A few days ago, I submitted a piece of flash fiction to an editor. 1500 words to be proofread and content edited. Why, you might ask, would one want an editor to look at such a short piece of fiction?
- I had read and re-read it so much that small mistakes went unnoticed – that’s right I had gone word blind. I needed help, and was willing to take criticism from a professional.
- My sentence structure was smartened up, and the story flowed better after my editor’s input.
- The staggering amount of work was impressive. Her notes informed me, I found I was learning or re-learning because of the experience. I was shown things I do incorrectly without realising I was doing them. Now I can try to avoid these bad habits before they become too ingrained.
- I feel like an author now – I can say “Yes, I have an editor” or “My editor says”. Silly I know, but hey.
If anyone is interested in finding a professional editor at reasonable rates I can highly recommend Cat Chester at pinkproof – she was fast and very professional. Her feedback encouraged as well as corrected. As I said to her afterwards, I felt like I was handing in my homework for a school project, I was very nervous about what she would say. I shouldn’t have been, a more helpful and supportive experience I couldn’t have hoped for. I wish my school teachers could have been half this helpful.
I have asked her to look at another short fiction today, and wait with baited breathe for her observations.