writingforyourlife

“Hard writing makes easy reading” —Wallace Stenger

Exactly how important are editing and proofreading to a story?

Let me tell you about one of the first short stories I ever submitted to a magazine.  I had a fabulous idea, which I thought was very Woody-Allen-esque.  It was a brilliant set-up and clever in its dialogue.  I read it, re-read it and re-read it again.  Then I got up the courage to let my husband read it.  He thought it was great too (or he just didn’t want to tell me it was otherwise…)

Anyway, I finally sent it off to a short-story magazine absolutely sure that it was going to be accepted.  I mean, why wouldn’t it be?  It’s fun!  It’s witty!  It’s engaging!  What more could an editor be looking for?

So, imagine my disappointment when it was immediately returned to me, covered with red marks.  I think the editor had only read the first few pages, because that’s when the marks stopped, with a very decided “TOO WORDY!” scrawled at the bottom.

I was heartbroken.

And of course, I spent the next week going over my story and wondering what on earth the editor was talking about.  But after I had some time to cool off and I could look at the manuscript objectively, I recognized just how many words I was including in my sentences that simply did not need to be there.

Now, don’t sit there thinking, “Oh, I know your kind.  You’re one of those ultra-verbose writers who tries to fancy-up their work with extra adjectives.”  That’s wasn’t the problem.  The problem was I wasn’t being concise enough.

Although I was upset at having my story rejected, I was actually quite fortunate to receive the comments on my manuscript at all.  Other things I’ve submitted have come back with no feedback whatsoever.  In the end, I’m grateful for any constructive criticism I can get from a professional.

So, if you ever receive one of your pieces covered in red marks, pay attention to what the editor is saying.  Just remember, they’ve done you a favour.

 What’s the best constructive criticism you’ve ever gotten?