Ky Ellen Mason is almost there! Almost finished with the hardest part of any edit of any novel …. Line by line study of tenses, and verbs… First person or third… Right or wrong… The eyes become hazy… The thoughts focus on clarity of tenses and time…. Thank you my dear sister’s sister in law…
Believe it or not editing requires the skill of mathematics. The story line must match up because the author might not keep the time frame exact, but the reader will pick up a wrong time and question the efforts of the author to keep all little details lined up and squared perfectly. The reader sees such details that are not accurate such as apparel and the decade it was worn.
Take for example, in The South, Villager Dresses and Quigan Shoes were of the mid sixties, so keeping detail straight is part of a line by line editor.
What a job the editor has and the hours they spend sorting timelines, grammar and punctuation plus examining sentences and their structure is overwhelming.
Mimsi Flowers and Notions 