Is it possible to read your own work like an editor?

[Zay Wolfe]

Lately I've been editing a friend's book as they write it. I think I've become pretty good, giving advice about story structure, characters, dialog, grammar, perspective, etc. But, I noticed that I seem to lose my ability to distinguish problem areas with these things in own work. I try to cast a critical eye and despite my efforts I feel blinded. Is it even possible to edit yourself without bias? 

Edited October 14, 2016 by Zay Wolfe

[kais]

I can't do my own editing. I'm too close to the characters and the story to see the problems. I think this is why beta readers are so useful. If we could edit our own stories, we wouldn't need editors, either.

[neongrey]

The thing is, even if you can do a good editing pass on your stuff, other people will always look at your work differently than you do. One gets used to certain errors one makes, and things you think are fine will almost certainly not be to other people. There's no replacement at all for a second set of eyes, no matter how good you are at doing your own typo clean-up.

[Robinski he/him]

5 hours ago, kaisa said:

I can't do my own editing. I'm too close to the characters and the story to see the problems. I think this is why beta readers are so useful.

Totally agree. There's no way you can see all the flaws in your story. Self-editing, beyond a certain point, is just plain impossible. Anyone who thinks that they edit their own work to a suitable level is almost certainly wrong. I would be astonished if you asked any published author this question and got a different answer. If nothing else, your editor (presumably) knows the market and the industry better than you would, certainly as a new author.

1 hour ago, neongrey said:

The thing is, even if you can do a good editing pass on your stuff, other people will always look at your work differently than you do. One gets used to certain errors one makes, and things you think are fine will almost certainly not be to other people. There's no replacement at all for a second set of eyes, no matter how good you are at doing your own typo clean-up.

Yup. Spot on. We all have bad habits and indulgences as writers that are better weeded out, I'm sure. Also, by having alpha and beta readers, then an agent (maybe) and an editor, you open up your story to a wealth, height, breadth and depth of experience, knowledge, training and expertise that you just don't have, and will never be able to accumulate as an individual.

[neongrey]

There are a few authors who are known for having the pull to 'fire' their editor and just not have one. It's pretty much always a marker of a sharp divide in quality in their work. Anne Rice, I think, is the canonical example...

[Zay Wolfe]

15 hours ago, neongrey said:

The thing is, even if you can do a good editing pass on your stuff, other people will always look at your work differently than you do. One gets used to certain errors one makes, and things you think are fine will almost certainly not be to other people. There's no replacement at all for a second set of eyes, no matter how good you are at doing your own typo clean-up.

Good point. Well I'm really giddy to join this community. I don't know other writers besides the friend I'm editing for and I'm much further along than he is. Too bad there isn't an introduction thread to get to know everyone.

[edit]

Never mind, I just found the introduction thread in the "Other Resources" in the welcome thread 

Edited October 15, 2016 by Zay Wolfe

[Robinski he/him]

11 hours ago, Zay Wolfe said:

Never mind, I just found the introduction thread in the "Other Resources" in the welcome thread 

Welcome to Reading Excuses, @Zay Wolfe!! We mostly feel like this () all the time, except when we're , or , or maybe .  Very occasionally, it gets a bit or , but we all end up in the end (I think), because we all want the same thing, to be better writers, of course

 

Edited October 16, 2016 by Robinski

[Zay Wolfe]

10 hours ago, Ernei said:

This post... You used more emoticons than I do! O.o

I feel like there should be some kind of award.