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This article is from the misc.writing Recommended Reading List FAQ, by Terry L Jeffress jeffress@xmission.com with numerous contributions by others.

3.3 Editing (misc.writing Recommended Reading List)

Brown, Renni, and Dave King. "Self-editing for Fiction Writers."
New York: HarperPerennial, 1993. ISBN 0-06-272046-5, trade
paperback, 226 pp., $13.00.

Brown and King's summation of all the usual advice is covered
in the first five or six chapters. The suggestions are made
well and with excellent examples. The remaining chapters move
into some areas that are not typically covered in other
"advice" books. Most interesting was the discussion of "beats"
-- the stage business of writing; how to handle all of those
"he said" and "she said" bits between the dialog. A quick
review of this section, and authors should be able to pinpoint
and correct any slow or dull sections of their writing. And
with a little more attention to the rest of the book,
intermediate writers be able to raise their writing skill to a
professional level.
-- Terry L Jeffress <jeffress@xmission.com>

Lerner, Betsy. "The Forest for the Trees: An Editor's Advice to
Writers."Riverhead Books (New York): 2000. ISBN 1-57322-857-5,
trade paperback, 277 pp., $12.00.

An editor's-eye view of publishing, Lerner's book is both
informative andheartening. If you've ever tried to get your
writing published, you alreadyunderstand the value of knowing
how the other half lives, because once you'veaccumulated a
stack of rejection slips these publishing houses
resemblenothing more than black boxes. Well, there is life
inside the boxes, Lernershows us, and she is frank in
depicting the pressures and constraints thatturn a group of
book-lovers into editors.

The first half of the book, in which Lerner identifies
personality-types ofwriters she has worked with, stretches on
a bit long, but in the end hermessage is to persevere if you
believe you have the need to write (as opposedto fancying
yourself "a writer"), because no matter how old or messed-up
youare, someone has always accomplished it in even worse
shape. Plus you'll geta few laughs along the way.
-- John Mohler Jr. <Spitzbub@aol.com>

Plotnik, Arthur. "The Elements of Editing: A Modern Guide for
Editors and Journalists." MacMillan, 1982, 1977. MacMillan,
1982, 1977. ISBN 0-02-861451-8, trade paperback, 156 pp.,
$9.95.

Plotnik offers his observations and advice about editing,
gained from years of experience in the field. He acknowledges
that most editors are cramming six weeks worth of work into
four weeks and repeating this accomplishment every four weeks.
Plotnik describes the life of a manuscript from acquisition to
publication -- an excellent summary for the novice, and an
insightful observation to the experienced editor. He lists
details for often unexplained processes such as registering
the copyright and seeking permissions. He provides detailed
information about copyrights and libel giving definitions and
some situational examples. These provide an excellent resource
for quick reference on these topics.
-- Terry L Jeffress <jeffress@xmission.com>

Rand, Ken. "The 10% Solution: Self-editing for the Modern Writer."
Seattle: Fairwood Press, 1998. ISBN 0-9668184-0-7, booklet, 64
pp., $5.99.

In "The 10% Solution", Ken Rand describes his theory for
improved writing. First, youroved writing. First, you wear two
hats: the writer's hat and the editor's hat. As a writer, you
write quickly, without editorial criticism. As the editor, you
revise and attempt to reduce the word count by 10%.

Rand lists words and endings you should question in your
writing. For example, you should examine each time "of",
appears and ask if it expresses your idea in the most
accurate, clear, and brief way. If not, then revise or delete.
Rand also provides the standard advice to read your prose
aloud, read them on paper, and have someone else proofread
them.

Rand's advice is mostly sound, but Fairwood Press should have
followed Rand's advice and scoured the proofs for numerous
annoyances, such as widows, inconsistent font sizes, and a
chapter of bulleted paragraphs. Rand's repeated use of, "More
on this later," reveals the need to reorganize the material --
something not covered in Rand's advice.
-- Terry L Jeffress <jeffress@xmission.com>

 

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