Editing and Non-Writers

Since finishing the first draft of my novel, and letting people know, I've figured something out.

There is a big misconception about the editing process. And I think it's not just non-writers, but possibly for new writers as well. We need to clear this up RIGHT now. Whether you are just planning your novel, are currently writing it, or are already finished.

To show you what I mean, here's how quite a few conversations have gone.

Me: I finished my novel!

Them: Oh yay! Now all you have to do is proof read and-

Me: Bahahaha! No. At least the first half of my story needs a complete overhaul.

Or, alternatively.

Me: I finished my novel!

Them: Oh yay! Now all you have to do is go through, fixing small mistakes and-

Me: Bahahaha! No. I'm not even worried about spelling or grammar right now.

Get the picture?

I think this misconception can be blamed on the public school system. Yes. The public school system. In school, "editing" a paper WAS just reading through, catching small grammatical errors and spelling errors. That is what people define editing is. It's not. That, my friends, is proofreading, or line reading. However you want to define it.

Editing, especially the first few rounds of editing, is for CONTENT. Does the story progress smoothly? Does it make sense? Are there any extraneous characters? Plots? Red herrings that are never followed?

Though, don't get me wrong, editing for content isn't the ONLY means of editing, but if this is your first draft, it's the only one you should be worried about.

Serial Stalker

I promise, the title will make sense in a moment.

If you ask one of my coworkers what he does, he will tell you he is a "Serial Stalker", but what he is really saying, is "Cereal Stocker."

See, told you it'd make sense.

But what does this have to do with writing? Well, it's all about the Spoken Word versus the Written Word. When writing, there is little chance for misunderstanding, unless you're using sarcasm, which is a topic for another day.

When speaking, it's often quite easy to be misunderstood. But when writing, what you want to say comes as you want the reader to read it.

So, keep this in mind as you write, not everyone has perfect hearing. When focusing on something else, they may mishear, not hear, or completely misunderstand what is said.

This can lead to some funny and/or dangerous situations.

Yes, today's blog post is short. I slept for nearly 12 hours today. But I'm caught up on my sleep now.

Good day and safe travels.