Workshop Title: Effective Self-Editing
You’ve done your research. You’ve worked, slaved, and agonized, and the final page has been written. You’re done, right? Probably not. Unless you’re an as-yet-undiscovered creative writing prodigy, your work is going to need to be edited. No matter how good a writer you are, your work can always be better. Even if it’s just tweaking that one adjective or adverb that really nails an emotion. You need a good editor, but there’s a lot you can do on your own before spending money. As a professional editor, my job is to take your great story and make it that much better. But I can give you lots of tips do to on your own that will greatly improve your writing before you pay an editor. And you won’t even need to buy your own copy of the 1,200-plus page The Chicago Manual of Style to master those tips.
Jenny Margotta is a professional copy editor, book formatter, and a book-cover designer. She has edited nearly 200 books in all genres for authors across the country.
J Margotta-Ferrara is the author of four books, most notably the braided memoir, The Woman in Room 23. Retribution, Resolution, and Some Like it Hot: The Culinary Adventures of One Hot Momma and One Cool Dude.
Ms. Margotta can be contacted at [email protected].