OnlineBookClub.org

Editing - when is enough, enough? This has to be an endless question. WHat do you think. Can an author "over" edit?
BB

I think "enough" editing is a tough thing to judge. The easiest thing to do is have a reading group critique your work and get it to the "good enough" stage and then go. I don't think anyone can please everyone with their writing, so it's more about reaching the audience you were shooting for. As for over-editing, I think that whenever editing never ends it is too much. Hypothetically, the more you write and edit a story the better it should get, because you would be learning more and more with each edit and workshop, but again, at some point the story just has to be declared done enough and moved on from.

I agree - thanks! BB

I do believe an author can only over edit when their story loses it's original meaning and purpose.

Good point; editing is the essential path toward clarity, definition and
style. Only when the original intent is lost is the edit overdone; otherwise
the edit enhances the author's craft. BB

I myself stink at editing, so I find someone good who can help, although I usually get frustrated with them.

Editing can certainly be overdone to the point that the story no longer resembles the originally intended story. Personally, I edit myself, then send it out to beta readers. Each one may find something different, which I will then consider as a suggestion. Nevertheless, when all of them find the same things, that has to be edited. In the end, my own work undergoes numerous edits (grammar, spelling, clarity, content) and then it's another round of beta readers.
That being said, a time comes when an author realizes that he/she will not please everyone, and if all the issue left are only subjective, the author must then make the call to either move forward or to continue trying to please everyone, which is impossible.

Henry - you are so correct. Perfection does not make a good story - creativity does - and in fact, creativity makes a good story great. I fund that editing from others is an essential path toward structural accuracy of both the writing and the story line. However, the final edit still needs to belong to the author inorder to preserve the creative content that makes story work. BB

Mina wrote:I do believe an author can only over edit when their story loses it's original meaning and purpose.

I agree. I've always thought of editing as focusing mainly on spelling and grammar which I don't think can be overdone. But now that I'm thinking about it if an editor started requesting changes to the plot, it could quickly be taken too far.

Isn't that the hidden danger of an over edit - that it goes beyond the spelling and grammar an begins to invade style and plot? BB

Editors are much happier if the writer has already edited the spelling and grammar thoroughly. That way you get a quicker response from them.

Good point. BB

Edit until it's done.

I tried using a so call 'professional editor' and she added her own ideas into the story. I think she was a struggling writer. I told her to take a hike. Writers beware when looking for a professional editor.

James

The danger for the indie author is the professional editor who is a critic and not an editor. I suggest that the best way to engage an editor is the same way you engage someone to work on your home. You define the scope of work and seek a proposal on that scope of work; for example: "scope of work is to check spelling, grammar, word usage and nothing else." This is not to say that some authors may want an editor to comment on voice, sentence structure or even the plot. I agree that the indie author needs to be careful before spending any money. Both the author and the editor should agree on the scope of work for the negotiated fee. BB