by Ruth Harris
Editing is life. The blue tie? Or the yellow one? Peter or Paul? Or Mary?
You’re an editor—whether or not you know it yet—because to edit is to choose.
As a former editor, I’m obviously biased. As a writer, I’ve learned that for me (and for just about every writer I know or have worked with), editing is the most interesting and exciting part of writing a book.
- Editing is your opportunity to figure out what you really mean to say and how best to say it.
- Editing gives you the chance to come up with the killer line of dialogue, the on-target mot juste, the breath-taking cliffhanger that keeps the pages turning.
- Editing is the stage at which you cut the blubber or expand and embroider when you’ve gone too bare-bones.
- Editing can shore up a blah plot, identify, fill and fix plot holes; turn wooden characters into living, breathing, believable people.
- Editing lets you to pick up the pace when necessary and slow it down when you need to give the reader a chance to breathe.
- Editors are partners, coaches, shrinks, cops and cheerleaders—sometimes all at the same time. They dispense tough love when needed and gold stars when earned.
In my experience, editing takes longer than writing and can turn an OMG-did-I-write-that? draft into a book you can be proud of.
Your editors are your teachers especially if you are a beginning writer. Pay attention to them and you will come face to face with your worst habits—passive characters and/or passive verbs, adjective overkill, adverb and/or pronoun abuse, dangling participles, untethered plot points, run-on sentences.
You will also learn how to polish your strengths and turn interesting narrative into compelling storytelling, good dialogue to great, plot-twists-that-fall-flat into a breath-taking, never-saw-it-coming shocks.Editing is expensive and choosing an editor is like picking a great date for Saturday night—without help from OkCupid or eharmony. Due to contractions in TradPublishing, there are many knowledgeable and experienced freelance editors offering their services. Most offer a sample edit of ten pages or so, a useful try-before-you-buy option.
Whether you plan to self-publish, want to work with a small press or are looking for an agent and a TradPub deal, hiring an editor to take a cool, calm look at your book is essential because—as if you didn’t already know—the days of Maxwell Perkins are long gone.
Define how much editing you need:
Valerie Comer wrote a succinct analysis of the differences between a rewrite, revision and editing that will help clarify your thinking.
Where to start looking for an editor:
Elisabeth Kauffman lists professional associations and sources and dispenses solid advice about what questions to ask as you search for your perfect editor.
Network with other writers in your genre:
They will be able to suggest editors who know what they’re doing and warn you away from those who don’t. Writers’ Cafe has yellow-page lists of editors and threads about editors and editing pop up often.
Understand the different kinds of editing:
Learn the difference between developmental (or content) editing and copyediting.
Developmental: A developmental/content editor’s contributions involve a broad overview of the manuscript, its structure, scene and chapter placement or rearrangement, even the basics of plot and character. A developmental/content editor (sometimes called a book doctor) can answer an SOS when a manuscript is on life support and needs rescue.Victoria Mixon delves further into the various aspects of editing and describes how the editing process works between writer and editor. She also addresses the circumstances that involve trimming, re-writing, rearranging, and even the writing of new material.
Editor Belinda Pollard warns writers not to depend on editorial labels but to find out exactly what to expect from different kinds of editors no matter what they’re called. She also reminds us that “the right feedback at the right time is the secret weapon of every successful author.” I couldn’t agree more!
Copyediting: Copyediting takes place at a later stage when all the nuts and bolts of a story are in place. The copyeditor is concerned with clarity, clarity, cohesion, consistency, and correctness (the “4 Cs”) according to Amy Einsohn’s The Copyeditor’s Handbook.
Proofreading: Proofing is yet another stage in the editorial process and comes last of all, just before you send your book out into the world. The good proofreader is über detail-oriented, on the look out for typos, typographical glitches and lapses in spelling and punctuation.
The Writers Center posted a good article that covers the art and craft of proofreading.
The Chicago Manual of Style offers a Rosetta Stone to proofreader’s marks and squiggles.
Not all editors are the same. Some edit with a light hand, preferring to let the writer’s own voice come through. Other editors take a firmer approach, making an effort to conform your manuscript to current industry standards. Decide which approach you prefer and which one will work best for you and your book.
Choose an editor who’s an expert in your genre. S/he will be knowledgable about current trends, best practices and no-nos. A sci-fi specialist will not be up to date on the latest in romance. And vice versa.
Your editor is your partner and guide—not your overlord. Feel free to disagree with suggestions but be sure you have a good reason for your choices. Sometimes a brief discussion will lead to a third solution that’s even better.
