Steve asked: Can good writers edit their own work?Sorry to say, Steve, no. That's often how good writers get viewed as bad writers--they write a business memo or self-published book, don't have anyone else edit or even proofread it, and it gets sent out to thousands of people filled with typos and missing words.
On the small scale, it's impossible to edit your own work simply because you see what you meant. This happens in e-mails all the time. "Let me know weather or not you can make it." Would you have seen that mistake if you had written it? Not necessarily.
On a larger scale, editors help authors develop their arguments and plots. What if J. K. Rowling forgot to mention who Lord Voldemort was? She knows who he is, so it's a possible oversight, but a detrimental one that would leave millions of readers wondering what was going on. Authors can overdevelop, underdevelop, or simply develop the wrong parts. An editor is your readers' advocate to watch for these parts that could lead readers astray or even make them put the book down.
I'm not just saying this to create job security. For proof, just check out a few Craig's List postings, self-published books (specifically those who did not hire an editor), and even FOX Broadcasting Company. Yes, even corporations make grammatical mistakes sometimes. FOX's new TV series 'Til Death should be spelled Till Death.
Here's to editors who prevent public faux pas!
No comments:
Post a Comment