arrangements and sent my copy to the editor, not really knowing what to expect. This is my first foray into any kind of writing. He would read my story, point out where my grammar was incorrect or my spelling or verb tense. He also really read the story in such a way that he made connections from things at the end of the story and how they would relate to things at the beginning of the story. He never made changes, only suggestions about how to close the loop on an idea or a concept then left me to figure out how to do it in my own words.

So far I've published five stories. Two stand-alone stories, at least for now, and one multi-chapter story that's ongoing. They're all between 12,000 and 20,000 words each. He's been a great resource for someone new to writing like myself. We may pass a document back and for two or three times before letting it fly and it seems we both seem to find at least one mistake that just jumps out when it's published but hey, for a guy that's just doing this for free, I can't complain at all, he's been an absolute blast to work with.

 

[AloneTooLong]

OK thanks Keith, I will just be a beta reader now.

 

[jehoram]

On the subject of the benefits of an editor, I added my own two cents in an essay I posted some time ago:

https://www.literotica.com/s/the-right-editor

But I realize that adding "reality checks" isn't usually part of an editor's job. But it does help one's writing.

 

[thatsbogus]

I used three editors before I really found the value in one. My stories tend to come out mostly finished; I write a lot and I can create a polished work with virtually no niggly errors and in which everything flows. But my current editor has given me at least one major point to ponder on everything I’ve run through her. She takes the time to get inside my characters and figure out what motivates them, and whether or not I’m missing anything or have overlooked things. She has saved me from at least two major plot missteps I otherwise would have made, and she has helped me find my way out of a cul-de-sac at least once.

It’s a free site and editors aren’t paid, so I agree it can be very hit and miss. But when you get a good one, you’ll see the value in it.