tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post4835783903786850955..comments2024-02-20T07:57:47.756-08:00Comments on Carol Hedges: Editing with Sue BarnardCarol Hedgeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-80880999024433084342014-08-30T07:50:06.750-07:002014-08-30T07:50:06.750-07:00Who was it who first said "The price of pedan...Who was it who first said "The price of pedantry is eternal vigilance"? I think those words will probably appear on my tombstone.<br /><br />Seriously, though, we have to call a halt somewhere - otherwise we'd never get out of bed in the morning. We'd certainly never make it into print!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-48031722322646549042014-08-29T11:34:26.915-07:002014-08-29T11:34:26.915-07:00You're never done editing really. I've eve...You're never done editing really. I've even been at readings of my books and wanted to tweak as I read out. As an editor myself I'm getting fussier - about my own work too. Gill Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00632631163777155215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-46699494851233687962014-08-28T02:48:59.990-07:002014-08-28T02:48:59.990-07:00Thanks Jenny. Although I've occasionally writ...Thanks Jenny. Although I've occasionally written non-fiction pieces, editing them for other people is still uncharted territory. Having said that, editors do need to be on the lookout for factual errors in fiction. I know of at least one other editor who managed to miss a pretty fundamental one which went on to make it into print - to the author's eternal frustration!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-60985678381842713762014-08-25T10:24:17.496-07:002014-08-25T10:24:17.496-07:00I've never tried editing non-fiction, Jenny. ...I've never tried editing non-fiction, Jenny. Though I have caused several fiction writers to have an "Oh Sh*t!" moment!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-1844720573131750252014-08-23T14:21:33.492-07:002014-08-23T14:21:33.492-07:00Interesting. There's so much to be said in fa...Interesting. There's so much to be said in favour of editors, particularly when it comes to non fiction. Jenny Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16881781466502273314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-70435106031534030792014-08-23T02:57:03.078-07:002014-08-23T02:57:03.078-07:00Thanks Val! If by "dedicated" you mean ...Thanks Val! If by "dedicated" you mean "ultra-fussy," you've summed me up very well! Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-72782082988892572302014-08-23T02:55:34.962-07:002014-08-23T02:55:34.962-07:00Thank you Beryl. How lovely to know that! :-)Thank you Beryl. How lovely to know that! :-)Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-43412795536234909772014-08-23T00:30:32.062-07:002014-08-23T00:30:32.062-07:00How did I miss this? I never miss a Pink Sofa blog...How did I miss this? I never miss a Pink Sofa blog! Well, I'm so glad I've read it now. Sue sounds like someone I would love to have behind me too. Wonderful that she is both a writer and an editor - and such a dedicated editor too. Thanks for the intro CarolStar!Vallypeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08309284606572565277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-20370906419122287102014-08-19T03:11:18.059-07:002014-08-19T03:11:18.059-07:00I echo every word of that Sue. My first editor - b...I echo every word of that Sue. My first editor - back in 1983 at what was then Macdonald /Futura - was and still is a very real friend.beryl kingstonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-86691212975216536792014-08-18T02:24:51.949-07:002014-08-18T02:24:51.949-07:00Thank you Rosalind. I too find writing very enjoy...Thank you Rosalind. I too find writing very enjoyable and therapeutic. The idea about it feeling like homework was not my own - it's a meme which does the rounds on Facebook from time to time. Having said that, I've worked as a freelance copywriter, and when I was given a title, a word-count and a deadline, there have been times when it did feel a bit like writing essays! But when I can please myself about what I write, it definitely doesn't feel like homework.<br /><br />I'm full of admiration for teachers. If I had to spend my evenings marking mountains of essays, all on the same subject, I think I'd very quickly go completely crazy. I remember my French teacher at school telling us that when she was marking exam papers she could only do three or four at a time. This was because seeing the same mistake over and over again made her more and more irritated, and she recognised the danger of getting more and more punitive with the marking.<br /><br />At least with editing, it only involves one work at a time!