Why is editing important? 

Editing is the process in which a writer, or someone working with the writer, makes changes that are meant to make the story clear, cohesive, and publishable. 

Clarity is important so that the reader doesn't get lost in the piece. A cohesive story keeps the reader engaged throughout and satisfied when it wraps up. Lastly, if you are aiming to publish your work – whether it be in a magazine or as a novel – there are certain guidelines you must follow, typically referred to as industry standards. Usually, these guidelines include the mainstream grammar standards of the country you live in, which we will talk about later in this workshop. 

Generally speaking, the importance of editing can be broken down into three categories: clarity, a cohesive story, and publishing potential. These categories can also be played with!

Do you want to write a surreal story that isn't very clear or cohesive? Then you can choose to forgo certain editing elements to make the story less clear or cohesive. It important for writers to be aware of the mainstream grammar standards, either so you can follow them or intentionally subvert them. For publishing potential, it all depends on if and how you want to publish your piece. Different modes of publishing have different requirements. Many traditional publishing houses have strict guidelines when it comes to polishing writing, but others, such as alternative zines that encourage literary exploration, might have very little, or very loose, guidelines. Overall, the kind of editing you do, and the importance of editing, all depends on the specifics of your piece and your goals for it. If you don't want to publish your piece – it's just for you or a small circle of people – then you don't have to be concerned about publishing potential.

Creative freedom 

Creative freedom is the concept that a writer, or artist generally, may make any creative decisions for their piece regardless of the standards of their country, genre, or market. All artists have unlimited creative freedom – there is no rule that states what one must do with their art or writing. However, there are certain advantages of following standards, such as making your work more desirable to publishers. 

There are many creative freedoms that writers regularly take. For example, in the U.S., many writers include improper sentences in their books. Typically, these are 1-3 word sentences that could not stand on their own, or sentences that start with such words as "and" or "but." While these sentences go against the grammatical standards in America and would likely not be acceptable for a scientific or academic article, they have been used so much in fiction, and especially in YA fiction, that many books are now published with these creative freedoms without the blink of an eye. 

Freedom of speech is another right that every artist, and especially every writer, has. This means that a writer can write whatever they want, spread whatever message they want, and share it publicly. That said, it is important to think of the repercussions of publishing your writing. For example, if you publish writing that is hateful towards a specific group or person, then you are likely to fuel hate towards that group or person – which may or may not be your intention. On the flip side, creating writing that advocates for a group or person will likely draw more people to advocate for them alongside you. 

Writing that makes any political statement or challenges one's views and opinions is likely to face some backlash. Still, it is important to create writing that showcases your beliefs. Some of the bravest people are the ones who write pieces that advocate for sensitive groups regardless of the backlash they might face. Generally, while you can write and share literally anything, it is important to consider how a specific piece of work might affect you and the world around you before sharing it.

No polishing while you write 

One of the biggest killers of writing flow is editing while you go. Often, our writing brain and editing brain function completely differently; one focuses on creation and production, while the other focuses on clarity and formality. So, when you try to use both of these brains at once – such as editing the line you just wrote, then moving on to write the next – you are severely limiting yourself. In other words, if you are trying to edit and write at the same time, you are likely to produce a minimal, or poor, result from both of those tasks. So, it is best to keep your writing and editing separate and never edit while you are writing. 

Different writers have different processes for writing and editing, but for the purpose of this workshop, I am going to share my personal process with you. That said, I do encourage you to research other writers' writing and editing processes and form your own process based on what works best for you. 

For me, I prefer to write an entire draft before doing any editing. In this first phase, the only time I will go back to what I have already written is to check back on details or events of the story that are relevant to what I am writing in that moment. Otherwise, I try not to read anything I have written until I have completed the entire draft. Then, when the draft is finished, I step away from it. For short pieces, like short stories or creative non-fiction pieces, I usually only step away for a day or two. But, for long pieces such as novels, I typically step away for at least two weeks. And stepping away is hard! When you've been working on a draft for days, weeks, or even years on end, your brain doesn't want to step away – it wants to keep up the momentum. And while I am always telling you to use your writing flow and momentum, between stages of writing and editing, I encourage you to completely halt it. Don't read the work, don't edit it – some people don't even let themselves think about it passively. Stepping away from the story in this complete way allows your brain to make an important separation between you and the story. So, after the break, you are able to return to the story with fresh eyes and identify places that need editing that you otherwise wouldn't have been able to see. Creating this separation is the closest thing you can get to having a completely different person edit your work – someone who had no part in writing it and is therefore unbiased. In my personal experience of writing and editing, this break makes a world of a difference in both the way I am able to locate issues that need editing as well as the quality of my edits. I take a break like this between each draft. I allow myself to work on other projects during this time, but it can also be nice to take a general break from writing in between drafts, because just like your body or academic brain, your writing brain needs breaks too! 

