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Writing: First Draft Finished—Editing Needed!
14 years ago
A complete set of chapters for Anasazi’s Rubicon now is posted on the project Web site. The next step is to get it proofread and edited. That’s where all you folks are indispensible. Anyone interested in helping on this very necessary task is invited to let me know. In particular, volunteers are urged to join the Anasazi’s List mailing list.
“So,” you might say, “what should I be looking for?” I’m glad you asked!
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar: the nuts and bolts of the language
Narrative flow: the story should read and progress smoothly, without snagging on the reader’s immersion or suspension of disbelief
Continuity and consistency: errors of fact and internal contradictions need to be eliminated
Style and vocabulary: writing tics and repetitious use of words are personal pet peeves, and I’d like to avoid them in my own writing
Therianthropism: as this is slice-of-life fiction set in an analog of the contemporary world, there’s a limit to how “furry” the story can be, but any means of improving this element would be welcome
Description, sensory impressions, and proliferation of pronouns: These three things in particular I would like to shore up where possible—giving the reader a better mental picture of places and events, trying to follow more closely the rule of thumb that major scenes should appeal to at least three senses, and improving consistency in use of character pointers (not just pronouns but alternatives such as “man”, “woman”, “boy”, “girl”, species, and so on, appropriate to context)
How to go about it? My own suggestions follow, and I’m sure there are other pointers out there people can dig up. (I already have received a couple of proposed edits, but wanted to wait until this stage before implementing them.)
1. Download all the chapters. They’re PDF files, so reading them shouldn’t be a problem. If it is, let me know, and we’ll work out a method.
2. Read through them. If necessary, do so repeatedly, either multiple times at a sitting, with pauses between to view with fresh eyes, or both. Perhaps read for different things each time, such as proofreading on one pass and continuity on another. If the story beguiles you away from your task, read the story first until familiar with it before attempting to edit.
3. Make notes as needed, either while reading or afterward, as annotations within the PDF files themselves (if your software has that capability) or as separate text files.
4. If desired, write up a more formal or polished report or compendium. As much as possible, please offer ideas for fixing problems as well as pointing them out.
5. Send off the annotated PDF files or notes to me directly by e-mail. For discussion on the mailing list, it probably is better to restrict a message to a single point or topic. Otherwise, things can get confused very quickly. That said, I strongly encourage discussion and brainstorming!
Please let me know as soon as you’re able if you’d like to participate! I can’t let the project dangle for lack of feedback, and I’d like to make up for lost time if possible.
“So,” you might say, “what should I be looking for?” I’m glad you asked!
Spelling, punctuation, and grammar: the nuts and bolts of the language
Narrative flow: the story should read and progress smoothly, without snagging on the reader’s immersion or suspension of disbelief
Continuity and consistency: errors of fact and internal contradictions need to be eliminated
Style and vocabulary: writing tics and repetitious use of words are personal pet peeves, and I’d like to avoid them in my own writing
Therianthropism: as this is slice-of-life fiction set in an analog of the contemporary world, there’s a limit to how “furry” the story can be, but any means of improving this element would be welcome
Description, sensory impressions, and proliferation of pronouns: These three things in particular I would like to shore up where possible—giving the reader a better mental picture of places and events, trying to follow more closely the rule of thumb that major scenes should appeal to at least three senses, and improving consistency in use of character pointers (not just pronouns but alternatives such as “man”, “woman”, “boy”, “girl”, species, and so on, appropriate to context)
How to go about it? My own suggestions follow, and I’m sure there are other pointers out there people can dig up. (I already have received a couple of proposed edits, but wanted to wait until this stage before implementing them.)
1. Download all the chapters. They’re PDF files, so reading them shouldn’t be a problem. If it is, let me know, and we’ll work out a method.
2. Read through them. If necessary, do so repeatedly, either multiple times at a sitting, with pauses between to view with fresh eyes, or both. Perhaps read for different things each time, such as proofreading on one pass and continuity on another. If the story beguiles you away from your task, read the story first until familiar with it before attempting to edit.
3. Make notes as needed, either while reading or afterward, as annotations within the PDF files themselves (if your software has that capability) or as separate text files.
4. If desired, write up a more formal or polished report or compendium. As much as possible, please offer ideas for fixing problems as well as pointing them out.
5. Send off the annotated PDF files or notes to me directly by e-mail. For discussion on the mailing list, it probably is better to restrict a message to a single point or topic. Otherwise, things can get confused very quickly. That said, I strongly encourage discussion and brainstorming!
Please let me know as soon as you’re able if you’d like to participate! I can’t let the project dangle for lack of feedback, and I’d like to make up for lost time if possible.
DireWolf505
~direwolf505
Woot, this is why I signed up.
Tom_Clowder
~tomclowder
OP
I’m guessin’ that’s a “yes, I’ll be editing”?
DireWolf505
~direwolf505
Indeed. I got a couple days off comin' up, I'll be startin' soon.