Even billionaires need editors. Warren Buffett’s long-time editor at Fortune, Carol Loomis, spills the beans.
Basics to take care of before you send off your manuscript.
Doing some advance clean-up will save you and your editor time and money:
- Create a style sheet as you write. It’s not hard and it is invaluable for you and for your editor. I’ve written before about the importance of style sheets.
- Perform a basic spell check and watch out for homonyms and homophones—words that sound alike but have different meanings. They will pass a spell check but you must actually read the sentence in context to ensure the word you used is the word you mean. Examples: through/threw; there/their/they’re, here/hear, by/bye/buy, to/two/too.
- Run a grammar program. Most word processors have one and will root out common errors that guarantee rejection and/or bad reviews.
- Review your dialogue tags. They can often be pruned or even deleted.
- The cliché finder will hunt down, uh, clichés.
- The Passivator will highlight passive verbs and adverbs.
India Drummond takes on editors (the cyber kind) in this review of White Smoke, Style Writers, Serenity Software, and Autocrit.
I don’t recommend self-editing for beginning writers who will probably need help with at least some or possibly all of the following: pacing, character, structure and/or story arc.With more experience, though, plus a crit group or beta readers, you will be able to read your manuscript with a more detached and professional eye. If you’re not sure whether or not you need an editor, Derek Murphy pinpoints some important issues and suggests affordable alternatives.
If you want to go ahead on your own, be on the lookout for:
- Flabby language and trite dialogue.
- A saggy middle.
- A blah (or confused) ending.
- Info dumps.
- Boring backstory.
- Good guys who are too good and bad guys who are too bad. (Yes, it’s possible.) Characters require shades of grey to be believable.
- Too many sub-plots? The ones that go nowhere, wander off and disappear or result in a dead end? Decide if they should be combined and streamlined or even done away with.
- Too many characters? Do they get in each other’s way? Do they perform the same function in your book? Cut and combine is the answer.
by Ruth Harris (@RuthHarrisBooks) July 27, 2014
BOOK OF THE WEEK
Passivator – that sounds like the Terminator! As I'm in the middle of editing, I will definitely check that out after I comment.
I admit I've never hired an editor. I work with two test readers and three critique partners, and then work with my publisher's editor. I've never had a problem being open to any of their suggestions, either. Please – help me make it better!
And I like editing best for all those reasons you listed!
Alex—I have the distinct feeling that your 2 test readers, 3 critique partners & publisher's editor are doing the job that needs being done! 😉
I'm probably one of the few in the crowd who finds editing fairly easy to do, and even fun (at least judging from fellow writers who scowl at me). Self-editing tips:
* If you're an organic writer (meaning you don't outline), do a very fast pass over the the book and look for junk that came in that you don't need — and this even before you revise so you don't waste time with what's not needed. Trim it out and then do another fast pass for anything you missed or that might be more obvious with stuff already trimmed.
* Don't overedit to the point where you edit yourself out of the story. This is easy to do when you're getting conflicting critiques or trying to make the story perfect. I still remember a writer who asked me to review his indie fantasy anthology. His critique group evidently told him his descriptions were boring and to get rid of them, so he edited them out — along with his world building, and much of what made the stories his.
* Be careful with tips on flabby language. Sometimes it's easy to mistake something that really should be in the story, but looks like it's excess. I used to work with a cowriter, and he was always focused on trying to trim what he thought was excess but was important for characterization. It may take more words to say something, but if that's your character's way of thinking or talking, then it's not wrong or excess.
Linda—Thanks for taking the time to comment. I agree: editing is the fun part! Editing gets you & your book where you want to be.
A great post Ruth, and very apt for me right now as my first-ever professionally edited tale is coming out to the world!
This is a powerful semantic issue for me: I took your bullet about what editors are, and mentally crossed out every word except "cops". My beta-readers and I myself weren't editing- we were HELPING! Part of my problem comes from my day job where I also write but for a technical-business audience. Editing is mandatory, and while I've found the editors themselves to be absolutely lovely people, their job is to stamp out every vestige of color, interest, or culturally-bound reference in the work. So I've been VERY suspicious of editors; the whole subject triggers every defensive bone in my body (and I've got plenty of those).
On top of that editing violates Hahn's Golden Rule of Writing: "Your writing shall cost thy family no gold".
But when my publisher introduced me to an editor's work by saying "he will be only helpful" I discovered that it can be just that. Still a little cautious! But happy I tried it this time, with a tale that means so much to me personally.
