Editing is Important

So, if you’ve been following my blog for any length of time you’ll know I’ve been wrangling with my debut novel – Guns of Perdition – for a few years. I wrote it, rewrote it, edited, edited some more, edited again, printed and edited, beta’d, edited, and edited again.

The dang thing had to be perfect after all that, right? What could possibly be the point in sending it off to a “professional” editor? Well, my sense of perfectionism got the best of me (as did numerous prods from my writerly friends) and I eventually succumbed and sent what I thought was a very polished MS to an editor.

Wow. What came back has blown me away. The editor called my MS very polished, but she still managed to pick up HEAPS of errors, mistakes, typos, and blips. HEAPS!

I am now going through tidying these up for what I hope is the final pass through before hitting publish, but I wanted to pause for a moment and share my (noob) thoughts that EDITING IS IMPORTANT! I am astounded and amazed at the job my editor has done and the things she’s picked up.

So, if you’re toying with the notion of seeking professional editing, don’t toy – just do it. And if you’re after a great editor, check out Christie at Proof Positive.

*NOTE – For those burning with curiosity, Guns of Perdition is a quarter through it’s final edit. Hoping for a mid-year publish!

23 thoughts on “Editing is Important”

  1. I found this enlightening and entertaining— Seems I’m not the only one who chases perfection. And then, occasionally I realize perfection is an illusion. On those days I get stuff done! 🙂 Looking forward to seeing more about your progress.

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  5. I’m a perfectionist too and polish, polish, polish. I also have critique partners who catch things I don’t and even then my editor always catches plenty. It’s amazing how easy it is to overlook things.

    Congrats on your progress. A midyear publication is very exciting!! If your looking for blog hosts, you know my door is always open for you!

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  7. Gosh, you sound just like me! And probably like most writers, especially with that first book. I still haven’t made the leap yet – in publishing that first book. Editing really is crucial. Thank you for sharing your own experience. 🖤

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  11. Hi Jessica, what a great post about the value and importance in hiring an editor. It always amazes me when I go back to proofread my own writing (which I felt was clear and error free), and I find a mistake or something needs clarification.
    Thanks for sharing your experience!
    – Chris

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    1. Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment 🙂 I absolutely cannot speak highly enough of getting professional editing done. Even if I was an editor myself I’d still ship my own writing off to get checked by the pros!

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