Updated March 2020.
Do you have a question for the Motivational Editor? Drop it in the comments below or email me at deb [at] DebraLButterfield.com. Once a quarter I’ll be dedicating a post to answering your questions.
editing
A Checklist of 6 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Nonfiction
Based on the nonfiction submissions I get for freelance editing and those I receive at CrossRiver Media Group, it seems as though a lot of people are writing nonfiction these days.
People read fiction for varying reasons, though entertainment leads the list.
However, I doubt most people read nonfiction for [Read more…] about A Checklist of 6 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Nonfiction
A Checklist of 10 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Fiction
If there’s one thing in the writing community that seems to cause overwhelm and confusion, it’s self-editing one’s manuscript.
Many new writers have the false belief that the first draft of their story is supposed to be publication ready, clean of errors and a gripping read—a home run, a slam dunk, a touchdown (plenty of sports analogies for you to pick).
Let me squash that belief right now.
Dead.
Like a bug.
Your draft is just that, a draft, the first writing of your story with your inner editor turned off. Some people call it [Read more…] about A Checklist of 10 Basic Steps for Self-Editing Fiction
For a Stronger Story, Seek and Delete Redundancies in Your Writing
I’m as guilty as the next writer in that I include redundancies in my draft manuscript. When I’m writing my draft, I focus on getting the story out of my head and into the computer.
I look for redundancies when I revise my story. And I revise it more times than I want to count! Below is a list [Read more…] about For a Stronger Story, Seek and Delete Redundancies in Your Writing
How to Use Track Changes in MS Word
As a writer, I use Scrivener to create my documents—even my blog posts. As an editor, my primary tool is MS Word and Track Changes. While I’ve never asked other editors what they use, I’d venture they use track changes, too.
That makes it critical for writers to understand what track changes are and how to use them.
So today, I’m offering a video from Lynda.com as a quick tutorial.
7 Cheat Sheets to Cut Editing Costs – Coming Soon
I’ve been hard at work lately, developing a booklet just for you.
Yes, I notice your reluctance to hire a freelance editor. I understand that hesitation. You don’t know whom to hire; you don’t know if you’ll get scammed; you don’t know how to evaluate the editing you get back. No doubt, though, residing at #1 is How much is it going to cost?
So I’ve put together what I call 7 Cheats Sheets to Cut Editing Costs to help you reduce your editing costs. My critique group is clamoring for the final product because [Read more…] about 7 Cheat Sheets to Cut Editing Costs – Coming Soon
A New Perspective on the Cost of Freelance Editors
“I can’t afford to hire a professional editor,” you say.
But you can’t afford not to hire one. The quality—or lack thereof—of your story directly impacts your ability to land a traditional publishing contract. If you publish indie, it impacts your sales. And who doesn’t want lots of sales?
I don’t say this just because I’m an editor. Even I send my own work to a writer friend to edit. That’s because it’s hard for us see the mistakes in our own writing.
That’s why I encourage you to hire an editor.
We all know professional editing costs can add up, but I often get the impression that writers expect it to start at $5000 and go up from there. Even $1000 is a lot when that same amount pays the mortgage for a month or two.
Let’s take a look at the industry standard fees given in Writer’s Market 2017. [Read more…] about A New Perspective on the Cost of Freelance Editors
Ask the Editor Day 4 – Will I Ever Be Done Editing?
Today’s our last day for Ask the Editor. I’ve enjoyed this and seems you have too. So I’ve decided to continue Ask the Editor on my Facebook author page via live FB video. Visit today and like my page so you can be sure not to miss those live events.
Now for today’s questions.
I feel that editing is a process I could literally be in forever with my book. How do you reach the point where you know that the editing process is complete?
I imagine many writers feel like this. But let me bring some distinction to the question. A synonym of edit is revise. So as writers, we edit/revise our own work. And this is where we can get stuck wondering if we’ll ever get past the process. For myself, I can look at my words in an already published form, be it digital or print, and think, I should have written it this way.
When revising your manuscript, you come that point of “it’s done” when you have [Read more…] about Ask the Editor Day 4 – Will I Ever Be Done Editing?