Bless every editor, copy editor and especially the
proofreader. What brought this up was a
recent post to my blog where I not only committed the sin of putting “it’s” for
“its” (I do know better), but also left a clause at the end when I had already
moved it to an earlier spot in the sentence.
I’m sure there are other errors, probably some serious comma issues.
When I write novels, I send the draft through a few readers
before sending it on to the publisher.
Two of my brothers read it for content, clarity, believability,
character consistency and whether or not it is a good read. I have a talented friend who does the same,
but also does more detailed copyediting and proofing. To those who have heard
writers say “everyone needs an editor,” believe them. It’s Gospel. Next for the
manuscript is the publisher’s editor, another edit by me and still another by a
professional proofreader. No doubt there is one more proof before the book goes
to the printer. The published book is in pretty good shape by the time it makes
its debut. This isn’t true for what I
post here. Though I do proof — sometimes I go over it more than once — there
are no fresh eyes.
Since beginning this blog nearly four years ago, I have
written more than 500 posts (roughly 250,000 words) without a net. Too often it shows. Sometimes I find and
correct a glitch days later. I know
other errors are living on in cyberspace in perpetuity or eternity, which ever
is longer. I apologize for my
transgressions. I know many people
consider perfect grammar a requirement for a professional writer. Those who have that ability should thank
whoever or whatever they believe in for the gift or curse of meticulousness.
While in a general sense of the word, I am a decent overall editor, I do not
have and will not have in this lifetime the knowledge and skill it takes to
excel at copy-editing and proofing. My brain, quite often, will register what
ought to be there rather than what is no matter how many times I reread it. It’s wired that way. ”Furthermore,” quoth the Raven, as I age some
of the wiring is coming loose or corroding. I ask that you forgive me for my
lack of meticulosity.
To Edit Or Not To
Edit: Mann and Hesse
Hermann Hesse & Thomas Mann |
I’ve tried to find a source to back this up. I didn’t.
However, if you are willing to assume the risk of my rickety memory, I
once read that Thomas Mann held a kindly and respectful envy of his
contemporary Hermann Hesse, whose first and final draft of his fiction flowed
freely, flawlessly, and unedited from his pen.
Mann’s manuscripts, on the other hand, bled profusely with corrections
and rewritten passages. Both are Nobel
Prize recipients.
How’s Your Ego Doing? If You re A Writer, How Much Control Do You
Want?
The other day I read an article by author Paul D. Marks, a
Shamus Award winner (for White Heat).
He talks about writing screenplays and novels and what fulfillment one might or
might not expect from each. While my experience hasn’t the breadth or depth of
his, I have a similar view based on the limited exposure I’ve had with plays
and novels. Plays and screenplays must, by definition, be joint efforts. There
are actors and directors and, in the case of film, a stream of rewriters as
well as cinematographers, costume designers, lighting designers and set
decorators, all inserting layer upon layer of influence never imagined by the
original writer. Only in the case of
novel writing can the original creator claim any serious ownership. He or she must only share the work’s
interpretation with the reader. I like that concept.
2 comments:
Insightful, as always. Thank the gods and goddesses we had Diana, Patti, each other, and a handful of others when we all worked together. Given the volume of words we spewed, I hate to think how embarrassing the errors might have been had we not put egos aside and welcomed input from each other.
You are among the goddesses. I remember once your catching the potential for insult when I referred to a "dense population." I meant crowded. But it could easily have been interpreted in another way.
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