 Short Stories: February 10, 2021 Issue [#10607] |
This week: Macro and Micro Editing Edited by: Dawn Embers  
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Short Stories Newsletter by Dawn
Some thoughts over two aspects of editing: the big picture and finding the minor errors. |
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Editing is an important part of the writing process for any professional, whether the job includes writing on a regular basis or not. Doesn't matter if the focus is fictional or nonfiction. Imagine a newspaper heading with a typo or an assignment with a glaring error. A well edited paper can alleviate those potential miss-fires and questions to credibility. Much like economics, there are macro and micro approaches to the editing or copywriting process. Start with the macro edits in order to get the big picture adjusted. Then get down to the minutiae in a micro edit to fine tune the words into a well developed product.
Macro Edits
This is the big picture approach to editing. In this view of the text or document, the main focus should be the requirements, formatting and checking the overall clarity of message. The general style and appearance of the writing is as important as the grammar and punctuation. For fiction writer’s, this comes in making sure to format the submission to the editor or publisher standards. Essays and assignments in academia, have set requirements that affect the overall grade or results.
Micro Edits
This is the typical editing part because it’s time to look at the paragraphs, sentences, grammar and punctuation. There are some online options that can help give guidance but are not to be viewed as an end-all when it comes to finding errors. Spellcheck, for example, can help but won’t catch everything and doesn’t do well with unusual words or even names. Sites like Grammerly or EditMinion are created to help with editing too. Unfortunately, Editminion is no longer active though it was good for catching same sounding, different spelling words along with passive voice and common phrases. Grammerly is well advertised but also requests reviews from bloggers whether they have used the service or not. Any pre-made program should be used with caution because none of them will catch every error.
Beyond the paragraphs, along with spelling and grammar, take into consideration the sound of each sentence. Reading out loud helps with the spelling error but also can detect repetition. Careful copyeditors “hear” sentences and view the work through the eyes of a reader.
How you approach editing can vary depending on your style but if you take the project in two different styles, this will help to give a more complete final product without having to go over the writing 10 different times. Though you can still do that if you like. Now the question is, how do you approach editing?
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How do you approach editing?
Back in December, I wrote a newsletter that focused on setting the scene in a story. Here are comments sent in over the topic:
Comment by Burning Thoughts 
I enjoyed the discussion of show vs tell.
Another consideration when choosing the method to use is weighing the story conflict. If the information is crucial to conflict, showing is preferred. If the information is background supporting the conflict, then telling (in narrative summary, perhaps) can work.
The conflicts should be shown, while non-conflict (non-disputed) can be told.
Comment by brom21
In the story I started years ago, I lay out the setting by stating there is a kingdom that is the biggest, most powerful and wealthiest kingdom in the realm. To show, I state details of the large size of the castle and its rich details like marble floors, vaulted ceilings and on. To show the kingdom has the biggest army, I have the general mention it indirectly in a brief dialog. Thanks for this NL. It helped a lot!
Comment by Quick-Quill 
I struggled where to start my new novel. Something happened 3 yrs ago that plays a part of this story. After a few starts and restarts I found I’ll drop the backstory by introducing the MC and his reaction to the character involved. Then later why, the the inciting incident came next. I’m still on chapter 1
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