For many years, one of my sidelights – those things that you just do for the fun of it- has been editing manuscripts.
I started when I was writing my own papers in college. I began to enjoy the revising of my papers as much as the writing. Too bad my research habits weren’t better. Usually there was little time left over after I had finally gotten my information together!
Then I was asked to help edit the graduate school faculty journal. Not a huge job, and mostly to make sure things were readable. I joined a writer’s group and kept at the art of massaging a text to make it readable.
And now, for the fun of it, I’m editing a friend’s manuscript. This is the second manuscript of her’s that I have read. She has improved. Her story line grows with each page, her characters have depth, and she actually uses words that are beyond a fifth grade level!
And so, in the next hour or so, I’ll sit and read and pencil in corrections and edits. And I’ll hit the sack having enjoyed those last moments before my rest!