Write Every Day: Day 26

[the_siobhan]

My original plan for this lump of coal was to do some research and editing this month. It turns out that what I'm really spending my time on is completely re-writing it. That's not a bad thing, it just means that I'm further from the finish line that I had remembered.

In preparation for what I thought I was going to be spending my time on, I had picked up a book called ReWrite Right!: Your Guide to Perfectly Polished Prose. It has some guidelines about grammar and spelling, common mistakes and synonyms, and weighs in on the infamous adverb rule. I imagine there are many other books out there that do much the same thing.

What do you do when it comes to editing and proof-reading? Do you do it yourself? Have a beta? Hire a professional if you are writing for publishing? Any recommendations for when I finally do get to that step?


Day 26 Tally:
china_shop, badly_knitted, silveradept, sylvanwitch, shadaras, sanguinity, nafs, cornerofmadness, yasaman, lferion, phrenk, sakana17, luzula, saki101, ysilme, auroracloud, firecat, iberiandoctor

Day 25:
china_shop, badly_knitted, shopfront, phrenk, luzula, sylvanwitch, shadaras, brainwane, firecat, nafs, cornerofmadness, sanguinity, alexseanchai, lferion, yasaman, phrenk, sakana17, silveradept, ysilme, auroracloud, iberiandoctor

Day 24:
china_shop, badly_knitted, luzula, , alexseanchai, sylvanwitch, shadaras, nafs, lferion, sakana17, cornerofmadness, yasaman, shopfront, silveradept, brainwane, sanguinity, ysilme, auroracloud, iberiandoctor

Day 23:
china_shop, shopfront, badly_knitted, luzula, anankastick, sylvanwitch, shadaras, alexseanchai, yasaman, nafs, cornerofmadness, lferion, sakana17, phrenk, ysilme, silveradept, sanguinity, auroracloud, iberiandoctor

Day 22:
alexseanchai, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, shadaras, brainwane, sakana17, sanguinity, nafs, phrenk, cornerofmadness, lferion, yasaman, auroracloud, shopfront, luzula, silveradept, ysilme, iberiandoctor

Day 21:
china_shop, alexseanchai, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, shadaras, silveradept, brainwane, lferion, sakana17, nafs, cornerofmadness, yasaman, phrenk, auroracloud, shopfront, firecat, sanguinity, luzula, iberiandoctor, ysilme

Day 20:
china_shop, sylvanwitch, badly_knitted, luzula, alexseanchai, shadaras, nafs, sakana17, cornerofmadness, yasaman, lferion, phrenk, shopfront, firecat, sanguinity, silveradept, auroracloud, iberiandoctor, ysilme

Day 19:
china_shop, ysilme, shopfront, luzula, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, alexseanchai, brainwane, silveradept, cornerofmadness, nafs, sakana17, yasaman, lferion, sanguinity, alexseanchai, phrenk, shadaras, auroracloud, iberiandoctor

Day 18:
china_shop, alexseanchai, badly_knitted, luzula, sylvanwitch, shadaras, brainwane, marvelouscity, nafs, lferion, cornerofmadness, yasaman, sakana17, sanguinity, phrenk, firecat, ysilme, silveradept, auroracloud, iberiandoctor

Day 17:
china_shop, badly_knitted, luzula, sylvanwitch, shadaras, alexseanchai, sanguinity, brainwane, nafs, cornerofmadness, sakana17, yasaman, lferion, marvelouscity, silveradept, phrenk, iberiandoctor, firecat, ysilme, auroracloud

Day 16:
china_shop, badly_knitted, luzula, sylvanwitch, sanguinity, yasaman, brainwane, firecat, nafs, cornerofmadness, lferion, sakana17, phrenk, silveradept, iberiandoctor, shadaras, ysilme, auroracloud

Day 15:
china_shop, alexseanchai, sylvanwitch, badly_knitted, trobadora, luzula, yasaman, sanguinity, shadaras, brainwane, nafs, sakana17, cornerofmadness, phrenk, lferion, silveradept, firecat, iberiandoctor, ysilme, auroracloud

Day 14:
china_shop, ysilme, sylvanwitch, trobadora, badly_knitted, luzula, alexseanchai, shadaras, sanguinity, nafs, brainwane, cornerofmadness, yasaman, lferion, sakana17, phrenk, shopfront,silveradept, firecat, ysilme, auroracloud

Day 13:
china_shop, shopfront, badly_knitted, luzula, shadaras, alexseanchai, sylvanwitch, nafs, cornerofmadness, lferion, yasaman, phrenk, sakana17, silveradept, ysilme, iberiandoctor, trobadora, sanguinity, auroracloud

Day 12:
china_shop, sylvanwitch, shadaras, brainwane, silveradept, alexseanchai, thevetia, yasaman, zulu, sakana17, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, lferion, phrenk, badly_knitted, saki101, ysilme, iberiandoctor, trobadora, luzula, auroracloud

