Editing workshop with Joan Fleming, 8th May 2018

Joan gave the group some insightful pointers on this challenging and thought-provoking topic 
and provided members with a comprehensive handout on publishing to study in their own time. 
She presented several examples, including one from her own novel, and expanded on the headings 
from her notes on publishing.

Joan urged the group to try the writing competitions site txtlit.co.uk for practice on the art 
of concise and precise writing within 160 characters.

She reminded members that, to improve their writing, they should always check grammar 
and style and not be satisfied until they have honed it to the best of their abilities, not forgetting 
to read it aloud.

Web tools also have their place and can be used to help in the editing process; however, they 
do have their limitations so we shouldn’t rely on them too much.

Joan recommended keeping up to date with new trends in publishing but stressed the importance 
of being consistent, whatever we did.

The session concluded with a practical exercise involving editing a few sentences Joan had 
provided for the purpose. We then had the option of checking against Joan's suggested solutions. 

Although not all members totally agreed with the proposed solutions, the exercise had at least 
made everyone think about the importance of editing. 

All in all, a worthwhile workshop - thank you, Joan!

(This report was compiled by Diana Devlin from notes taken on the day by Hilary Stevenson.)