Here's something that will haunt you on Wattpad -- people who cannot write (and often write stories that are normally so cliche you want to vomit) somehow have the confidence to post at the end of yet another cringe-worthy chapter that they're going to send off their manuscript to a publisher. Yet because they have such a huge fan base, no one wants to to be the messenger and tell them that their work, if published, wouldn't be good enough to use as toilet paper.
What. The. Bloody. Hell.
Editors (those fabulous, hard-working people out there) are not meant to rephrase your entire work so that anyone above the IQ of 10 can read it. They're there to catch your rare mistakes. Not translate your work.
So for the love of all things good and holy, edit. Proofread. Fifty times if you have to. Do it. It's part of being a writer. If you can't deal with the work involved, consider a different career.
Now, I can just see people seething at me and bringing up the fact that I am not in the arts and therefore how can I dictate what an artist can or can't do yadda yadda to use as an argument against this rant. Go ahead. But let me tell you something. In the sciences, you have to write papers within a very tight word limit, with tons of information and technical details, and if you have one comma out of place in your references you will not be published.
It's that simple. If you don't write with technical perfection in the sciences, you will not be published. Be glad that the arts are not so stringent. *cough* Gertrude Stein *cough*
Now, I'm not saying I'm a great writer -- not even a good one. But I am someone who reads a lot. And I can tell you that not only will a publisher or an editor appreciate good execution, but so will your reader.
Perfection (or as close as you can get to it) is critical for marketing your story.
It shows the world that you respect yourself and your work. If you do not edit and leave tons of silly mistakes littered throughout your work it tells me as a reader that you don't care. You don't care about the time you put in, you don't care about the reader's experience, and you don't care about writing. If you don't care (or if you don't edit) you may as well stop writing because you're not giving it your all. This is a career that people work at. A lot. If you respect it, or are considering it, try your damndest to be the best you can be.
So if you want to write, write to best of your abiliities. And edit. If you're not sure if what you're doing is right, ask. There are tons of people out there who can help you. The internet, Wattpadians, family, teachers, professors, writers, and friends. They can all help.
But whatever you do and whatever you post, show the world that you care about your image as a writer. Show that you care about the reader's experience (actually, just care about that). Please edit.
