Editorial Respect

by

Anyone who reads my blog regularly knows two things

  1.  I’m cross-eyed and dyslexic
  2.  I’m dyslexic and cross-eyed.

Take your pick.

Vickie, my partner in blogging, is a far better writer than I’ll ever be.  She’s always had a knack for editing and — if you can imagine this — she considered the following gift to be (almost) better than chocolate:

 

For a person with dyslexia, the usual editing style is…

Just ask my sister, who has a master’s degree and taught business writing for 30 years.  She tried it on me and this was the result:

(Warning — these posts are not my usual blogging style.  I was just learning how to blog for Dog’s sake!)

https://rantingalong.blog/2016/01/04/writing-when-you-aint-quite-right-part-1/

https://rantingalong.blog/2013/01/07/writing-when-you-aint-quite-right-part-2/

https://rantingalong.blog/2013/01/15/writing-when-you-aint-quite-right-part-3/

https://rantingalong.blog/2013/01/21/writing-when-you-aint-quite-right-part-4-2/

What I have desperately sought (FOR YEARS) is someone to read my books out loud with me (I take one chapter and Vickie takes the next).  I can hear what needs to be cut and what doesn’t flow.  We do it together, talking out the details and making changes as we go along.

My first book was edited by having it read to me.  E.J.G., an exceptional editor, took a day job a few years ago and I’ve been looking for a sit-down-and-spell-it-out-to-me person since then.  

It’s like entering an entirely new world!

When she says, “This needs to be slashed,” I can understand why. 

If I’m falling to sleep listening to it — or reading it — everyone else is going to fall asleep, too.  

I know there are people with visual impairments and/or dyslexia who have been looking for an exceptionally patient editor who is willing to think outside the squiggle.

During the past week, we spent 51 hours doing editing. I didn’t know what cross-eyed, or eye strain, meant until yesterday, and I doubt there’s a wall, a chair, a counter, or an appliance I haven’t bumped into.  I had to take wet-washcloth-on-the-eyes and painkiller breaks in between.

Vickie’s idea of a break was an exercise routine that would kill a hyperactive squirrel.

If you’re in need of an exceptionally resilient editor with Indiana Jones stamina, Vickie lives in Tampa.

PS:  Vickie did NOT edit this post.  Yes, I know…she should have.  

 

Category : Writing
Tags : , ,