Day 11:
china_shop, firecat, badly_knitted, luzula, sylvanwitch, shadaras, thevetia, sakana17, brainwane, sanguinity, yasaman, cornerofmadness, china_shop, nafs, lferion, saki101, alexseanchai, phrenk, firecat, shopfront, silveradept, zulu, trobadora, ysilme, iberiandoctor, auroracloud

Day 10:
china_shop, badly_knitted, luzula, sylvanwitch, alexseanchai, shadaras, sanguinity, brainwane, nafs, firecat, yasaman, cornerofmadness, sakana17, saki101, lferion, phrenk, auroracloud, iberiandoctor, silveradept, thevetia, trobadora, ysilme

Day 9:
china_shop, shadaras, sylvanwitch, alexseanchai, sanguinity, saki101, nafs, yasaman, cornerofmadness, lferion, sakana17, phrenk, badly_knitted, ysilme, silveradept, solo, carenejeans, auroracloud, iberiandoctor, luzula, brainwane, trobadora

Day 8:
china_shop, sylvanwitch, badly_knitted, luzula, saki101, silveradept, sanguinity, shadaras, thevetia, brainwane, nafs, cornerofmadness, lferion, sakana17, yasaman, phrenk, alexseanchai, firecat, auroracloud, ysilme, solo, carenejeans, iberiandoctor, trobadora

Day 7:
china_shop, shopfront, falkner, badly_knitted, luzula, trobadora, sylvanwitch, shadaras, nafs, brainwane, sanguinity, lferion, yasaman, sakana17, phrenk, carenejeans, cornerofmadness, firecat, saki101, silveradept, auroracloud, ysilme, iberiandoctor

Day 6:
china_shop, ysilme, trobadora, luzula, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, saki101, sanguinity, shadaras, brainwane, nafs, alexseanchai, cornerofmadness, yasaman, lferion, sakana17, phrenk, shopfront, silveradept, iberiandoctor, firecat, solo, carenejeans, auroracloud

Day 5:
china_shop, badly_knitted, luzula, shadaras, sylvanwitch, nafs, sakana17, sanguinity, cornerofmadness, lferion, brainwane, saki101, phrenk, firecat, ysilme, shopfront, yasaman, carenejeans, houseof9cats, thevetia, robadora, silveradept, auroracloud, trobadora

Day 4:
china_shop, shopfront, luzula. alexseanchai, shadaras, badly_knitted, sylvanwitch, ysilme, sanguinity, saki101, silveradept, nafs, yasaman, thevetia, sakana17, cornerofmadness, lferion, phrenk, solo, iberiandoctor, firecat, brainwane, carenejeans, yasaman, auroracloud, trobadora

Day 3:
china_shop, alexseanchai, alexcat, sylvanwitch, sakana17, thevetia, nafs, lferion, cornerofmadness, phrenk, solo, badly_knitted, luzula, shadaras, yasaman, brainwane, trobadora, ysilme, sanguinity, silveradept, iberiandoctor, firecat, carenejeans, auroracloud

Day 2:
china_shop, shadaras, falkner, luzula, badly_knitted, alexseanchai, trobadora, saki101, sylvanwitch, brainwane, thevetia, lferion, cornerofmadness, nafs, sakana17, yasaman, solo, phrenk, auroracloud, ysilme, sanguinity, silveradept, alexcat, iberiandoctor, firecat, carenejeans

Day 1:
china_shop, sylvanwitch, luzula, badly_knitted, trobadora, falkner, alexseanchai, silveradept, shadaras, sanguinity, thevetia, nafs, cornerofmadness, lferion, sakana17, alexcat, marvelouscity, saki101, yasaman, solo, auroracloud, phrenk, shopfront, brainwane, dreamwriteremmy, ysilme, , iberiandoctor, firecat, carenejeans

Let me know if I missed your name at any point. And participation is always open, so jump in with a comment any time.

Comments

[badly_knitted]

I use a beta if I'm writing for a challenge that requires one, but otherwise I d it myself. I mostly write drabbles and short pieces so in theory tat should be fine, but I still find typos after posting.

Nov 26t - 934 words, a 500 word ficlet, four Doctor Who drabbles, and a teeny bit of editing on a couple of fics.

[the_siobhan]

There is something about hitting the "Post" button that makes me suddenly capable of seeing typos and entire words I've missed.

Well done on your words!

[badly_knitted]

Same here =/

Thank you!

[disastrid]

Haven't edited a novel but have edited by 120k word PhD. What I learned is a) editing is just a euphemism for rewriting, and b) it really does get better every time.

I had money set aside for proofreading but ran out of time because I was also moving overseas for a job. I really wish I had had time for it because I still find typos when I'm forced to read it and it pisses me off so, so much.

[the_siobhan]

I seem to be able to read something forty times, and still miss half the typos until I post it.

[silveradept]

Most of the time, I read it myself, because it's short. For longer works or works where I want an additional coat of polish, I usually ask for a beta to read it.

