The Editing Process

by: Anastasia Basuki (@bonananastasia) – November 22nd, 2018

How many editors does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Ah, yes – the good ol' editing process. The mere mention of it sends shivers crawling down my spine. Seriously.

It's just such an aggravating process; all in all, editing is no easy task. I mean, sure, it's relatively simple to identify flaws in someone else's work, but the challenging part is being able to suggest possible improvements without axing through the essence of the piece, essentially ripping the whole thing apart. To adopt such tact requires diligence, perseverance, and patience – a ton of it.

An editor's main task is to provide constructive criticism, meaning that the presented opinions and suggestions are well-reasoned, with their actual presentations transpiring of good intent rather than an oppositional one.

Saying, "Your plot is bad." doesn't benefit anyone. Instead, focus on explaining why you may think so and suggesting methods of enhancing and refining the plot so that it isn't "bad". Always explain.

Another key matter to address is the inability to restrain one's own self from butchering through the piece, inside out. Firstly, identify the author's creative intentions – keep a firm hold on these as you edit. Avoid deviating from the author's intent and twisting the writing from its original course. Should you ever see the need for a major change, thoroughly evaluate the suitability of the alteration(s) and ask yourself, would it be within reason to propose whatever it is you're planning on proposing, or is it too haphazard?

This leads to the next point of the editing process: receiving feedback from your editors. When consulting with your editors, it is very, very important to remain calm. Don't throw a chair at them for their straightfowardness, that is, unless they say something along the lines of, "I don't like your story because I just don't like it."

In which case, feel free to throw that chair.

Otherwise, do remember, editors are meant to be honest. The comments they leave should be candid, and although frankness may be real sharp at times, it's in the best interests of the product's quality; honesty is brutal, but what's the use of sugercoated, falsified praise other than to unhealthily boost pride and ego?

Do not hesitate on inquiring for further details on the given suggestions, asking for specific areas of improvement and perhaps even recommendations or strategies for improvement. If you're still unclear, go ahead and pester your editor for more clarification.

Should the feedback you receive be unsatisfactory or plainly disagreeable, then fine. Your editors are only there to provide a second voice. Ultimately, it's your decision whether or not to apply and utilize their recommendations in your work or ignore them outright. It's your piece, not theirs.

Personally, how I decide between the comments that I'd actually take into consideration and the ones I'd just fling over my shoulders is primarily centered on its validity, concerning my intentions with the piece itself. So, do the proposed suggestions align well with the direction I wish to take with my narrative? Are they context-appropriate? Most importantly, are they well-reasoned?

I'm not going to use feedback that suggests I change the entire storyline without any explainations. Tell me why and I might weigh its significance and relevance, otherwise, don't even bother.

In regards to grammatical corrections, I'm slightly more lenient in accepting suggestions that may help improve my writing. Some typos just slip my eye, or maybe, I'm, using too, many, commas. Ha.

Either way, please do correct my errors – if something just doesn't make sense, speak up, justify your thoughts and inform me of ways I can improve.

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Unfortunately, I have not received an adequate amount of feedback from my editors on my written narrative. I was not present during the main editing period, which was last week Monday, and was unable to coerce my peers into being editors with their reasons being, "Too busy."

As a result, I was only able to gather suggestions from Tristan and Raihan, who were kind enough to spend their time reviewing my work and leaving behind reasonable comments. Both Tristan and Raihan mainly discussed grammatical corrections, specifically my overuse of commas :)

Sharing my Progress :(

by: Anastasia Basuki (@bonananastasia) – November 22nd, 2018

No.

I am planning on writing a historiographical short story based on the First World War and its psychological repercussions. The reason I have decided to create a narrative on this particular topic is really, just centered around my general interest in historical fiction. As the class has also been learning of WWI in our Individuals & Societies subject, I am keen on furthering my knowledge and understanding of the event, particularly its impact on those who were directly involved. The initial idea, however, had sprung from reading Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front.

My previous assignment –during the reading task– had involved the creation of a historical fiction piece as well. The focal point for that short story was the consequences of WWI on prostitution, specifically the war's influence on the promotion of the sexual nature of humans.

I am currently using a variety of different graphic organizers, ranging from the typical storyline arc to mindmaps. This is to assist myself in establishing a solid plot that I am to follow for the short story, and really just getting my thoughts in order. I have also found myself returning to the word wheel as I write with the hopes of expanding my vocabulary and generally improving my writing.

The notion of being able to read through the final draft and perhaps even feeling the slightest bit of pride over the narrative I'd have produced has been my main source of excitement. I am, however, least excited about the actual process of completing the work, most likely because I've been in a "writer's slump" the past few days – I haven't been able render my ideas in words. At all. It's such an irritating feeling, knowing where you want the flow of the story to go, but being unable to direct it? I guess?

It's fair to admit that I certainly do my write best at home; more often than not, I find difficulty in trying to complete a portion of the writing in-class, the reason being, class environment is, well, distracting. I enjoy writing in a quiet room of calm ambience, with no one else present except for myself. Call it self-isolation, but it's the only way I can get things going.

Anyhow, once my first draft is completed, I aim to share it with a couple of classmates and invite them to provide verbal feedback. I will then physically take note of their suggestions and consider whether or not I should apply the recommended changes to the final draft. The two main editors that I am planning on pestering are Raihan and Martin. An essential question I plan on asking is certainly, "How did this narrative make you feel? How did it impact you?"

This is due to the fact that my learning outcome concerns my awareness of an impact on the audience; I would like to gather comments on the effectivity of my stylistic utilization of literary devices on audience-impact. That being said, of course, I am working towards successfully creating an impactful narrative through the use of language itself.