William—I'm glad to hear you've had a positive, "helpful" experience with your editor. The editorial experience should be positive—and creative—and help you raise your work to its best level.
Doesn't mean I don't understand the caution, either! 😉
The times I've placed my short fiction I've had the opportunity to work with excellent editors who've managed the copy & developmental editing with aplomb. I had one abysmal experience with an educational journal article, but mostly I am a huge fan of editors. I have hopes of working int he future with editors on novel-length MSs. Thanks for the concise, clean explanation of the world of editing.
CS—Thanks for the kind words. I'm glad to hear you've had such constructive help from your editors and hope you will repeat the experience with your novel-length mss. The right editor(s) can make *all* the difference!
Hi,Ruth, I've edited two anthologies to date and both times my mantra was "Don't edit out the writer's voice or style." I often came close to making suggestions that weren't quite right for a piece and the contributors let me know. I'm so glad they did. We had great discussions about everything including the style manual I used for the book. Sometimes even style books don't allow for a writer's specific voice. You've not only provided great advice here but a ton of links that I'm gonna check out. Especially now since I'm between writing projects and trying to fill the well before I start in again on something new. Thanks again for a great post. Always appreciated. Paul
Hi Paul! The productive back-and-forth between editor and writer is invaluable and you are so professional in understanding when your own edits weren't quite on-target. No one's perfect—not writers, not editors—but the collaboration between them can produce the transformative creative spark. We all always hope to achieve that whether in writer OR editor mode.
I love editing, but I don't deceive myself that I can be my everything in terms of editing my work. Just finished going over the copyedits on my 4th novel coming out in September, and I was dumbfounded at the things I typed that I hadn't caught, and that my other editor didn't catch, or my critique group didn't catch. Those different layers of editing are SO important. Thanks for such a concise article.
Hope—Gah! it's just incredible how many mistakes/glitches/typos come up even in an ms that's already been through rounds of editing. You definitely don't have to ask me how I know!
I've grown from working with editors and revising my own writing has helped me see how much my writing skill have developed. Editing and revising are very important steps in the writing process.
Leanne—It sounds like you've used your editors and the editing process in the most productive way—to improve your own skills. Everything you've learned can be applied over and over again in the future!
Editing is my favorite part of the process! A first draft is tough for me to get down on paper. I love editing when I'm about four drafts in, when the manuscript starts reading like a real book, instead of the crap I wrote in draft one.
I use two beta readers then edit like heck before paying for a freelance editor. I'm always open to suggestions from anyone who can make my stories better!
Thanks for all these amazing resources.
Julie—Thanks! You're soooo right. About the fourth time around is when you begin to think you might actually have a real book on your hands—first three are usually the Sanitation Dept, i.e. getting rid of the crap. 😉
Such excellent resources! Thank you!
Nina—Thanks. Hope you found some helpful links.
Thanks! I'm in an editing process, and it s rather hard. You gave me a totally new perspective 🙂
Helen—Thank *you*! I hope that new perspective will help you past the thorny parts of the process. Getting to the "fun" part will be well worth it!
This is just chock full of good tips and links. Thanks!
Rosi—Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate your kind words!
Yes, yes, yes! I think that a love of rewriting and editing is what separates serious writers from people who just have an emotional need for an audience. It's the difference between wanting to "be a writer" and wanting to produce something beautiful. Crafting, reworking, and perfecting something already written is a whole different kind of pleasure than the rush of writing new material.
Jeannie—thank you! I've said it a million times (just ask my DH!): "It ain't the writing. It's the rewriting and the editing." Separates the pros from the wannabes. Really, if you want a gem, you have to do the polishing. No short cuts!
Jeannie–This is so true, I had to chime in! "love of rewriting and editing is what separates serious writers from people who just have an emotional need for an audience." I see this in critique groups so often–people who are just there for the audience and never process the feedback or try to improve their work. Thanks for the great quote!
Gay—You're soooo right! It is shocking to find big glitches even after you've been through the d*mn book a zillion times. Amazing how often it happens. Scary, too.
Thanks for spreading the word!
Gay—yes! The subconscious is the source of the work. The writer must allow the subc to run free. Often, at least for me, it's only at the end that I understand what I was trying to do. The subc knits it all together: the writer has to get out of the way.
My pleasure. As an editor at an online mag, I am always talking about this step in the writing process. For me, this is when you learn what your subconscious is trying to tell you!!
