June 12, 2015
Deajei Neufeld and Jenna Mann
Allen Ginsberg may be able to write an epic poem without posthumous alterations, but I certainly cannot. Editing is a big part of the process and completely necessary to knowing your craft. Grammar isn’t always boring. Correct usage adds emotion and context to what you’re writing and is important to the readability of a project. With an understanding of the basics and the right community to turn to for help, editing can be one of the most engaging parts of the writing process.
Online Writing Lab (Purdue University)
Owl has online grammar tests and printable exercises that writers can use to improve grammar. Unless you’re Cormac McCarthy, chances are you’ll need to know how to properly format a sentence. Even if you have years of experience, OWL exercises will help keep you sharp and make proper grammar second nature.
For other grammar resources both Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss and The Elements of Style by E. B. White, William Strunk, Jr. come highly recommended. For more basic grammar games and quizzes check out the android application Practice English Grammar for free and paid for content.
Writersdiet.com
Writer’s diet is a fun internet script that will check portions of writing for superfluous content and let authors know where to trim their text. The Writer’s Diet deducts how in-shape writing is by measuring verbs, nouns, prepositions, adjectives and adverbs and highlights what needs to be cut back. It’s a good app to keep yourself in check and make sure that you’re writing as concisely as possible.
Google Docs
There are a lot of mixed opinions on Google products. Google Docs, as a group editing program, has been the best platform for collaborating with multiple people that I’ve used so far. From working on short stories to proofreading articles and essays, Google docs is a live action editing program that makes it possible to work with multiple writers at once. Watch as collaborators comment, highlight and change things around in real time. You can check out previous versions of the document to see exactly how everything has changed as Google Docs uses a color-coded text system to organize alterations made to the file. To use Google docs and the other free Google Drive applications, all you need a Gmail address. Access to the free Drive programs is well worth signing up if you haven’t already. In 2013 YouTube vlogger Anson Alexander posted a video tutorial on the process that you can watch here.
R/Writing
Writing communities can be a BIG part of the editing process. R/Writing is a subreddit of the topic mentioned in part one of the Resources for Writers series. this subreddit is one of the many online communities for writers to gather and share their work. You can post pieces for critique, ask questions, network with other aspiring authors and occasionally participate in question and answer sessions with more established authors, editors and big names in the field. For a more extensive explanation check out YouTube user CGB Grey’s explanation here. Reddit also has the potential to be a huge distraction. Get to the front page and see the day’s biggest topic and you might lose all sight of what you intended to do. Adventurers beware.
Fictionpress/Fanfiction
Nothing compares to having community support when it comes to editing. Feedback from friends, family and most importantly other writers is essential to editing your work for its intended audience. Sometimes, as writers, we’re too close to our work to see plot holes and necessary changes. Fictionpress is an anonymous community that lets writers keep the rights to their works while posting your piece by genre for the community to read and review. Fanfiction.net is a sister site that offers the same services for writers of fanfiction. The site also offers a beta reader exchange program where you can search and find other writers interested in proofreading your work. Putting your writing online free of charge is always a risky bet. You should become comfortable with all terms and conditions before posting. This site is especially valuable for new writers just getting interested in the craft who aren’t yet confident in their work as it provides an anonymous space for feedback. One method of receiving reviews is to lend your voice to reviewing other works and get connected with other writers in the community.
Thanks for participating in our first three-part teaching series. We’re dedicated to researching and providing developing artists with valuable content to improve their craft. If you have something you would like to read more about let us know in the comments below.