Blog 15 - Jacob Holt

I got this assignment done a bit early. My friend Jade has finished her novel that she’s been working on for years now. It’s called The Absolute. The book is sort of a Dexter-style serial killer story with a lot of really nice conflict and character depth. At the beginning of the semester, Jade asked me to be a beta-writer/editor for the novel. I was honored, of course, and accepted. After my second readthrough, which was during the span of this class, I made some really intricate changes that I wouldn’t have been able to make without out having learned what this class has taught me. She was very pleased with the edits and stated that her book had evolved tremendously from what it previously was.

This was my first experience editing for a writer, and I really enjoyed it. I don’t think I like editing as much as I like writing itself, but I can now understand the value of it from a new perspective. It really is a crucial process in any form of writing, and everyone who writes anything should take advantage of having a friend or colleague with editing skills. If anyone in this class has personal writing they would like edited, please feel free to email me at jacobholt.films@gmail.com. I’d be happy to help!