Editing Adventures

A good editor helps to improve the quality of your story, and writing skills. He/she will not change your voice or insist you switch up your novel and tell it his/her way. 

If you’re going down the wrong path, your editor should explain why your way won’t work. If you choose not to listen, the readers won’t hesitate to tell you what they don’t like about your book or storytelling.

It's never a good thing to feel violated when your manuscript comes back to you. There's always a gentle way to point to mistakes. Our books are our babies, and writers have fragile egos. Editors know that.

There's a fine line between "feeling some kind of way" and taking out your angst about the work you'll have to do once the editor finishes with your story. If you intend to write more than one book, it's crucial to set pride aside, learn as much from your edit as possible, and make your baby shine.

Unfortunately, we're human and sometimes get stuck in our feelings. I know I've been there a time or two, depending on what was said to me. But it's important to remember that on your journey, you'll learn new things with every book you write and every edit you go through.

While writing Flames of Wrath, I got the idea to take a roundabout route because of the domestic thrillers I'd been reading. Well, the editor set me straight on my circuitous approach to telling the story. Once that was settled, I wrote the book how it was supposed to be written—along the lines of the way I write romantic suspense. 

 The point is, I learned that what I was reading wasn't true to form and adjusted my sails to do what was required. If we are going to make it as writers, knowing how to pivot is critical to successful story-telling.

Something I do for potential clients is to edit the first chapter free of cost, so I have a feel for their writing, and they can decide if they like my style. This doesn't always work to my advantage because some folks feel they can apply a first-chapter edit to the entire manuscript. I won't say any more about that. The pitfalls should be obvious.

But to revisit my original point, although your edit may not be to your liking, the one thing I know is that you should learn something from each one. So, if your writing doesn't improve with each encounter, change your editor or dive deeper into studying the craft.

The worst part of editing for me is having your book come to me a second time (for whatever reason) and I see the same errors I corrected the first time. It says something about your approach. 

The clients who understand my edits will tell you I'm good at what I do, but I'm not cheap and never will be. If your writing is clean, I'll always be inclined to give a discount. Think of it as a reward.

If it's a hundred miles of rocky road, and I have to co-write, no apologies; it will cost you more. As one graphic artist I greatly admire puts it (I'm paraphrasing), you have to charge according to your worth. Charge enough for what you do so you don't resent the client and the work. 

 Why am I writing this? I enjoy sharing and teaching. Plus, although I tell myself I'm not observant, I am. So, when you haven't forgiven me for what you convince yourself I've done, I know, and I see you.

Photo credit: Suzy Hazelwood of Pexels

Clean Up Your Manuscript: Five Quick Fixes

After you’ve written your book and rested it for a while, then comes the task of self-editing. As a line and content editor, I come across habits that are common among writers.

These are things we know, but they still creep into our writing. While re-reading your manuscript, here are some specific tips and tricks to help smooth out your story before it leaves your hands.

1. Some phrases sound natural to us when we are speaking but become redundant when we put them on the page. Read the sentences below without the words in brackets and you’ll see that they flow better and nothing is lost.

Trina laughed [to herself] when Patrick crashed into the door. 

She whispered the words of the hymn [to herself].

2.  Since heads and shoulders do specialized jobs in conveying our emotions, some reactions are understood without adding body parts to the sentence. 

John nodded [his head] in response to Donna’s request.

When Dana asked how his day had gone, Mark shrugged [his shoulders].

3.  Colloquialisms creep into our writing, but can be removed without losing the meaning of the sentence.

Mikayla stepped off [of] the sidewalk.

“Get off [of] me,” Monique squealed.

4.  Have your characters do what they intend to, without delaying them with “filler” words.

Dane managed to get to work early today.

Dane got to work early today. 

Megan began to explain what she meant.Megan explained what she meant.

5. Give your reader a ringside view of your characters’ actions by avoiding filter words, such as felt, saw, thought, wondered, etc. The reader sees through the eyes of the point-of-view character. Immerse them in that experience. 

Instead of: Dionne saw him reach for the box. 
Try: He reached for the box. (the reader knows Dionne’s watching him)

Instead of: She felt the rough wool against her skin.
Try: The rough wool scratched her skin. 

It will take a bit of practice to break out of habits we’ve formed over time but with fresh eyes, we can get rid of those pesky words and phrases that weigh down our sentences. 

Until next time. 

Recovering From Adjectivitis

What is Adjectivitis? It’s something that mainly affects new writers and yes, I suffered from it in the early stages of my writing career. As you can tell, the word is derived from adjective. For a quick reminder, see the definition and examples below that I used from the University of Ottawa’s Writing Centre site.