Checking in due 25 and 26, achievements in finishing the last outstanding item in my assignment draft queue and building up more material for the writing exercise in December.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your words and congrats on finishing your assignment!

[sylvanwitch]

Ugh, editing: The most necessary of evils. ;-) I edit myself first and usually exhaustively (my last novel is stalled mid-third-edit, for example). Then, I'll ask a friend who was my beta in my fanfiction days and has a keen eye. Sometimes, I'll ask other friends too. For the one I'm working on now, I'm going the next step of hiring a professional editor, too. Typically, if I'm sending something short out for submission, I'll edit myself, and if I'm feeling uncertain, I'll also send it to a friend for looking over. More eyes are better than two, for sure.

Today, before the cooking and walking and eating and groaning, I wrote 892 words.

[the_siobhan]

I feel much the same way about it. :-)

Well done on all your words!

[sanguinity]

Am I odd in that I enjoy editing? I like refining my words, getting at the heart of what I really wanted to say, getting the thought to ring clear and true. My wife often does the last pass on my stories, tightening them ever more than I can do on my own.

Check-in: maybe a thousand words today? Not bad for a project I was feeling stuck, stuck, stuck on.

[the_siobhan]

Based on most of the responses, you appear to be unusual. :-)

Excellent progress. Well done!

[shadaras]

I'm still so bad at editing. xD; Having friends I can ask to beta helps immensely. They can help catch all the typos I miss, and tell me when I've written something that elides too much emotional development because it's obvious in my head but didn't make it on the page.

If I were writing more seriously than fanfiction I'd probably care more? But with fanfiction I'm not really worried; I know I write well enough that it'll be enjoyable to people regardless.

Today I wrote ~800 words.

[the_siobhan]

That's entirely reasonable. :-)

Well done on your words!

[china_shop]

I get beta for nearly everything these days -- and it always makes it better. :-)

27th: 222 words of ficlet and another para or two in my notebook.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your words!

[nafs]

Day 26: Alibi sentence.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on getting that alibi sentence down.

[houseof9cats]

Editors Canada here. You can send it here if you like. I can put together a big list of editing resources, but nooot at 12:15 a.m. :3

Professional edits also ideally involve two to three sets of eyes or more: structural, then style, then copyedits, then proofs. Different people specialize in one or two of those things, but a lot of freelance work involves doing all of them.

Okay, a small list:

The Copyeditors Handbook -- Amy Einsohn
The Subversive Copyeditor -- Carol Fisher Saller
Grammar Girl blogs and podcasts
Editors Canada
Editorial Freelancers Association
Canadian Intellectual Property Office (CIPO) (Copyright Act)
https://www.michaelgeist.ca/ -- a leading law blog on Canadian publishing
Termium Plus (Government of Canada style)
copyediting.com
Web content accessibility guidelines https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/

[the_siobhan]

Oh wow. I should have known you'd have all the resources off the top of your head.

If I can ever beat this thing into shape I'll come back to you for advice.

[cornerofmadness]

If you plan to pay it will be expensive for editing. I've been lucky enough to have friends who beta and have enough experience to edit it enough to be submission ready and then lean hard on their editors. My big thing is looking for filter words. I'm HORRIBLE at it. My new regime is to pull it one chapter at a time to do global searches for that (without being overwhelming)

I managed 2975 on a comment fic I shouldn't have even been writing. Go me

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your words!

[cornerofmadness]

thanks

[yasaman]

Day 26: 501 words for me today! Better than I expected for a holiday, tbh.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your words!

[lferion]

Day 26 - 300 words, a drabble and two posts.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your words!

[satoyan]

Day 26: 674 nano words.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your words!

[sakana17]

Day 26: More edits.

[the_siobhan]

Well done on your progress!

[greylock]

What do you do when it comes to editing and proof-reading? Do you do it yourself? Have a beta? Hire a professional if you are writing for publishing? Any recommendations for when I finally do get to that step?

As a professional, different sphere, I can tell you the greatest editors are: time, distance, and the third dimension.

[the_siobhan]

Third dimension?

[greylock]

The different perspective you have from walking away for a while. :)

[luzula]

Wordcount for 26th of November: 500
Total wordcount on poly fic: 46,000

I have beta-readers. But honestly, my first drafts are pretty polished from the start. I can't really leave a passage until I feel satisfied with it, and I don't do that much editing afterwards. For me, the language and style is part of the story, so unless the sentences sound right and express what I want them to express, I can't go on.

ETA: I don't want to imply that my stories are perfect or anything! Beta-reading definitely does catch errors and things I end up changing. It's just that I prefer not to write drafts that are rough/unfinished.

[the_siobhan]

That's fair! I think the Nano emphasis on wordcount is part of the reason this thing is so unpolished.

Well done on your words!

[brainwane]

I took Thursday the 26th off for Thanksgiving, so, no checkin. :-)

[the_siobhan]

Entirely legit. :-)