Editing
Because this community is about much more than just the contest, we offer free editing to all contestants and Just For Fun writers. Everyone is welcome to sign up for editing or volunteer to help give all these edits!
How do I request an edit?
If you submitted an entry for the weekly topic, you can sign up to get edits. Simply look for the editing signups post and fill out the signup poll. Choose the level of content editing you'd like and whether you'd like a grammar check, then click "Submit Poll" - you've just signed up for editing! If there's anything specific you'd like your editor to look for, your best bet is to put a note on your entry, though there's no guarantee they'll get to it.
What are these different levels of editing?
To help match authors with exactly the kind of edit they're seeking, we offer three levels of content criticism. No Holds Barred gives the editor free reign to point out anything they think could be improved, though they are always still respectful and sure to highlight the strong points of the entry, too. Authors who are looking for tough but polite content criticism lean towards this level. Check out these examples: lacombe's edit of balloonhat, bwh's edit of i_am_fusebox, and lacombe's edit of 13_stories.
Moderate content criticism is generally a mix of 50% positive feedback and 50% criticism. This is a good way for an author to test the water; editors will provide a kind edit while still helping the entry improve. Check out these examples: seattlescifan's edit of firesign10 and slang_jockey's edit of selkie_queen.
Gentle editing is great for authors who have written something very personal or are feeling shy, vulnerable, or unconfident with their writing. This ends up being more of a sounding board and encouragement than hard editing. Editors provide a lot of positive feedback with a little bit of content criticism. Check out these examples: attentionhoard's edit of accountingwitch and cedarwolfsinger's edit of firesign10.
Authors can also choose whether or not they'd like their editor to look at the grammar in their piece.
How do I volunteer to help edit entries? What if I don't have any experience?
Just let us know! Currently, pip (pipisafoat) is the organizing force behind the editing team. Feel free to PM pip or leave a comment on any editing post saying how many you'd like to do each week and any preferences you have, and you're good to go! Full time editors are never assigned more than 10 edits per week, though they rarely top 5; part time editors are guaranteed a maximum of 5 but usually have around 3; or you can specify a number of edits you'd like. We also have "standby" and "emergency" editors, who are called on only when there are too many edits for the regular editors to handle without a little help. Even these irregular editors can be lifesavers and are just as valued as the editors who take heavy loads every week.
We welcome anyone who wants to volunteer, regardless of any experience you may have had. Feel free to read other editors' comments to get a feel for how to edit. Murphpolo13 summed up the general idea behind editing quite well: "The best kind of criticism is given by first highlighting a positive point and then gently suggesting improvements. I find it highly inappropriate when people dismiss ideas with a comment like "that's stupid," especially without explaining logically why something won't work or without suggesting an alternative. Beating the hell out of a dead horse is also a not so great way to go about giving good, constructive criticism. Make your point concisely and be done with it. Not only can it be embarrassing to work really hard on an idea and then have it shot down bluntly, but its completely humiliating when someone spends a million years detailing every flaw in your thinking."
It's always more helpful in the long run to give the author a bit of writing wisdom than just a list of corrections. Try to give them an idea that applies to the piece you're editing but is also general enough to be helpful for other things they might write - explain that sometimes, more is less, rather than simply saying, "You have too many adjectives here." The goal is overall improvement, and editors can be a huge part of that!
How do I know who I am supposed to edit or who will be editing my entry?
Look for the editing assignment post! Editors are given a checklist to fill out when they have completed their edits, and authors can easily see who is assigned to them in the chart, which will also say which kind of edit has been requested. If you feel like you've been excluded from the assignments when you shouldn't have been, let pip know and it will be taken care of.
Don't worry if your entry doesn't get its edits right away. The moderators keep track of it all, and after a week and a half, it will be posted as a volunteer edit for anyone who has extra time. If it still isn't done after a total of two weeks, it will be reassigned. However, if it gets missed, let us know! The mods are only human, after all. :)