Writing and Editing: My Art and My Passion

Chao- This author/blogger has been pursuing a degree in English. Chao is also considering a Writing Certificate, one within Editing and Publishing. The application required students to submit an essay as to why they want a Writing Certificate. Here was one option Chao wrote for that essay.

Writing and Editing: My Art and My Passion

Writing is like theatre; it is the showing of a story but through words. Several rehearsals are experimented where the actors who are the characters and rehearse their lines are permitted a few mistakes and suggestions. They are looked over by the director who is the author and are corrected. Like with writing, theatre holds a great purpose where the actors must be exact in detail, construction, and voice. For if the director is unable to motivate and guide the actors, then the actors are unable to project their voice and character well enough for the audience to understand and enjoy. Writing, no matter the subject or genre, must be exact as well. Language is an art, yet it must be crafted carefully to permit ideas to flow through.

Reading and writing fiction are hobbies I enjoy and am pursuing to make them a career. I chose English to be my major in my first year of college as I became interested in editing and the publishing world. I am fascinated with how words can be laced together to illustrate a story or an idea. Reviewing what is available for the Writing Certificate, I am interested in the Publishing and Editing section. If writing is like the theatre, then an editor is like a stage manager; we guide the directors in that their choices are understood by the characters and audience.

I became interested in editing when I began reviewing my own works in fiction. I found the process of deleting superfluous paragraphs and finding synonyms for cluttering words fun. I like seeking new words, and I like embellishing ideas.

Editing other people’s written works is a field that I am already experienced in. I have been hired by a couple of clients for fanfiction, and I have offered my input for amateur fiction through A.S.U. West’s writing club First Draft. I give both honest praises and constructive criticisms. In working on a personal level with these novice authors, I needed to be both supportive and sincere. Allowing strangers to review your rough drafts, even final drafts, is not always easy. We are cautious about judgment. Writing is an art, so it is a one that must be shaped carefully.

With some of these classes on the list of the Writing Certificate, I have learned plenty of knowledge and good tricks regarding English. My two most beneficial classes were Rhetoric and Grammar with Dr. Xxx and Technical Editing with Professor Xxx. I found these two classes helpful in learning the structure of the English language and how to be a good editor. I look forward to class—ambitious in learning something interesting that will affect my career as a student and a professional editor. I have kept the textbooks, reviewing those materials when I need information.

Despite working to become an editor for a career, I do not solely apply editing to fictional work. Reviewing pieces, correcting mistakes, and suggesting new ideas are practiced in different aspects of my life. I have taken more pride in writing academic papers. I am also more cautious about what I write and post on blog entries and community-based discussion boards. After all, I have come across in other people’s comments and in my old posts where we understand what we say but others may not.

Writing is like theatre, then I see editing like a stage worker. We help out the actors who are the characters and the directors who are the authors before the final performance is made. While stage managers records the timings of certain cues and lightings, editors assist by guiding the authors through helpful suggestions and constructive criticism. We want to help show the story; we are not the ones telling it. We receive credit on a flyer or a page before a book in small print, yet we are the ones who help shape the overall product. I am happy to have just guided the authors into finalizing their work—their art and their soul.

xxx

Chao- It was a nice essay, but there were some things missing. Chao has done some revisions but thought this would be good to share with whoever came by this blog.

Art Options for Images and Covers

Chao- It's pretty cool that FF.net, FP.com, and dA.com allow users to upload artworks for a cover page. Like with published works, these illustrated covers can give an audience an idea of what your story is about. Some people can draw or paint or know how to take good pictures. It's an opportunity to show off their art skills through a particular medium and their skills as a writer. But what about those who may not be so good when it comes to that type of art?

YChao- Just Google an image, move your mouse over it, and hit "Save picture as".

Agent Daisy- *browsing through fan art*

Chao- Isn't that stealing?

YChao- Not if you just want it for a personal collection. And then there are always screencaps.

Chao- Screencaps are one thing, but fan art has always been another. Although, it would be nice if users told readers where they got those screencaps since someone took the time to take them and upload them.

YChao- I can't blame them if they don't; there are so many screencaps of the same image, and sometimes it's hard to know who had the original with other people uploading their stuff. Also, it might be hard to reach someone whose artwork is so epic that it looks like a screencap or a manga panel.