Regular visitors here will know that I got the rights back on two books the end of October. Having been notified of that prior to that time, I’ve been through Contraband several times already.  (I’m not sure why this link is still up, but anyway...) The editor was a pleasure to work with and helped to make the book better by asking questions that helped me clarify certain things in the storyline. However, as we all know, nobody is perfect. 

Contraband was a joy to write. I had the novel done in less than six months, but it took more than four years to edit it to the point where I thought a publisher would say yes. My style has changed a lot since the novel was published in 2010 and I’m a much better writer today. I do use descriptive words, but not so that they slow the narrative.

In doing those two edits, here are some of the things I caught, which made me cringe a little bit, but before we do that, my advice to you is to look for these things in your own work. They’re easy to miss if you’re not paying attention.  The ones below are redundant phrases which become habits if we’re not careful. See the thoughts I had when I saw these.

• Paced back and forth (It’s kinda hard to pace in one place. Paced is enough to convey what’s happening)

•  Direct eye contact (What other kind is there? Eye contact is enough)

•  Quick glance (If it’s anything other than quick, it becomes a stare)

•  Waved a hand at him/her (We wave with our hands, so adding the body part is redundant, unless the ‘waver’ is using something to wave with)

•  Leaned over and (Just do it! Half the stuff our characters lean over to do can’t be done otherwise, so sticking in ‘leaned over’ and ‘reached for’ and ‘stretched out a hand’ is redundant and makes sentences longer)

•  Lack of contractions (remember the ‘rule’ that said we shouldn’t use them. I was a big convert, but it leads to some stilted sentences.)

And some of those pesky adjectives that I loved so much:- octagon pavestones, rusty roof, narrow bed, highly-polished...what-not, gauzy, matching wrap, overstuffed chair, crowded nightclub, cement planter box...

Not to worry, the work is still descriptive, just not as weighed down with words. I’m happy with making a good book better. Contraband was a fast read to begin with. Now I’ve made it better.

More news to come on the re-launch. I’ve added the old cover and the new mock-up and yeah, I had to change the guy’s description a little bit. I also inserted a love scene that was taken out—nothing graphic, but just enough to keep things interesting.

So, the point of this post? Keep an eye out for crutch words that slip into your story and bung up the flow of the narrative. Be careful of words that convey a particular meaning that we make redundant, by adding to them eg. a kaleidoscope of colours.

 Do you tend to use too many adjectives or favourites phrases that can be left out? Any ‘rules’ you’ve found that just don’t work for you? Do share. 

Alex is posting today at the Insecure Writer's Support Group site and has tips on revisions after NaNo. The Facebook Group has grown to over 400 persons. Have you signed up in both places to help provide support for your writing pals?

On Attention to Details & Being Spread Thinly

Although I haven’t entered any contests in a while, I always have the intention of entering at least one book in a local competition each year. I haven’t made the target in 2-3 years, so some months ago I decided to enter a MG novel. The deadline for entry is today.

Having entered this competition several times, you’d think I know the rules, right?

On Friday, I downloaded an entry form for someone else and got a real shock when I noticed that the word count for YA novels is 40,000. That’s normal and I do vaguely recall coming across the information previously, but it started me thinking about just how many words I had in the novel I was planning to enter. You know what comes next, right?

Even with a glossary of terms (which by no stretch of the imagination can be considered ‘story’) I’m not even at 35k. What to do but sigh, admit I’d been foolish and move on?

Writing and the Importance of Editing Tools

So last week, I talked about eating right, getting rest, meditating and exercising. I also mentioned the amazing number of books some writers have been able to put out, which tells me they look at their writing as a business. I think it may be a little easier to do this if you don’t have a full-time job, but even if you do, it can be done, but might take a little more time.

In keeping with my thrust at a higher level of productivity, I drafted the people in my workshop into a buddy system, which will keep us accountable. I listed my goals, which are to edit and publish the mss on my computer (six completed novels and eight in various stages of writing) and to promote my published works.

Snapshots of Jamaica & Pleasure Reads

I’m editing my next novel and this is now the second print out I’m working with. Since I’m never satisfied, I’m still marking it up with a red pen, which tells me I’m further away from my target than I thought. After I’m done with this read through and edit, I’ll save it to my Kindle for a pleasure read, but I suspect I’m deluding myself. 

Working Those Scenes

I haven’t been reading any ‘how-to’ articles lately, but usually I try to refresh myself on the aspect of writing I plan to tackle.  I’m now in the second round of edits on Hardware, a Romantic Suspense novel. The editor is good – read that as brutal - and he’s taken out more stuff this time. I gotta admit that the excised material can should go, but it’s the sentiment attached to those phrases and sentences that are giving me a bit of a niggle.  In other words, it’s crunch time and all the chaff has gotta go – whether I like it or not.   

