Editing workshop

Lutterworth Writers listening avidly to Richard Sheehan 28.03.26

On Saturday, I attended an editing workshop alongside seven other members of Lutterworth Writers’ Circle. The workshop was presented by Richard Sheehan, a copy editor and proofreader from Leicestershire. My followers probably know that I dislike editing with a passion. I much prefer first draft writing than the process of structural edits or copy edits – though I do love proofreading, as it’s the final stage of any project. 
 
In short, I like the creative aspects of writing but not the constructive processes. I’m currently editing a manuscript so the timing of the workshop was perfect for my work schedule. I find it painful to sit and diligently work through each scene, paragraph and line polishing a manuscript. So, any small trick or technique that I can learn from the professionals gives me a glimmer of hope for future editing.
 
Over the years, my mindset regarding editing has definitely improved but I’m still searching for a magical element. The task can feel monumental to me in comparison to writing. 
 
Anyway, we had a fabulous three hours discussing various aspects such as punctuation, format alignment, publishing house style, methods and modern gremlins that frequently trip writers up.
 
One visual shared by Richard was a punctuation pattern, almost like a finger print, of two authors. It was incredible to see how a page of their texts looks - minus the words. I wondered what my finger print of punctuation would resemble and if I could learn anything from performing the same exercise. So below, is the first chapter of my current manuscript. I’m taken aback that I use so many ellipses and manage to squeeze in numerous colons and semi-colons. I’d definitely pick up ‘16 points’ awarded for question 5 in an English GCSE exam! Joke, purely for other English teachers!
 
,  .  :  ,  .  ,  ,  .  -  ,  ,  .  ,  ,  .  ,  .  ,  ,  ,  .  –  .  ,  …  .  ,  . ,  .  .  ,  .  ,  .  ,   ,  .  ,  .  ,  .  ,   .  .  ,  .  ’ ‘ ’ ,  .  – ,  ,  ,  .  -  – ? ,  ,  :  . ‘ ! ’ ,  ,  ,  ,  . ‘ ,  .  

,  ? ’ ,  . ‘ ’ .  ,  . ’ ,  . ‘ ,  - ’ ‘ ? ’ ,  .  ,  .  ,  ,  .  ’ ’ . ‘ ? ’ ,  . ‘ , ’ ,  ,  .  . ’ .  ;  .  ,  .  ,  ’  ’ . ’ ’ ,  .  ,  .  ,  .  , ! ‘ ,  . ’ ‘ ? , ’ ,  . ‘ ? ’,  . ‘ ? ’ ,  ,  . ‘  ’  .  ‘  ,  ’  .  ’

​.  ’  ,  . ’  ’  . ‘  ’ , ’ ,  ,  .  ‘ . ’  .  ,  ’,  . ‘ , ’ ,  - . ‘  ’ . ’ . ’ ,  :  .  ,  .  ‘ ,  ? ’ ‘ ? ’  ,  ,  .  ‘ , ’ … ’ , ‘ … ,  ’ . ’  ‘ … ’ . ’  ,  .  ‘ ’ ! ’ .  ‘ ’  –  ,  .  …  ’ .  ’ . ’  ,  ,  .
 
Anyway, after an enjoyable workshop, I arrived home with an armful of additional notes and reference sources to add to my editing box plus, a renewed vigour for the task ahead. I’ll let you know how I get along this week, as editing is to be my primary goal during the Easter break.  

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