Chao- Ok, yes, it may be harder to reach someone whose art gets dozens of hits a day. Some probably don't mind, but there are those who do feel a little offended. It must be terrible for them to see their work with no credit whatsoever on something like Tumblr. If you see a watermark across the image, chances are those artists don't want their work to be used without permission or even at all. And some are not afraid to report theft.

YChao- So should people give credit to the artists if they are granted permission?

Chao- It just depends on the artist and the author. Some authors can put credit either in author notes in their story or place the information in their profile if they talk about their stories. It'll give the artists a little pride as well. All and all, if it's fan art, consider asking the artists if you can use their stuff.

Redux of Stories: Good or Bad?

Chao-  Some of us may have seen this either in a summary or a title: Redux, a story with either little or a lot of changes to an already published story. Redux involves hindsight. As we grow as writers, we return to our old work and catch mistakes and areas that could use improvements. Some of us may even cringe or laugh about our terrible stuff. We may rewrite over the old document, or we copy and paste our work into a new one and do some polishing. Isn't it fun to see some old work?

Question: What makes a Redux different from completing another draf?

Chao- Probably the fact that Redux is typically used for stories that have already been published. Chao has done one. Decided to do the Yu-Gi-Oh!! fan fic "Dreaming of You" since it is Chao's favorite. Looking back at the first publication, there were a lot of grammar mistakes. There was also a lack of description for settings. In the Redux, the villain is more fleshed out; it seems fair so that the heroes and readers can know why they are going up against. It was fun to do.

Important Note: "Multiple entries of the same material. There can only be one copy of any unique story on the entire site. No exceptions." (Rule on FF.net and FP.com, entries not allowed)

Chao- Users of FF.net and/or FP.com, take note of this rule; someone may report your story or it has been found by the FF.net or FP.com staff. You could post an updated version by deleting the old story, replace the chapters/documents with the updated version with author notes, or posting it on your blog. But maybe this rule may change some day; there are users who are multilingual, and they post their stories in two languages.

Dialogue

Chao- How characters speak to others or themselves is one aspect that defines them. Readers get a sense of these characters by this, and it sets a bit of a standard for them. Do they talk with a southern or foreign accent? Do they prefer slang or large vocabulary? Are they goofy with friends and proper with parents? Are their tones chipper like a preppy or downer like an emo? What fits best for each character, and how do we type what we hear?

Ideas to Try Out:

• Watch TV shows, online videos, or movies with closed captioning/subtitles. See how a character's speech and background noise are written.
• Review how characters speak in your favorite published works.
• Analyze how you, your family, and your friends speak to each other and people they know.
• Envision and experiment your characters with how they speak.

Chao- And with dialogue comes certain ways to punctuate them like any other piece of grammar in English. Here are some web links you may want to look at.

Punctuating Dialogue (About.com)

Punctuation in Dialogue

Chao- Sometimes the program we use will tell us what we have is incorrect. That's ok. As people, we don't always speak in perfect rhetoric one hundred percent of the time. So here's another matter.

Ideas to Consider:

• Don't always be concerned with being proper. Example- "What about me and you?" and "What about you and I?"
• Be careful how you punctuate your dialogues. Example- "I'll get going soon" and "I'll get goin' really soon."
• Combining words can show how the character speaks, which does include contractions and possession. Example- "I shoulda done that" vs. "I should have done that" vs. "I should've done that."

Chao- We sometimes tend to write our characters depending on we speak. An easy example is that some people in America address a group of people as "you", "you guys", "you all", "y'all", etc. Here's a quiz from the New York Times. Take it and see how you speak!

How Y’all, Youse and You Guys Talk (New York Times)

Chao- You know what is fascinating? Just for a quick note. English is spoken all over the world, yet there are so many varieties thanks to what is needed for each distinguished region. American English is different from British English with simple words like "mail" vs. "post", "cookies" vs. "biscuit", and "apartment" vs. "flat". So even if there is one decided language, there will always be variation based on need and popularity. And how people talk does give them an extra characteristic, often something overlooked unless it pertains to making characters a southern, a prep, or a foreigner.

Updates for April

Chao- Got about one month of school left for this semester. Since Chao is taking a lot of English classes, there's gonna be final papers over final exams. And these are assigned for the last day of class rather than during final exams week. Chao is also taking two courses that are within the second half of the semester, meaning that we students have a lot on our plate before the end. So, not gonna have time for anything this month: No reading fan fics or publishing them or anything with private messages. Just gonna focus on school work. But entries for this journal will be posted as they are written ahead. Hope to hear from you all soon!