When I went through the editing process for the first time with my novel Breaking Seven, it was a PAIN IN THE REAR END. Kristen, my editor and ITN’s Director of Editing, will probably tell me not to write that in all caps, but it’s true, so I’m going to. I went back and forth with that company’s editors for nearly nine months—at least six of which were me not wanting to read my work again.
Now, to be fair, my first publishing experience was not great…actually, it was less than not great. When my book finally came out, I loved the story, but it didn’t quite live up to what I wanted it to be. In hindsight, I’d say 90% of that was the lack of thorough editing. Here’s the thing: I didn’t realize what good editing was until I experienced it. That being said, my first experience with line editing (if you haven’t read last month’s blog about different types of editing, now would be a good time) was painful in a totally different way. Let me show you why:
To say I was devastated when I first opened this document from Kristen is an understatement. A big part of that devastation was from the delusion that my first experience with editing created. Those first editors did at best copy editing, at worst proofreading, which left me feeling like I’d done everything else right. I had this elevated vision in my mind of how good my writing was, how little correction it needed, and la la la…
To clarify, I’m not saying I’m a bad writer; I’d be in the wrong career if that was the case. What I’m saying is an experienced editor can take something good and make it excellent. I’m going to emphasize hindsight here again because it wasn’t until the editing process was complete that I realized how minor tweaks here or there or removing repetitive phrases or reorganizing the flow of a page or chapter can really make a difference.
My editor Kristen—hopefully you’ve met her through her blogs or our podcast—edits with an unmatched passion. She is thorough and researches down to the nitty-gritty, all with the intent of making my work the best I can be. But still, emotionally, it was hard.
Okay, I think you get it; editing was hard for me. Why do I keep bringing it up, and why do I warn all the authors that I talk to about it? I’m going to compare writing a book to having a baby—yes, I recognize they are nothing alike, but I’m going to do it anyway, because metaphors….
As an author, you spend countless hours, months, years pouring your heart and soul into a manuscript. You craft it; review and re-review; talk to your friends and family about it; and then, finally, it’s done—The End. Period. Over. Maybe you print it out, maybe it’s in PDF form, but there, in your metaphorical hands, is the metaphorical word baby that you’ve created.
Then you hand it off to the nurse (or rather, editor) and they check its eyes (grammar) and its heart (writing style) and maybe give it a strong pat on the back if it’s not breathing (developmental restructuring). And maybe, when they hand it back to you, they tell you that it needs more tests—or, to switch back from my metaphor, maybe your storyline doesn’t quite add up. Maybe your descriptions are too vague, or your characters underdeveloped, or whole sections need revisiting. Whatever the case may be, this thing, your precious manuscript which you’ve spent so much time creating, needs more work.
Now, to be clear, I understand the intent of editing and, having gone through it several times now, appreciate it even more. However, for new authors, or authors like me who were misled by previous editing experiences, it can help to mentally prepare yourself and to keep these things in mind:
Remember that it is YOUR story. If an editor is suggesting something that doesn’t sit right with you, talk to them. Push back. While I tend to accept grammatical, punctuation, or surface-level changes without question, if an edit goes against my character or storyline, I’ll push back. Truth be told, I almost did not when editing my novel They Call Me Beauty, and then I hit a change that I was so uncomfortable with, I emailed Kristen. I was literally so nervous, but she heard me out and reminded me that, as the author, my voice is the most important; all her suggested edits were just that: suggestions. A good editor will talk you through their recommendations and remind you that they are, in fact, recommendations. With that in mind…
Swallow your pride. There were some changes to They Call Me Beauty that were very much needed, but my pride initially got in the way. I think it was on the second round of editing that I finally looked at it differently—I may have even read it out loud—and was like, “Dang…she’s right…” It was hard to accept, but ultimately those changes made the book so much better.
Learn from it! I discovered that I repeat phrases or get stuck in certain patterns of writing—a lot. As I’m working on my third novel, The Strangest Place, I’m noticing those writing tendencies that Kristen highlighted, and I’m changing them as I go. I am a better writer for having gone through the intense line editing process than I ever would have been without it.
It’s worth the money. I kid you not, when I first started looking into the cost of editing (this was before ITN Publishing existed), I had sticker shock like you would not believe. It is spendy, but it is worth it. You can’t get a copy of Breaking Seven right now because we are going to re-release it through ITN. As part of that re-release, we’re going to do the full editing package because I know now the value that good editing brings, and I will never release another book without it. It sounds funny, but getting another person’s input on your work can actually help you get it closer to what you want.
Okay, you’ve heard enough from me, but I reached out to a couple of our authors who have recently gone through the editing process and asked them to provide their thoughts as well.
First is Larry Kimport. Larry has already published a handful of works (check them out at larrykimportbooks.com), and he has entrusted his newest novella to us. We just finished line edits with Larry in December. Here’s what he had to say about the process:
It was almost spooky seeing the thoughts of another combing your every sentence. At first jolting, it quickly became some sort of benevolent attentiveness that I began to trust and look forward to when I sat down to it every day. The world is flooded with advice for writers, and nearly all of it is true stuff. What I like best though is Kurt Vonnegut’s advice[:] “Every sentence should advance your story in some new and useful way. If one doesn’t, have the guts to cut.” I also appreciate and marvel over the concept of “the fictional dream” whereas the reader is suspended in the narrative’s time and space by splendid storytelling. Both of these ideas are lovingly cultivated by sober editing.
If one truly loves their manuscript, they’ll invite the editor’s thoughtful attentiveness.
I also think there’s an unwise ploy out there to avoid the rigor of editing. Advertisements of self-publishing abound declaring “Total Control” of your book, “Your book in print in weeks” and so forth. These dupe those in a hurry to see their work in the form of a book into lesser quality - and likely sorrow.
Next is Megan Smith. Megan partnered with me to write a children’s book called How The World Got Its Color. Fun fact: even our children’s books go through line editing. During the process, she called me one night and said, “Jess, I’m almost crying. This is why you pay for editing—it’s so much better.” When I asked her to do a quick writeup on the experience, she said:
The editing breathed life into the words, elevating the storytelling to a whole new level. I didn’t have any anxiety over the process because I trusted the process, I trusted you all, and the Lord’s guidance. I suppose if I had thought about it enough, I could have felt nervous about another person taking the story into their hands to “make changes to it,” but I didn’t feel that way at all. I felt peace and excitement about it coming together. The bones were there, and the edits stayed true to that and just added another layer. The changes warmed the whole story up.
Whether you choose to work with us at ITN Publishing, self-publish, or go another route, we highly recommend finding a solid editor—someone who will help you cut the clamor and let your voice and vision shine through.
Comments