The Importance of Editing

As a writer, I love to help other writers. I spend a lot of my free time reading and writing online. When searching for a story online, I eagerly open those with tantalizing descriptions and titles. At times, I'm disappointed to see the author hasn't taken the time to correct their spelling or format the story for easy reading. For most readers, encountering either a solid block of text and frequent misspellings are reason enough to skip the story and look for another. I don't skip them, instead I give a detailed review in hopes that the writer will appreciate the time taken to give feedback and incorporate the suggestions into their next story. This is not to say that I will go line by line and correct the entire story. If I can tell that the author has made an effort to present his best to the reader, I will give detailed feedback on spelling and grammar in addition to the comments on plot and character development. If the spelling and grammatical errors are numerous, I will point out a couple of examples and tell the writer to review their work carefully for more of the same. I'm always willing to read an item over and give a new review if the author takes the time to make corrections. The site I frequent, Writing.Com, is a place for readers and writers of all levels. I remind myself of this when reading stories on the site. I'm willing to give feedback on an item if the author is willing to give their best when posting a story for public viewing. If I see an author has a pattern of posting stories with misspelled words, easily fixed by using spell check either on the site or in a word processing program, I will skip their future stories and focus on the authors that take the time to present their best. I've seen writers complain that correcting spelling and format drains their creative reserves. This is nonsense. When presenting a story for public consumption, common courtesy dictates you make the story easy to read. If the reader has to stop every other line to figure out what you are trying to convey, they are likely to close the story without sending a review. Editing your story prior to posting is the best way to increase your reviews. If the reader sees that you care enough about the tale to present the best possible version, they in turn will care enough to take the time to give feedback. One lesson aspiring writers must learn is the importance of editing. Editing your stories prior to posting is not only smart, it's courteous to your readers. Online writing communities are formed to help improve the craft of writing, not to be editors for lazy authors. If you want to succeed as a writer, learn to edit prior to asking for feedback.