2.5 stars in honesty; started out stronger than it finished (in my opinion) in terms of hands-on useful info. Less a guide in self-editing and more a checklist of editing tools with a lot less directed info on how best to apply them than expected from its intro & opening bits. ( )

Susan Bell is an editor, author, and teacher, who developed a seminar on self-editing for a graduate program on which this book is based.

It flows along easily, her writing is conversational as if you are in her class and she is speaking right to you. I find the tone comforting since the subject is so intimidating. Having to self-edit when I know so little of the rules is daunting.

Bloom’s stories of working with writers and the editing process, and that of a few famous writer’s and their editors illustrates the working relationship in various ways. Her confidence that you can learn to self-edit assures me that I will learn to do this.

“Gaining Perspective” is the beginning chapter were we learn various ways authors have evolved the abilities to step back from their work. No one does it the exact same way but there are a few example and exercise at the end of the chapter to help you discover your own way of gaining perspective. After considering it for awhile, I think I’d like to find someone to read to me to see if this offers me a a way to gain perspective

Next up, is the “Big Picture: Macro View”. This is something I never really learned how to do, step back and look where I am and where I want to go. These details are what so fascinated me about Huddle’s explication of “The Garden” his teasing all those details and how they inter-played and connected through out Mansfield’s story.

I remember thinking and questioning if Mansfield had intentionally written her story with all those details in mind. Now, I understand that it was careful editing on her part. I would love to read a previous revision of the story so I could see for myself how her revision process evolved. This is what Bell is talking about in this chapter, looking at your intention, character, structure, foreshadowing, theme, and continuity of tone to revise and edit.

Following along after the “Marco View” is naturally the “Micro View”. Which gets into word choice, language, redundancy, repetition, clarity, authenticity, show and tell, and beginnings. The way Bell utilizes her examples affirms that all writer go through this process in some ways. Bell uses F. Scott Fitzgerald and his editor Max Perkins to illustrate many of her points, demonstrating how editing works at different stages. Various scenes, characterizations and repetitions of theme used in the The Great Gatsby show the editing process in action.

Overall I found this one the more encouraging books I’ve read. I liked that the author used a very famous book and author to show the process. There is certainly enough information and a good many examples in this book to get me started viewing my work in more confident way. ( )

Helpful but--dare I say it?--I think this book needs a good edit. The last chapter is a history of editing. The only reason I can see why it doesn't start the book is because the author didn't want to have to write a conclusion. The book did change my perspective on editing, as was its goal, however. The best part of the book was Chapter 2, in which the author instructs the reader on how to macro-edit using the example of Fitzgerald's and Perkins' collaboration on The Great Gatsby as an example. Overall, it's a good resource, but I don't plan to read it cover to cover again. ( )

Bell's strongest and most helpful chapter for me is her first, "Gaining Perspective," where she lists various ways to look at what you've written with new eyes. This is a refreshing look on editing and revising as a process instead of as a set of unrelated bits of advice.
There are also interesting chapters on macro and micro editing techniques, quotes from editors, writers, and other artists. Bell gives many examples of editing from several sources, especially from the collaboration of F Scott Fitzgerald and his editor Max Perkins on The Great Gatsby. ( )

I got more out of this book than anything else I've read on self-editing. At least, that's what it feels like at the moment. I like the way it was structured, spiraling down from process to macro-edits to micro-edits. The author illustrated her points by using The Great Gatsby as an example throughout the first three chapters, which was very helpful.

I skimmed the last two chapters, the "Master Class" and the history of editing, because I was anxious to get back to work, to apply some of what I'd learned to the manuscript at hand. Enough procrastinating already! ( )