Editing is important, we all know that. But,you don’t always get what you pay for.
Once you’ve finished your masterpiece, the best thing to do is share it with your friends. Whether you email the manuscript or give out printed hard copies, choose the recipients wisely. There are those of us who have an eye for detail and those of us who can read the words without really noticing. Ask for feedback on both the content and the grammar.
If you’re shy – and some of us are, there are plenty of online editing sites that help such as Grammarly. All you have to do is remember that it might not have been created in the country you live in so be mindful as the spelling may differ.
This is the time to be fearless. Not everybody will like your story and as a writer, you need to be prepared for the truth, no matter how brutal it is. That’s why you should choose the people you ask to help wisely. Not everyone will be honest with you. They like you so they’re going to praise you. They’ll tell you that you’re wonderful and the story or content is spectacular and you’ll hear things like “never give up,” and “you’ve got talent.” Whether or not it’s true doesn’t matter. What matters is you put in the effort and came up with a finished product.
Once your manuscript has been scrutinised and you’re happy with it you can either publish it or have it professionally edited. This cost money of course. There are some editors who don’t check spelling and those who do. It’s best to research properly. It you do go down this path, check your manuscript thoroughly when you get it back. Editors are human like the rest of us and sometimes errors in the work go unnoticed. There’s no point paying for something you’re not happy with.
By now you have a finished manuscript that you can boast about and self publish or send out to agents and publishing companies all over the world. We’ll talk about this another time. Until then, happy writing!
Sandra Maggs 