- Joined
- Jan 16, 2012
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- 234
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- Montréal
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- huntforkomodocracker.wixsite.com
I know that there is much said about the role of a book editor. I also know that there are different types of editing services available. I also did a lot of research on the subject. But I still can't find a satisfying answer for my particular concern. So I thought I would ask it here.
I am 30 percent into the rewrite stage of my very first novel. I am very happy and satisfied with the progress so far. However, I am a poor editor. For example, I struggle with where to put commas and periods in dialogue. After I finished with a chapter, I read it aloud to see if it sounds right. Sometimes I struggle in trying to make it sound natural. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have faith in my plot, characters, settings and so forth, but I lack the professional finishing touch especially in my dialogue. It doesn't help that I'm not writing in my native tongue.
So my question is just how much editing does an editor do. Does she rewrite what is obviously poorly written, or does she simply note the problem and I have to rewrite it myself. In other words, will she give me back a finished document or will she highlight a bunch of mistakes that I need to correct? The way I see it is if I failed to do it right the first time, I can’t see how I will do it better the second time.
If there are different names given to different types of editing, what do you call an editor that finishes the book for you?
I am 30 percent into the rewrite stage of my very first novel. I am very happy and satisfied with the progress so far. However, I am a poor editor. For example, I struggle with where to put commas and periods in dialogue. After I finished with a chapter, I read it aloud to see if it sounds right. Sometimes I struggle in trying to make it sound natural. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I have faith in my plot, characters, settings and so forth, but I lack the professional finishing touch especially in my dialogue. It doesn't help that I'm not writing in my native tongue.
So my question is just how much editing does an editor do. Does she rewrite what is obviously poorly written, or does she simply note the problem and I have to rewrite it myself. In other words, will she give me back a finished document or will she highlight a bunch of mistakes that I need to correct? The way I see it is if I failed to do it right the first time, I can’t see how I will do it better the second time.
If there are different names given to different types of editing, what do you call an editor that finishes the book for you?