Write Better: Tips and tricks

Who do I ask for help with my story?

So you want to be a writer. You've got your reasons and they're good reasons to you.

And now you're writing, and you want to improve so you start reading advice books and they all tell you to get input...but who do you talk to? If you're a nobody with no money to throw at an editor or some other professional who can help, where do you go for help?

Editors.

[usually the last step, but I'm putting them first because they're easy to find.]

If you're talking off wattpad, these are usually professionals, and they require some form of monetary payment that can vary depending on what you want from editing.

If you need an editor like this, I have three pieces of advice for you:

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH.There are different kinds of edits, and they have different rates and pricing structures.

2. BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF ABOUT THE STORY'S CONDITION. It is so easy to waste your money on the wrong kind of editor. Depending on the shape your story is in, you may need something basic or extensive. Try to be honest with yourself. When you have plot holes everywhere and inept storylines, just because you paid an editor for a proofread doesn't mean the story is going to be fantastic; your plot holes will just look like they were dug by a gardener using a shovel rather than a bored golden retriever.

3. MAKE THE STORY THE BEST YOU CAN BEFORE YOU SEND IT. Don't pay someone to tell you what you already know. If it's something you can fix, fix it. Spend your money on the stuff you and your friends, family, beta readers couldn't see. Don't let the editor miss it because they're too busy being bogged down by inserting periods instead of flagging the more unusual stuff.

Wattpad Editors.

On wattpad, the majority of editors are not professional. They may or may not have any experience with editing or understand how to edit. They're just doing their thing and it might be really helpful, or it might be terribly useless.  I've seen wattpad editors tell a writer the story 'looks good; no mistakes in grammar" and without even trying I can pick out four missing commas and typos.

The perk is that they won't cost you anything out of pocket, just a little time and effort to review their story or make some other form of payment.

If you want to find a decent wattpad editor, go to the improve your writing forums, and make a business relationship with one. Here's what you can do to help ensure you don't get an editor who doesn't know what they're talking about:

1. SCREEN THEM. A lot of them tell you what they read and what they do. Often the more experienced editors come across as professional (no, a fancy background and pretty text do not mean professional). They use proper spelling and grammar. They detail their services. They seem knowledgeable about the parts of editing. 

If you're on the fence about one, see what they've written or see if you can get some examples of edits they've done in the past. Some people are bad writers and great editors, but based on their ad, their profile, and their stories (if they have any), you can usual figure out if this is the kind of person you want editing your story.

2. TALK TO THEM BEFORE YOU 'BUY.' Ask them what they do. Tell them what you're looking for and find out if they can do that. If you open a conversation with an editor, you'll usually get better, more personalized help than by completing a payment and letting them do as they please. Talk to them about what you're looking for, what you don't want to comment on (there shouldn't be much, but if you're re-writing a scene or something, it's cool to tell them not to go crazy on that scene because it's changing or something).