Editing Your Writing.

The most important part

The editing process is one of the most important things that you can do to your work. It can make or break any writer. For indie authors this process can be difficult. Still, there are several options that we (all writers) have. We can we can seek out an intelligent colleague or acquaintance, hire an online service provider, hire an editor, or edit ourselves. Any path that we decide on the fact remains that the end result and the quality within will depend greatly on this process.

Colleague/Acquaintance path

This option would probably cost the least of all of the options. With this one you must have a connection that has excellent grammatical skills and the dedication needed to go through the entire work line by line. You should have a high level of trust in the person and his or her abilities. If you choose the wrong person the result may be that you spend a lot of time waiting for the feedback and find less than desirable results. Or the results could leave you with many errors and/or poor written content. Still, this is a cheap options and reader feedback is always a desirable outcome.

An online service provider

There are many and I do mean many options for online service providers of this nature. The negative aspect of this is that quality service may be hard to find. This type of service for such things as novels and larger pieces can cost into the thousands. Picking the wrong editor will result in spending a lot of money on very poor quality editing. If you take this path do your research. Find reviews and look at samples to make the most educated decision that you can.

An editor

This can be one of the best and most expensive options available. Editors that have been in the business for a while can get the work done quickly and efficiently. They also are more aware of the environment and common issues. These professional feedback’s can be more informative and relevant. That being said, quality is still very important so looking at samples and reading reviews is always wise. Also, cost may be manageable by going through a freelance option as opposed to an editor at a bricks and mortar business location.

Edit your own work

This option is probably the most popular. If done right it can save a lot of money and be effective. On the one hand, it is a viable option but on the other, fresh and educated eyes may catch things that you will miss. With a concentration on viability, there will be some cost involved with taking this path the right way. Unless you are amazing at English and all things grammar you will want to acquire a piece of software in the editing arena. Do not, I repeat, do not depend on such generic resources as word processing like Microsoft Word. It isn’t close to enough. I personally use ProWritingAid. I will add a post specifically for this product soon. So get yourself a good editing resource and take your time. Doing this yourself can result in a great piece with a little hard work and diligence.