I love the way you put that. I read some article awhile back that tried to shatter my belief in right brain-left brain activity. I think it was in the WSJ, but I say bunk. Understanding the difference between free-thought while writing and disciplined thought while editing is of key importance if a writer wants to learn how to master the craft.
I was about to argue that editing is my least favorite part of writing then I read your bullet points. And I agree with them. I actually enjoy doing all those things.
I love the link on the differences between a rewrite, revision, and editing. I have always found these to be very different and am flummoxed when people say I need to “edit” when what they really mean is a complete overhaul—a “rewrite”. Love the different kinds of editing info, too. (I can’t believe there is a cliché finder. Hilarious.)
Thanks for the post!
Sarah—Yessss! Doing all things referred to as "editorial" are fun. Improving a ms is a pleasure—and should feel like one. Glad I turned around your thinking!
I'm getting ready to reedit a book I wrote years ago. And I'm actually very excited about it. I'm excited to see how much my voice has changed, to see (hopefully) how much better a writer I am now, and I think it will be fun to introduce my mature editing self to my younger writer self. Thanks for all the good tips and references. Wow…a lot of great info!
Christine—No wonder you're excited! I just reedited/rewrote an old book. It was fascinating to see how I've changed—and how much styles of story telling have changed. Used to be "telling," now it's "showing." Good luck with your edits/rewrites…have a ball!
Editing IS the fun part, even when you think that if you read that manuscript one more time you're going to stick that fork you're eating apple pie with straight into your throat. But you open to that first page and read it again, and soon even the pie is forgotten. And it is always amazing to me, that if I am reading mindfully, how much can be finessed or how many end quotation marks I've forgotten, even the third or fourth time through. I've learned the hard way too, to love and embrace editors, but also to be wary of assuming they will catch everything, whether it's a simple typo or a glitch in the story. When I reread my novel for the umpteenth time for the trade paperback (there was a serilized on-line version already, a hardcover gift edition and a ebook addition which all came first) I shocked my editor with 100 new changes. Some were clarity issues, punctuation, finessing, but two were big logic glitches. OMG. It happens to everyone. A novel is a complicated product and the author must take responsibility for early editing and final editing and must also have help from others besides herself. It is the only way to produce a product that you can be proud of.
Thanks for this piece. Will be sharing with fellow writers…
Hi, Ruth,
Some fantastic information in here… Thanks! I learned the hard way. With hundreds of revisions on my first novel. Definitely a learning experience. Thank God for CP's and Beta's … their patience was endless and I grew as a writer and EDITOR. Now I do editing as a service. The creative kind. LOL. My specialty is creating atmosphere and breathing life into a scene…. I LOVE to edit this way. With so many authors streamlining their stories to an anorexic degree, description is needed to feel the space and emotion. Not too much, but some.
Michael—What a great story! You're living proof that editing rocks and is the way to a living, breathing, dynamic story. Love your concept of anorexic fiction. I agree!
Speaking about editing; I always edit my book all the time. improving my work can take lots of time to do it!
I've written 3 E-books, edited them, and finalize it,–before I decided to publish it.
Your post is very useful.
Aaron—Thanks, happy to hear the post was useful. I recently read that Dean Koontz writes each page 30 times (IIRC) which really means that he edits constantly & carefully as he goes along. Sounds like you use a variation of his approach! He added that you'd think that method would slow him down but that, in fact, it doesn't.
For my first foray from TradPublishing to indie I used the fabulous editor/copyeditor team that is Perfect Pen Communications http://perfectpencommunications.com. They were a joy to work with and delivered in a timely fashion. Before, I always had in-house editors to edit my work, so it was a load off my mind to be in the company of professionals for this one.
Eileen—Thanks for the rec. Appreciated!
I have edited, revised, and rewritten myself, and have then relied largely on some fantastic beta readers for developmental editing.
I'm hiring a professional for copy-editing, Diane Povey. I found her online, but she is from NZ (where I live), and part of hiring her has been a) understanding NZ English, and b) supporting NZ business, which I believe is important.
She also gives a 'corrections report', which looks into some developmental editing, but not in great depth. This works for me as I don't have a lot of money to invest (I'll be self-publishing later this year).
On another note, I've been reading your blog for yonks, but this is the first time commenting. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice – we all really appreciate it!
Cheers 🙂
Zeesouthcombe—Thank *you* for your kind words and for taking the time to comment. Anne and I are delighted to welcome you!
It sounds like you've found just the right approach for editing your work—input from high-quality beta readers plus an editor who knows NZ English and can offer a degree of developmental editing. Good luck with your book!
Thanks! Keep up the fantastic blog!