Editing Writing

Introduction to Editing Writing

What is editing, anyway?

• Editing is basically a method for "perfecting" written works.

• There's no actual guideline.

• Main objectives being:

  • To trim the fat, to include necessary information, to improve the readability of the text, to proofread.

Trimming the Fat

• Of course, the "fat" in this context is metaphorical.

  • Represents excess.

• Any type of text in either fiction or non-fiction should not be bloated.

• Helps readers a lot!

Trimming the Fat Example

• Needs to be trimmed:

  • I rode the bus to school today. I did that because it was raining. Riding the bus is actually fun. It's more fun than walking.

• Trimmed version:

  • Today I rode the bus to school because it was raining, and it was actually more fun to ride the bus than walk.

Including Necessary Info

• Needs more information:

  • She was in a field.

• More information version:

  • She was in an empty field with nothing but grass surrounding her. Her eyes could not see any other people, nor could she hear the calls of animals.

Improving Readibility

• Rewriting confusing sentences, decreasing the length of paragraphs, making the text flow.

• Example:

  • It has been raining for days, and I bet it's still out there.

  • It has been raining for days, and I bet our dog is still out there.

Proofreading

• Making sure there are no errors in the text.

  • Typos

  • Grammatical structure

  • Closing plot holes

  • Ensuring that you're satisfied with your work

Let's Edit Your Short Story!