I have talked a little about revision and given some tips on how to tackle that but it came to my attention that editing a project and revising it are two different things. There are some people that use these two words interchangeably and I’m guilty of doing this too.
I could say that it’s obvious that editing and revising are two completely different things but at the same time I think it’s a piece of knowledge that you know somewhere in the back of your mind but you don’t actually think about it often. Because of this, I’m going to do a little break down about the differences between revising and editing.
Editing
This includes anything to deal with grammar; spelling, syntax, etc. These are essentially the small changes you make. Nouns should be capitalized. Verbs should be use correctly. You’re not sure if you used a word correctly, pull out a dictionary. I understand it to be all the nitty gritty of grammar; comma usage, quotes, periods and everything else. The essentials of a good sentence.
Revising
When you revise, you get into the heart and soul of a story. You add or delete sentences or words. If you got a plot hole, it’s good to change the plot. A scene or dialogue doesn’t add tension or move a story along? Either delete or rewrite. You have one word that repeats too much? Let’s take out a thesaurus. Remember: the backspace button is your best friend. I also view revising as a stage where you might end up rewriting your whole story if the plot isn’t very strong. It’s all about adding and deleting from your work.
In the long run, I will suggest that you edit and revise your own work for a better read. You don’t have to get it professionally edited and I don’t believe it is mandatory. You can ask a friend to help you edit and for revision as well. If you are able to get your work edited by a professional then, go for it. Either way, as long as you accept that your work isn’t going to be perfect then that’s a step in the right direction.
P.S. For some reason, I completely forgot that I hadn’t posted anything on Friday(5/6/16). I guess that’s what happens when you’re trying to graduate college. Any-who, thanks for the patience.
P.P.S. I’m finally a college graduate.
Dabbling in the Art of Writing 