The Problem with Proofing: When are you done?

[Leah]

No, a perfect world would definitely be boring. That’s for sure. If there wasn’t room for improvement, nothing would feel rewarding.

[Everly]

Leah wrote: "Everly, the criticism is what teach us the most, isn’t it?
YES! We can find proofers on Fiverr, or an eagle-eyed high school English teacher, but a good content editor is worth their weight in gold, or at least contracts. Those are the ones who can tell you a whole chapter is useless and does nothing to move the plot along, and notice that another scene is flat and needs to be punched up. Like Donald Maass advised in his book, Writing the Breakout Novel, always punch up what's at stake.

[Leah]

Everly, yes for sure. I cherish my editor like gold! More precious than gold, actually. Lol

[Jenna]

I'd like to add one thing that really works well for me. I always have someone review who doesn't particularly like the genre.
For example, one woman hates fantasy of any kind. My fractured fairy-tale is fairly realistic, but she still would never have picked it up off the shelf. She found dozens of problems that neither I or anyone else had found. Plot holes that no one saw, vagarities that we never realized were there... It was wonderful, and even if I obsess over the forgotten comma on page 34, I know my story is much more solid and clear of errors for her having read it.
(I should add that I don't always take her advice - someone who has a hard time with a make-believe world shouldn't try to tell you how to fix it, only what, if that makes sense.)

[Phillip]

Jenna wrote: "I'd like to add one thing that really works well for me. I always have someone review who doesn't particularly like the genre.
For example, one woman hates fantasy of any kind. My fractured fairy-t..."

I always say that the best negative criticism is from someone who cherishes your genre, and the best positive criticism is from someone who mocks your genre.

[Paige]

I personally had to revise seven times for tiny little typos. Just read through again and found a ".,"

It's staying there.

[Jenna]

Phillip - great point, I agree. My husband loves everything I write (he's super biased), and he's always who I have read things first.
Paige - I laughed and laughed. I'm so with you.

[Tisha]

I remember reading once how, for an author, finishing a novel is like building a table as a carpenter. You need to know just how much to to proof and keep changing - reaching the balance between perfection and overdoing it - just as the carpenter shouldn't over-sand the table.

[R.S.]

It's never done... Pretty sure you could resurrect Shakespeare and he'd rewrite his stuff if given a chance...