Writers know how easy it is to get stuck on bits of data we feel our stories can’t live without.  However, I know that taking out the sentences and paragraphs I feel are wonderfully written often lightens the prose, which makes for a better read. 

Peeling Away the Layers aka Editing

Two Saturdays ago, I went to the market for the first time in more than a year. The sights and sounds were almost overwhelming.  Eye-catching displays of vegetables and ground provision stretched in every direction. I saw everything from creamy-hued broad beans and turnips to flame coloured carrots and tomatoes.  People milled around buying, selling and hawking goods. 

Then there were the heaps of refuse. Cabbage and lettuce leaves rested in piles, stripped down to display fresher insides. Dried banana leaves, pressed into service as protective layers between delicate fruits, lay cast aside. The precious cargo had arrived safely at market and were now displayed on stalls, in baskets and boxes.

Paying the Piper - Editing

Source

Some of you might know that I’m planning to self-publish some of my work, by year end.  With that in mind, I’ve been studying the self-publishing business and editing the book I plan to publish. I made contact with a wonderful editor last week and asked about costing. The person was quite gracious and advised that I wouldn’t need more than one thorough round of editing based on my book now in the publishing pipeline. The rates were very reasonable, but when you live where I do, that translates to $113,000.00 Jamaica dollars.

Wait! Don’t go!  I’m not about to pull out my can and start asking for donations.

To a certain extent, now I understand why some writers opt not to get an editor. Do not read that as any kind of copout or endorsement of shortcuts to publication.  In no way, shape or form do I condone putting out work that isn’t properly edited. Those who go the editorless route owe themselves and their potential readers the obligation of publishing something that’s error free or as close to it as they can come, based on their resources.  

In many ways I’m a purist, so if I put a piece of my writing out there, it has to be of the highest quality. I come close to melt-down if I read a published post and see a typo I left in there. That said, it’s a good thing I’ll be working with a group of writers who are young in the business, but have put out really good work to date. (Yes, I've read a couple of their books on Kindle.)  If I can’t afford an editor when I get to that point, I have the assurance that two sets of eyes will also be reading. And before that, my critique group will have gone though the book.

Still, every day brings new adventures and opportunities, so I’m going to be looking around to see what else exists. Maybe I’ll really have to sell an arm, leg and kidney to pay for what I want, but until then I’ll keep them in premium condition. After all, we have to make sacrifices to achieve our dreams. 

All of this reminds me that I’m slacking off on my editing. 

Are you up to date on all the stuff you’re trying to get published?  

Should You Share Your Work With Others?

Michelle Fayard

Many of us start crafting stories in secret, unwilling to whisper to another living soul that we’ve taken up writing. I never got strange looks for the simple reason that I kept my writing out of the public view until I sold my first few articles. Michelle Fayard has a wealth of experience in editing and writing and has agreed to share some insights with us. She asks the question,

Should you share your work with others?

I’m careful about whom I let critique my work—not because I want all the crits I receive to be glowing ones but because I want them all to be constructive ones. First, I want to read some manuscripts or books the critiquer has written. Sometimes you’ll run across a person who crits better than they write, but usually if their writing isn’t of the highest caliber, neither will their critique be especially helpful, especially if they don’t write in your genre.



Buckling Down

On Monday, I read a quote on Laura Marcella’s blog that has been on my mind.  Harlan Coben (best selling author) was quoted as saying:-

If you can’t find the time to write, that’s just nonsense. My friend Mary Higgins Clark had five kids and was widowed–that’s a woman who had no time to write. And she still used to wake up and write and then get the kids up. There’s always time to write. You can skip the TV show you’re watching, you can wake up an hour earlier, you can write during lunch–you always have time to write.

Why have I been thinking about this quotation?

Foray into Self Publishing

We all know about the old stigma attached to self publishing so I won’t discuss that, except to say I never dreamed I'd think about taking that route.  I wanted to be published traditionally and nothing else would do. Well I got published traditionally and I’ve changed my tune. Late this year,  I'll venture down the self-publishing road for the reasons outlined below.

Character Arc: Bubbling in the Background

I got my next-book-in-line-for-publication back after the first edit.  Mostly, I’ve been accepting changes and there are a few sections I need to rework so that they happen in real time, instead of how I originally penned them. 

What fascinated me in reading through this novel is the character arc.  If I didn’t know what that was before, I certainly know now.