editing – Alison Doherty

The Difference Between Revision and Editing

Posted on March 14, 2014 by Alison Doherty in Uncategorized

It’s funny that only after finishing the eighth draft (depending on how you count drafts) of my novel, I’ve really start to think about the differences between revision and editing. I knew writing a good story was more than just having a good idea, but still the two processes seemed jumbled in my mind. I think if I’d remembered the writing process flow charts from my middle school days, the drafting process of the last three years would have gone a bit smoother for me. Continue reading “The Difference Between Revision and Editing” →

To Be Or Not To Be

Posted on August 9, 2013August 9, 2013 by Alison Doherty in Uncategorized

One of the most common pieces of advice I hear about editing is to go through your manuscript and edit out every use of the verb to be (is, was, were, etc.) For the most part I agree. Passive verbs are never a good thing and adjectives are rarely a good thing. I started editing this month with over 1,000 uses of was in my 280 pages. That means I used the word was on average more than three times per page. This is obviously too many, but somehow when they are my was’s its harder to cut them. Continue reading “To Be Or Not To Be” →