6 Ways to Approach Your Edits With Objectivity

You wrote a novel! Now what? NaNoWriMo’s “Now What?” Months are here—this January and February, we’ll be helping you guide your novel through the revision and publishing process. Today, literary agent and editor Elizabeth Kracht  shares her wisdom about tackling the edits on your novel:

Objectivity is one of the most
difficult things for writers to apply when it comes to editing their own work.
As an agent and freelance editor—having helped develop hundreds of manuscripts,
and having read many more—I’ve seen the subtlest of problems become the
difference between a manuscript ready for traditional publishing and one that
is not. Here are 6 tips from the agent/editor perspective to help you think
about your work with objectivity as you approach your revision:

1. Structure

Think of the structure of your novel as a road map for the reader. A
disorganized structure can add confusion for the reader. I rarely see “parts” work in a manuscript. If you have alternating
POV chapters, make sure they’re evenly alternating or repeating systematically
(one to one, three to one). Make sure your chapter lengths are fairly
even—twelve to fifteen pages, longer if literary. Pay attention to how you use
breaks within chapters, and be consistent.

2. Themes

Agents and editors are looking for rich and layered projects. One way to add
layering to your manuscript is to think about what three or four themes your project
addresses—what are your characters struggling with? Take the time to write the
themes down. When you’ve finished your revision take a look at each chapter and
note what one or two themes you’re addressing in each chapter. If you can’t
identify a theme being addressed, find the opportunities in each chapter to bring
them in or build them.  Themes can also
help bring the internal nature of your characters to life.

3. Chapter Arc

Approach your chapters like standalone short stories. Too often the
chapters I see don’t have enough happening in them to warrant a full chapter. I
often suggest authors compound and edit down chapters so they have rich and
layered chapters. Strive for chapters that have the feel of a beginning,
middle, and end. What three things in each chapter are driving the story and
characters forward (themes, plot points, important clues…)?

4. Timekeeping 

Think about time in your novel and remember the reader can make logical jumps
in time without you (the author—or narrator) having to account for or mention
time as having passed. Don’t indulge the feeling that you need to account for
every movement of your characters’ time. You can end your chapter in one place
and jump ahead further into the story as you start the next chapter. Remove all unnecessary time-related language such as then, suddenly, after awhile, a few minutes later, a month passed…

5. Overwriting

Live by the rule “less is more” when it comes to description—whether about
setting, your characters’ appearance, your main characters’ internal thoughts… When
you load your sentences down with a lot of description it not only slows the
reader down, but also the pacing. It shouldn’t take three pages for your
character to cross the room. Be economic with your words, but also make them count.
And strike an even balance between your characters’ internal and external
worlds.

6. Characters

Avoid introducing too many characters at once, but do be sure to introduce
your main players in the first couple chapters. Don’t spend too much time on
characters we’ll never see again (unless you’re George R. R. Martin). Make sure
developed characters string through to the end, and that most of your primary
and secondary characters have character arcs, goals, and plans of their own. Most
important, be sure to develop the internal/emotional world of your characters.
And last, avoid clichéd, stereotypical, and caricature-like characters; think
outside the cultural norm.

Elizabeth K. Kracht is a literary
agent with Kimberley Cameron & Associates and a freelance editor. Visit her
website at www.elizabethkracht.com or www.kimberleycameron.com.

Top photo by Flickr user Cliff.