Editing help

I wasn't sure where to post this, so mods can move if necessary. I'm entering a short story contest and I'm just looking for a few people to help me edit my story. It will be ready by the end of the weekend. The deadline is the 31st, so I'm up against time. Only found out about it last week

 

Do you need help with typographical and spelling errors, or do you need help with advice on plot and characters?

 

I think that's cheating. Not the contest, but yourself. It's like playing tennis. Playing against a superior player will do more to improve your game than getting coached beforehand. You don't build confidence until you face the challenge full on, by yourself. Use the pressure to motivate you to outperform your best previous efforts.

 

Do people really not use beta readers for short story contests?

 

Punctuation, run ons, stuff like that. Spell check is catching everything, and I might do a rewrite tomorrow just to make it sound better. So if anyone can do a look over Sunday or Monday to check my punctuation and such, it's my weak point

 

I really don't.

 

I mean, that is badass.

 

I wouldn't (haven't). It seems like stacking the deck in favor of yourself. It's a competition. Compete on your own merits.

 

I guess I don't think I have any of my own merits other than effort. I learned to write from other people and talk with them about it every time I write something. I'd never send a piece in to a competition or magazine without having friends look at it first.

 

The people who work for the magazine have editors. Growing up in school and college, you're taught the rules and have assistance like teachers and writing centers.
I wasn't asking Tolkien or Rowling to rewrite it into a best seller. I just know my weakness is punctuation, and asked for a little help. And if I don't get help with this stuff, how am I supposed to learn when I'm wrong?
I honestly don't see the problem.

 

Well, I think it would be less of an issue if you were asking for help with something other than a contest.

 

@naturemage Screenplay contests are some of the most competitive in the writing world. Here is a Film Courage interview clip with a writer expressing how important contests are.



And for the money, if that video is tl;dw, here is the part where he talks about letting a table read and give feedback on screenplays before you send them to a contest:

 

Ok, forgive me if this doesn't make sense to me. It's unfair of me to ask for help with punctuation for a contest, but big time authors have editors look over entire manuscripts that make thousands or even millions of dollars?

 

We’re an opinionated lot.

 

This was posted Jan 24. How did it work out?

 

I didn't get any help, but I entered the contest. Results come out in July....

 

Those authors are making big money on their books, and therefore have the means to find and use editors who are sufficiently familiar with their style to fix minor flaws without damaging the writer's style. These authors have contract deadlines to meet, and can afford to offload some of the routine proofreading to a trusted assistant, knowing that the assistant will contact them before making changes that might impact the writer's style and voice.

These writers also fire editors who aren't working out, either because they miss details they shouldn't, or because they make changes that aren't in line with the writer's style. Finding a new editor takes a great deal of vetting. Moreover, the writer isn't handing them manuscripts requiring a large amount of cleanup, but rather manuscripts most of us would consider finished.

 

Asking for somebody to check your whole manuscript for punctuation is a bit much since like it was said there are people who get paid for that. But if you had posted a few sentences in a thread for that purpose people here do respond. Then you could have used some of what you learned and checked the whole thing yourself. It would only have taken a few posts (unless you have no clue at all and then we can't help you).

 

Next time, you are welcome to ask me. I'm happy to put my two cents in on something short.

I've had a minimum of four people critique everything I've sent in to contests and magazines, and see nothing wrong with it. The only reason why it isn't always more is because it starts to feel indulgent, because I like giving people things to read.

 

Yeah, but she didn't want a critique, she wanted a punctuation checker for the whole manuscript.
I put my two cents in too if it is short, like in that share your first 3 sentences thread.

 

I don't think writers can fire in-house editors. When you are selling your writing it's important to work well with the editor you've been given and this goes way beyond grammar and punctuation. I think these places would be quicker to drop a writer over an editor.

 

While I totally agree re most authors, I suspect the “fire editor” comment was more about the authors that make millions. Stephen King can very likely fire his editor. Someone who may or may not sell enough to get royalties beyond a modest advance, no.

 

I try to be as easy to work with as possible which is not always an easy thing to do. But I know I'm dealing with people who know what they're doing or they wouldn't be in the position they're in. I'm sticky talking about in-house editors working for publications that are buying and publishing my work. Even though some edits I feel resistant to make end up good for my writing in the end. And working with in-house editors puts the whole kill your darlings thing to the test. There has only been one change that I didn't want to make, but I discussed it with my editor and we found a way to make it work that satisfied both of us. Other than that I pretty much follow the directions and suggestions they make. And that's not always an easy thing at all. But I think it's important to keep the big picture in mind. These editor wouldn't keep their jobs if they weren't good at it. I think even the big-time writers have learned to work with editors. I mean the editors aren't there to tell us everything is perfect. They're on our team and their intentions are good. If you are selling work to a reputable publication, those editors know what they're doing. And firing one wouldn't guarantee the next one wouldn't say the same thing. I think it's important to learn to work with editors once you start publishing. Too much resistance isn't going to be good for your reputation in the business or your published work. I think learning to trust editors is an important part of the writing process.

 

I imagine it might be pretty hard to find the right editor when self publishing. I did hire an editor to help me with a book proposal to get it ready to submit to agents and publishers. I know a lot of people think you can skip that step, but, for me, it was a big help. I asked around and got recommendations. The person I hired had worked for both publishers and agents and seemed to really know what they were looking for. I think it helped a lot, but it wasn't cheap and she gave me a discount because we knew a lot of the same people. I did get an agent and interest from publishers. Other reasons out of my control caused me to pull it. But I would consider hiring the same woman again, maybe even my novel before submitting it, depending on what her rates are now and what sort of deal we could work out.

@big soft moose -- I'm wondering how you find the editors you use for self publishing. I think it's probably a very import step in the self publishing process. Is it hard to find someone to work with and is worth the cost? Anyone can call themselves an editor and offer services, but like you've said you've run into problems with at least one of them. Since there is no gatekeeper with self publishing, I imagine a good editor is extremely important. Would love to hear some of your trial and error stories, and it could probably help a lot of people here. I totally agree there is a big difference working with an in-house editor that is buying your work, paying you, compared to an outside editor you hire and are hoping will make your story better and error free. If I didn't have any contacts, I wouldn't even know where to look to find someone I know would have the skills I would be looking for.