The power of em dashes and semicolons 

Two of my favorite punctuation marks are em dashes and semicolons. You may be thinking, why do you have favorite punctuation marks? Well, I am a writer after all! I also have lists of my favorite words and names in my notes app on my phone ... so maybe it's just me. But regardless, I am going to tell you why em dashes and semicolons make writing more engaging and evocative. 

Em dash: An em dash is a long dash (the final step on the hyphen, en dash, and em dash scale) that is used to separate phrases, similar to the way a semicolon, comma, or period would function. That said, the em dash is more dramatic and striking, so if you want something to stick out on the page – such as a dramatic reveal or important piece of information/foreshadowing – it is best to use an em dash as opposed to a semicolon, comma, or period. Many digital writing softwares will automatically correct the hyphens into an em dash when you add a space after them, but if they don't, you can also add the correction command to your software's dictionary or copy an em dash from your browser (simply by searching "em dash copy and paste"). 

Semicolon: A semicolon, like an em dash, is used to separate two phrases. As a combination of a period and a comma, the semicolon is meant to be used when both phrases could stand on their own, with a period in between them, but it is better to keep them connected. Semicolons are often used when two phrases need to be read together to properly make a point or when two phrases are used to compare or contrast something.

The thing I like most about semicolons is how well they work with transition phrases. A transition phrase is a word or set of words that help transition from one statement to the next. Transition phrases can compare/contrast statements or pull statements together to make a larger point. 

As a general rule, when using semicolons, I follow this format: "statement one; transition phrase, statement two." Here is an example of that format in action: "Many people prefer dogs; however, I prefer cats." Another way I like to use semicolons is to rephrase statements. I use this method a lot when writing literary criticism or media analysis, since I spend a lot of time piecing together the statements of the media with statements about the world around us. There is also plenty of room for rephrasing statements in fiction writing too! Here is an example: "I felt a chill run through my spine; in other words, I was terrified."

Overall, it is up to the writer to decide if they want to use commas, semicolons, or em dashes to separate phrases, but it is important to note the effect that each punctuation marker has on your writing and how it may impact the way the reader experiences your story. Want a flair of the dramatic? Go for an em dash. Want concrete comparison or rephrasing? Go for a semicolon. Or, go for whatever you feel is right! You can always change it later. 

If you want to see more examples of semicolons and em dashes at work, please feel free to read my essay on transness in the film Nimona.

Dialogue

Dialogue can often be the hardest part of a story, for both writing and editing. Here are some grammatical tips to help make dialogue just a bit easier: 

• Use different formats. Dialogue typically consists of three different elements: action/emotion, words spoken, and speech description. These elements can be mixed up and moved around into multiple formats. Open a favorite book and take a peek at the dialogue. What different formats does the author use? Using different formats of dialogue helps keep the reader engaged, especially during long segments of dialogue, such as a conversation between characters. Reading dialogue that is all in the same format can get boring and predictable, so using different formats is an easy way to make your dialogue more engaging and surprising for your reader. 
• Use different descriptors, to a certain degree. Figuring out how to describe speech can be tricky. While only using the word "said" is frowned upon, using too many flourishy speech descriptors can become overwhelming. I try to use a mixture of simple speech descriptors, such as said, and more complex speech descriptors, such as retorted. There are many speech descriptors that fit into a middle group, not quite flourishy but not super simple either. These are the middle group speech descriptions that I use most: roared, whispered, mentioned, added, asked, and announced. These descriptors typically tell us something about the delivery of the speech – whether it be the volume, tone, or function – using simple words that are easily understood. That said, different styles of writing call for different kinds of descriptors, so explore what works best for your writing style. But remember that almost every writing style can benefit from some versatility in its speech descriptors. 
• You don't always need to state who is speaking. It is hard to know when you do or do not need to say a character's name when describing dialogue – honestly, this is something I still struggle with! But, a tip that I use, is to read your dialogue out loud and if a name feels out of place or redundant, then swap it for a pronoun. Also, when reading dialogue aloud, you may realize that an entire action or speech descriptor feels out of place. If this is the case, I recommend cutting it entirely and reading the dialogue aloud again. Usually, you'll find that you didn't need it at all, but sometimes you will need to put a shorter, simpler phrase in its place. 

Submissions! 

For submissions, please choose a piece of your writing to polish. This can be something you have just written or something from a while ago. Try to add some semicolons or em dashes. Or maybe play around with creative freedom and subverting grammar standards! In any way, focus on polishing it. Also, if you are choosing to write something new to polish, make sure that you write the full first draft before you start polishing. Recommended word count is 500-1,000 words. 

As always, I can't wait to read your submissions! If you have any questions, please feel free to message me: @alexbregy_ywpintern