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-64556931715165933632014-08-17T09:00:07.514-07:002014-08-17T09:00:07.514-07:00Sue, you sound like an amazing person to have behi...Sue, you sound like an amazing person to have behind any writer but I can't entirely identify with your first sentence. For me writing is a therapeutic activity. I love doing it. If it felt like homework I would stop. As for the editing, I have had the experience of publication from both sides, traditional and self-publishing. I truly did not appreciate the amount of work that went into editing until I recently self-published. It has got to be the most difficult, most unpleasant job I've ever done and, as an ex-teacher I can honestly say that it's far harder than having to mark essays every night. I applaud you!Rosalind Adamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05363027308436257933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-36461245651835589642014-08-17T08:31:09.332-07:002014-08-17T08:31:09.332-07:00Thanks Teagan. Hope it's useful! :-)Thanks Teagan. Hope it's useful! :-)Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-37644024343312507632014-08-17T08:30:38.478-07:002014-08-17T08:30:38.478-07:00:-):-)Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-76721189365121074722014-08-16T15:02:12.634-07:002014-08-16T15:02:12.634-07:00Thanks, Carol, for introducing us to Sue Barnard, ...Thanks, Carol, for introducing us to Sue Barnard, and a clear explanation of the editor's role in bringing a manuscript up to a professional standard. And thanks, Sue, for that list - very handy.Teagan Kearneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13864654573656208478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-41296090199635403252014-08-16T12:04:39.162-07:002014-08-16T12:04:39.162-07:00Wonderful info. Sue & Carol - thanks.Wonderful info. Sue & Carol - thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-85881468370731986712014-08-16T08:57:54.507-07:002014-08-16T08:57:54.507-07:00GET BACK TO WORK!GET BACK TO WORK!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-17221337788934437842014-08-16T08:57:40.423-07:002014-08-16T08:57:40.423-07:00Don't we all? But then, I'm probably wors...Don't we all? But then, I'm probably worse than most, because I'm a complete nitpicker!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-80176906303284055762014-08-16T08:57:08.580-07:002014-08-16T08:57:08.580-07:00Thanks Nancy. Glad to hear you found it useful. :...Thanks Nancy. Glad to hear you found it useful. :-)Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-65631502859731194092014-08-16T08:56:50.144-07:002014-08-16T08:56:50.144-07:00Welcome to my world, Cameron! ;-)Welcome to my world, Cameron! ;-)Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-65284649038232536352014-08-16T07:14:42.265-07:002014-08-16T07:14:42.265-07:00All I know is that she's an absolute slave dri...All I know is that she's an absolute slave driver...Carol Hedgeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10359578624109905400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-48388527512155804612014-08-16T05:03:35.153-07:002014-08-16T05:03:35.153-07:00Great blog, Carol and Sue, and very interesting. ...Great blog, Carol and Sue, and very interesting. I find it easier to spot mistakes in someone else's work than in my own. Very informative article.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10225236070042326154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-47077100036809721662014-08-16T03:34:04.607-07:002014-08-16T03:34:04.607-07:00Great explanation, Sue. It's a good check-list...Great explanation, Sue. It's a good check-list for an author to keep handy. ;-) Nancy Jardine Authorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12366248895961876075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-85728162780623863362014-08-16T03:25:07.729-07:002014-08-16T03:25:07.729-07:00Fantastic - got me wanting to go to that Doctor no...Fantastic - got me wanting to go to that Doctor now too - and I know how hard editing is without beating authors to death with sarcasm! Cameronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07745199648604340657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-37014057364773630512014-08-16T02:44:55.500-07:002014-08-16T02:44:55.500-07:00Thank you! I had no idea, until I started doing i...Thank you! I had no idea, until I started doing it, just how much is involved!Broad Thoughts From A Homehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08798249743031672360noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2681775564258628407.post-62197076472753914892014-08-16T00:15:20.422-07:002014-08-16T00:15:20.422-07:00Great post - thank you both. Editors are often the...Great post - thank you both. Editors are often the unsung heroines of great books!JOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03127111575563904349noreply@blogger.com