When I set out to be a writer, I had this odd notion that the first thing I wrote would be wonderful and edits weren’t important. Boy! Was I wrong? You bet. Way off. I need edits and at least one or two sets of eyes on my work before it’s ready to go places.
A lot of authors, though, fall into that trap. My work is great without editing. Unfortunately, it’s wrong. We need edits. The first thing we say isn’t perfect and the first thing we write isn’t award winning.
I’ve had authors and those wanting to get published ask me why I bother with edits. I’ve given them the above reason. Practice sure does make better, but no one is a perfect writer and certainly not straight out of the gate. I can’t tell you how many teh and hte I’ve had in my manuscripts. Now I can hear you saying, um that’s what spell check is for. True. But when you’ve been writing and you’re tired and you mix your there, their and they’re… spell check won’t catch that.
But truly an editor is your best friend. They can help you mold a rambling story into a tight-knit tale. They can help you find your voice by snipping the unneeded bits out. They show you where you shine and where you could use some work. A good editor is a gem.
Which brings me to why I’m writing this blog post. Easy. I’m procrastinating. Snicker. Yep. I have an edit to do, know I should be doing it, but I needed a break. The edit will make the story better and needs to be done, but I need a couple minutes. It won’t be a painful edit, but…a few moments will help.
So what are you up to today? Are you procrastinating, too?
Megan Slayer and Wendi Zwaduk 