Five Things I’ve Learned From my First-Round Edits
- Though I’m a former grammar teacher and know better, I still misuse farther and further.
- My overused words for this manuscript are settle, still, dark/darkness.
- When I think I’ve been especially clever/artsy with my wording, I’m often not making much sense!
- I still haven’t mastered show, not tell. Haven’t even gotten close.
- It is fabulous having someone else clean up my messes and make my work stronger.
Well, I fins that very comforting. Because I have recently realized how far my writing is from perfection and yet I still want to write. It is nice to know you don’t have to ‘arrive’ to be published :)
I think “show don’t tell” sounds like one of the easiest elements to master, but is actually one of the hardest!
Thanks for sharing. It’s comforting because I have similar problems though I have other words that I tend to overuse. Right now I love my critique partners for cleaning up my mess. Sometimes it’s really messy and I can’t see it. I’d love to have an editor to clean up my messes. Hopefully, some day it’ll happen.
I do #3 a lot as well. I think I’m so smart and then a week or so later when I re-read it I say, OMG this is just stupid.
I have a long list of overused words that I do global searches for when I’m almost done editing. It’s always shocking–even though I try to avoid “sighed” or “well,” but even so I find a bunch that I have to replace with other words or phrases.
This post makes me smile. It’s good to know writers retain their humanitf ;)
Great! Love it! I found out I use “was” too often! THat would be telling, not showing.
Emily, very, very human.
Natalie, I seem to have pet words for each manuscript.
Tabitha, most definitely haven’t arrived. So sorry I missed you while you were in NOLA, by the way! We could have had coffee. Did you enjoy the conference?
Thank you for sharing! This makes me feel good to know a submission has hope even with flaws.
Great post!
I know the feeling. I know that there are tons of words that I use over and over again. I guess it is always a work in progress. We can’t do better unless we are writing and practicing. Thanks for sharing, it is good to know that I am not the only one! :)
I say laughed and smiled all the time. ALL THE TIME. And my book is depressing, so it doesn’t make any sense.
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’m always amazed that we get agented (editored) in the first place, once the edits come in. Surely, they saw these flaws when they took us on?
How wonderful to get professional feedback! Enjoy it.
Well, I am very new to New Mexico. So I need to find about any and all conferences! I have never been able to attend any. I currently live in Roswell. I love it here, and I LOVE ABQ.
So if you hear of any pass on the info! Thanks Caroline!
It must be so cool to get that feedback – exciting :)
I’m definitely also struggling with “Show, don’t tell”! It’s awesome that you’ve got a team on your side to help strengthen all the elements.
As often as I harp at my students about it, I still haven’t mastered “show vs. tell” in my own writing either. :-)
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Isn’t it interesting what your subconscious writes… the whole further/farther is the kind of thing I have to catch myself on, and it’s everything–my hands just type on autopilot, like shutter v. shudder, or right v. wright, or any form of their/there/they’re. It’s not because we don’t know the difference… it just happens! How cool to have someone to find them for you.
I had no idea how much I loved ellipses …
See?
Have fun with the edits!
Nelsa
That is comforting Caroline. You are a million times better at grammar than I am, but it’s nice to know that you still make little mistakes and your editor is clever enough to catch them. :)
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I should never leave comments before my first cup of coffee ;0)
Loved the picture…and your posts about the process. They’re very enlightening. I’m with you on ‘show don’t tell,’ sometimes it seems impossible.
My overused words just annoy me; yet, I still use them (like “just” Ugh!).
Thank heavens for editors! :)