Edit my book?
- Thread starter Maggie2005
- Start date
No. Software can only do so much, especially when reading for context and style. This article may be of interest: Grammarly vs. Human
You need human eyes and a human brain to properly review writing. If you're trying to avoid the costs of hiring a professional editor, the best thing you can do is learn to self-edit. There are any number of books out there to assist you, but if you lack basic knowledge of proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure, you may be better off hiring someone.
You need human eyes and a human brain to properly review writing. If you're trying to avoid the costs of hiring a professional editor, the best thing you can do is learn to self-edit. There are any number of books out there to assist you, but if you lack basic knowledge of proper grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence structure, you may be better off hiring someone.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jan 24, 2014
- Messages
- 2,449
- Reaction score
- 1,505
Be aware of the difference between grammar and craft.
Your job as a novelist is not merely to write sentences that are correct, it's to write sentences that are effective.
That takes review on a qualitative level.
Your job as a novelist is not merely to write sentences that are correct, it's to write sentences that are effective.
That takes review on a qualitative level.
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2015
- Messages
- 10,310
- Reaction score
- 5,280
- Location
- Melbourne
- Website
- www.lanifrank.com
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2015
- Messages
- 10,310
- Reaction score
- 5,280
- Location
- Melbourne
- Website
- www.lanifrank.com
Isn't it? I gave extra points for clever
Gah! Now the OP has fixed it, this makes no sense. But it was lovely while it lasted.
Unimportant
No COVID yet. Still masking.
Staff member
Moderator
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
There is editing at the macro level: storyline, subplots, characterisation. No software can do that.
There is line-editing at the micro level: cutting excess words and phrases, improving dialogue tags, substituting active verbs for passive. No software can do that.
There is copy-editing at the English level: grammar, punctuation, spelling. Software can help with that, although it works best to catch the rare oopsie in an otherwise 99.9% correct section of text, rather than to identify copious errors (which are usually due to the fact that the author doesn't actually know how to write it correctly).
Sorry, Maggie - I thought it was a bit of intentional attention-grabbery. My mistake. Welcome to AW, thoughGah! Now the OP has fixed it, this makes no sense. But it was lovely while it lasted.
- Joined
- Oct 24, 2011
- Messages
- 23,124
- Reaction score
- 10,886
- Location
- Where faults collide
- Website
- doggedlywriting.blogspot.com
There are so many things editing software can't do. It can scan for things like repeated words, or it can let you know if a particular sentence structure is a fragment, or if some sentences are improperly punctuated. Editing software is not really created for fiction writing, though. Editing a novel goes way beyond telling the author whether all the words are spelled and capitalized correctly and whether all the commas are in the right place.
Editing software is hopeless at assessing lapses in voice or style and in determining whether sentences flow correctly. In fact, it will often flag something as an error, even if an author deliberately (or unconsciously) included it in the service of voice, flow etc. It also can't pick out lapses in character or narrative voice. It can't tell you about plot holes, nor can it detect those little narrative inconsistencies that creep in (like a minor character going from having green eyes to blue), nor can it pinpoint mistakes in story mechanics, nor can it flag author misconceptions about how something works in the world (like tides or moon phases, animal behavior, a particular poison, or symptoms of a disease), nor can it spot inconsistencies in a story's timeline etc.
Heck, human editors at trade publishers miss things like this sometimes, but if you have too many editorial mistakes in a novel, readers will get frustrated with the constant need to suspend disbelief. And writing that is dry, voiceless, choppy, or uneven will be frustrating to read, even if punctuation is technically correct.
So if you want to use editing software, you need to understand how limited it is and you need to be generally knowledgeable about grammar and punctuation, and you need to be well versed on how "rules" of fiction differ from rules of technical writing. If you can't afford a human editor, you need to find some really good beta readers who are willing to go through your story with a fine-toothed comb and provide specific feedback about the kinds of things an editor otherwise might, but for free (or in exchange for your own beta reading).
Editing software is hopeless at assessing lapses in voice or style and in determining whether sentences flow correctly. In fact, it will often flag something as an error, even if an author deliberately (or unconsciously) included it in the service of voice, flow etc. It also can't pick out lapses in character or narrative voice. It can't tell you about plot holes, nor can it detect those little narrative inconsistencies that creep in (like a minor character going from having green eyes to blue), nor can it pinpoint mistakes in story mechanics, nor can it flag author misconceptions about how something works in the world (like tides or moon phases, animal behavior, a particular poison, or symptoms of a disease), nor can it spot inconsistencies in a story's timeline etc.
Heck, human editors at trade publishers miss things like this sometimes, but if you have too many editorial mistakes in a novel, readers will get frustrated with the constant need to suspend disbelief. And writing that is dry, voiceless, choppy, or uneven will be frustrating to read, even if punctuation is technically correct.
So if you want to use editing software, you need to understand how limited it is and you need to be generally knowledgeable about grammar and punctuation, and you need to be well versed on how "rules" of fiction differ from rules of technical writing. If you can't afford a human editor, you need to find some really good beta readers who are willing to go through your story with a fine-toothed comb and provide specific feedback about the kinds of things an editor otherwise might, but for free (or in exchange for your own beta reading).
Last edited: