The Artful Edit explores the many-faceted and often misunderstood or simply overlooked art of editing. Brimming with examples, quotes, and case stu...
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Apr 01, 2011
Patrick
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There is an endless glut of books which propose to help one unleash one's Muse (yuck), write mystery novels, bestsellers, a killer screenplay, slam poetry and the like: in short, there is a stupefying amount of books that propose to teach, or guide one, into the writing process. Most of them are awful but even the awfullest ones can be inspiring: like your run-of-the-mill self-help book, they can achieve brilliance by inspiring the brain to enter a new cycle of introspection, exciting synapses i
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Mar 21, 2011
Holly
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Bell suggests reading one's own work (or any work you are editing) alternatively with a macro-lens and micro-lens, and she asserts that these two types of methodical reading cannot be done simultaneously; that a too-methodical reading "will force a text into categories too cleanly divided. Character here, leitmotiv there. Theme here, continuity of style there. But narrative parts work in tandem. [...] Try too hard to separate the parts and you destroy the whole." I found this advice i
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Sep 13, 2009
jordan
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Potential readers of Susan Bell's "The Artful Edit" would do well to consider first what this book is, and what it is not. This is not a replacement for the ubiquitous and essential "Elements of Style" which should be on every English speaker's desk. No, where that fine work was written for everyone who wishes to write, Bell's work, I would dare to presume, is meant for writers. And for those people, her pages sing.
Bell offers a considered meditation on various qu More...
Bell offers a considered meditation on various qu More...
Jun 21, 2009
Kelly
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Full review at http://yannabe.com/2009/06/21/review-the...
Summary: An editor offers advice on how to edit your own writing.
Review: I loved the first half of this book for its practicality, but as it got less practical I lost interest. Example:
* Loved learning about how The Great Gatsby changed during the editing process
* Didn’t love reading about the entire history of book editing
One little gem was the author’s tips for gaining perspec More...
Summary: An editor offers advice on how to edit your own writing.
Review: I loved the first half of this book for its practicality, but as it got less practical I lost interest. Example:
* Loved learning about how The Great Gatsby changed during the editing process
* Didn’t love reading about the entire history of book editing
One little gem was the author’s tips for gaining perspec More...
Apr 28, 2011
Jenny
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Awesome, awesome, awesome! You know how sometimes it takes lots of repetition for a lesson to sink in? (I guess that's the theory behind multiplication tables in third grade....) Well, sometimes I think that we just need a really good teacher to put the lesson in terms that can be understood.
That teacher is Susan Bell. She's a professional editor, and not a bad writer either. =)
Bell breaks down the editing process in order to show writers how they can self edit. And this day More...
That teacher is Susan Bell. She's a professional editor, and not a bad writer either. =)
Bell breaks down the editing process in order to show writers how they can self edit. And this day More...
Aug 04, 2009
Fred
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This is an excellent little book for writers and editors alike. I particularly appreciated the lengthy discussion of Maxwell Perkins's collaborative edit with F. Scott Fitzgerald of The Great Gatsby. Having a central work with examples of many kinds of revisions helps illustrate the author's main points about the kinds of things one might seek to improve through editing. The viewpoints she brings in from numerous other writers help emphasize the varieties of the editing experience. I think a lot
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Dec 26, 2008
Melissa
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quick first impressions on two elements of this book. first, as a writer/editor professionally, the practical tips bell provides in the earlier chapters both make me feel sane and provide me with new ideas. as the writer who leaves the apartment to visit the coffee shop to go for a walk before settling in the library, i thoroughly believe in the 'distance' she advocates - among other tips. What I find wonderful about them is that i've never seen the practice of editing so formally (yet informall
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Aug 28, 2009
Rachel
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This book is really helpful for writers and editors. Because it made me want to edit my own work, it made me more excited about actually writing something, if only in order to try out the ideas she suggests. It's nice to read something about editing that's not about mechanics; Bell talks about the macro view and aesthetic choices instead. There are also some great ideas I've already implemented in class, namely not saying "I like this" or "I don't like this" because those are
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Mar 13, 2010
Miriam
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The first half of this book offered some great practical advice, but the second half was mostly useless and really difficult to get through. It was basically all case studies of various writers and artists on how they edit, and the author of this book, like all writers, should know that just because something works for something else doesn't mean we would all necessarily benefit from using their method. Bell should've stuck to giving general, practical advice on editing, not detailed accounts of
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Aug 14, 2011
Amelia
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This looked so boring from the outside, but I forced myself to read some of these types of books as my own 'Back-to-School' self-improvement.
Wow! Great insights, explanations and examples. I had never been interested in "The Great Gatsby", but after reading parts throughout this book, used as examples of Fitzgerald's and Perkin's edits, I want to dip into the classic.
Wow! Great insights, explanations and examples. I had never been interested in "The Great Gatsby", but after reading parts throughout this book, used as examples of Fitzgerald's and Perkin's edits, I want to dip into the classic.
May 05, 2009
Tristi
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This was a very interesting book. In one section, the author takes segments from "The Great Gatsby" and compares the first draft to the final version and we can see the process used. Some of the language throughout the book is a little esoteric and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for a beginning writer - some of the techniques should be explored after the very basics of editing are mastered. Overall, I found it an enlightening read.
Sep 25, 2009
I was seeking a primer on self-editing; this is it. The first few chapters take you through editing concepts, as well as offering tips. The middle is an analysis of the effects of editing, the types of editors one may encounter, and indirectly, how to work with your editor. The end is more for historians and discusses the history of editing.
Dec 23, 2008
Wendy
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I'll be honest -- this book could have used a final edit. That said, there are some really wonderful insights here. I'd love to teach it alolng with the main text is critiques -- THE GREAT GATSY -- but alas, the students in my editing class must slog through much of the CHICAGO MANUAL OF STYLE, so I must go easy on them....
May 10, 2010
Scott
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A helpful primer and intelligent guide to the editing process. This book flows, easy to read, and is logical. The manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald and correspondence with his editor are referenced as an example of the art of the edit and the potentially valuable role of an editor.
Jan 30, 2011
Allison
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I'm sure other readers only gave this book an almost four stars because not all of the information is helpful, but what IS helpful is so applicable to writers who need help with self-editing, that I easily bump up the number to a five. One of my favorites.
Nov 30, 2009
LM
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If I was writing a novel, which I am not, it would be a great find. Instead I thought it would help me edit my own essays, but it's more for someone who is plotting a book, searching out themes and developing characters. The book itself is beautiful written. Ms. Bell knows what she's talking bout.
Dec 03, 2010
Jerimy
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Insightful read into the art of editing on a macro and micro scale. Very useful book. Gives several different methods from authors about their individual process of editing.
Jan 15, 2008
Suzanne
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This was a great book, and a real quick read. I picked it up over Christmas, because I knew that I would need a jump start into editing my first novel. This did a lot of good for me. It tells you all the things you know you should do, but forget to do, or never think about. Now, it's all compiled in one place, so you can make a list, and hopefully never forget. In chapter IV Bell discusses editors of other kinds of things, photographers, sound editors, movie editors. Surprisingly enough, it actu
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Oct 03, 2009
Myra
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An in-depth look at the finer points of editing from both a writer's and an editor's perspective. Recommended for anyone in the publishing business.
Jan 06, 2012
Rose
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Good read for those attempting to learn to self-edit effectively. Insightful analysis of how The Great Gatsby was edited by Fitzgerald.
Jan 09, 2010
Morgan
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I knew most of this stuff from college English. Reading for more practical self-editing techniques for my writing.
Apr 10, 2010
Sheila
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I have this book out of the library, but will buy it to keep close at hand while I write. It is beautifully written and has a well-thought out approach to improving one's writing while respecting the creative process.
Jan 29, 2008
Beth
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This book was clear, motivational, and EXTREMELY useful in prepping work before submitting it to an editor. It's a well known fact that writing that requires a lot of editorial time is not very attractive to publishers. "The Artful Edit" helped this author shape up a book that required NO rewrites or corrections!
Jan 30, 2012
Deb, the Word Muse
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The belongs on every writer's reference shelf, close at hand when the first draft is done.
Jul 15, 2011
Jennie
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Interesting book about developmental editing (especially for writers and editors). I particularly enjoyed the analysis of the editing process Fitzgerald went through for The Great Gatsby and the history of the role of the editor.
