Finding an Editor
Currently I'm on book five of my writing journey – humorous fiction is my genre. To date I've used three point five different editors, with varying degrees of success.
Creating a fiction novel requires a writer to consider many things. No author can escape the need for an editor. From day one I was aware of the need to respect my readers and do justice to myself and my story telling. The way I write, my initial draft is made without regard for the rules of writing. A truism is, you cannot edit a blank sheet of paper, and therefore I work on just getting the story out of my head. Working with pen and paper and from a title, I quite literally write forward. I write in scenes only, no chapters. Once the bulk of the story is drafted I reflect on what I've written to identify themes, plots, twists and characters to see where they are with regards to my overall story. At this point I draw up an outline to facilitate the denouement. Everyone needs to end up at the right place at the right time, so my laissez faire approach is channelled towards a more definitive end point.
My manuscript thus far is a form of self-indulgence. I now have to give it up to a structural editor. She – all three point five I've used have been women – takes my prose, lock, stock and barrel, and I wait. I’ve changed editors because I've been through a learning process in terms of my own writing ability, understanding the art of storytelling, learning about the needs of readers and how the edit process works.
My first editor experience came from a casual conversation between my wife and the woman in question. My wife told me about her, that she was a nice person, lived near us and didn't charge an absurd fee. Not knowing any better, I submitted my 90,000 word manuscript to her in Microsoft Word. It came back several weeks later with an invoice for £400. The file had many tracked changes (a Word facility to see what’s been modified), which I then had a choice of accepting or rejecting. She found the things that weren't right mostly around punctuation, grammar, and word choice, but had said little about shifts in POV, tense slips (past simple to continuous or even future), and over writing, to name but a few. It was my first book. In my heart of hearts I knew I could do better but I was keen to get it up on Amazon and I accepted what she’d done since she was, after all, the professional.
A year passed, and with a first draft of Book Two ready, I needed another editor. This time I was far more aware of the shortcomings of editor number one and appreciated the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit – a significant learning. I wanted/needed the skills of a recognised professional editor. I contacted the Society for Editors and Proofreaders; downloaded their booklet ‘Editing Fiction – A Short Introduction’ before scouring their member database until I found one of their senior editors who worked in the humorous fiction genre area. Several weeks and £1,200 lighter I had a heavily red-penned MS, but with little regard for structural corrections. She had been thorough, but there was no conversation, no interaction, between us. I’d not learnt from the experience and felt disappointed. Learning number two: your editor must be someone with whom you can have a dialogue. There is no point in changes being made unless you understand why.
As a parallel activity I’d submitted 1,000 word sample to an on-line editor (my point five), a woman in Australia. She responded with extensive annotations and a variety of suggestions. In particular she discussed my hook, the use of conflict to drive the story, and point of view options. Basic stuff but aspects of writing upon which previous editors had not commented. She was the first to show me the power of the edit. Against each significant change she wrote a paragraph of explanation. Too late to use for my current book, I logged her as a possible for Book Three. At least now I had a real sense of what I was looking for in an editor. The learning was the realisation that an edit is not binary. It’s not a case of handing it over, have it unpicked word by word or line by line and that’s it. There are definitive corrections – the rights and wrongs - but so many shades of grey in between.
For my next book – A Tunnel is Only a Hole on its Side - I sought an editor based on my experiences. Via a small advert in a local magazine, I had the good fortune to meet Fiona Joyce (Dunscombe) - http://writeoutonalimb.com/ - a prize winning literary fiction writer who also excels at editing, teaching creative writing, and coaching. She has moved me forward in my writing career beyond all measure. She believes in me, encourages me, but most of all pulls no punches. Submit your work to her and she produces a detailed report including why something is not working, or points out where a POV is breached, and/or any of the other myriad things you as a writer can fall foul of. I’m in sponge mode wanting to learn, improve, and develop as a writer so take it all in the spirit intended. For example, like anyone who’s spent time crafting a story, when she deleted over 2,000 words of a 10k short story I felt pain. The payoff is I know my story is the better for it.
To all authors, remember a structural editor is an essential part of your writing toolkit so choose wisely:
• Appreciate the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit.
• Understand the edit process is as important as the writing process and can take months.
• Like a puppy, an editor is for life. Look for a person with whom you can have an open and honest relationship.
• Realise you are always in learning mode; be prepared for the worst and aim for the best. Develop a thick skin.
• Remember, as a writer you have your own voice, a unique way of expressing yourself, and your editor needs to appreciate this.
• A copy edit is the last thing you do to a MS otherwise you are wasting your money.
• Editing is essential, not cheap, and the way to raise yourself above the crowd. The only way to get to the top of your game is to have crafted, honed and polished material.
As a by the way, I re-read my first book and was so embarrassed by it I virtually rewrote the complete story.
Finding an Editor
I write humorous fiction and to date I’ve used three point five different editors, with varying degrees of success.x
No author can escape the need for an editor. From day one I was aware of the need to respect my readers and the need to do justice to myself and my story telling. The way I write, my initial manuscriptx draft is done made without regard for the rules of writing. A truism is, you cannot edit a blank sheet of paper, and therefore I work on just getting the story out of my head. Once the bulk of the story is drafted I start to reflect on what I’ve written to identify themes, plots, twists and characters to see where they are with regards to my overall story and draw up an outline to facilitate the denouement.
My manuscript thus far are is a form of self-indulgence. I now have to give it up to a structural editor. She – all three point five I’ve used have been women – take my prose, lock, stock and barrel, and I wait. I’ve changed editors because I’ve been through a learning process in terms of my own writing ability, understanding the art of story-telling, learning about the needs of readers and how the edit process works.
My first editor experience came from a casual conversation between my wife and the woman in question. My wife told me about her, and that she was a nice person, lived nearx us and didn’t charge an absurd fee. Not knowing any better, I submitted my 90,000 word manuscript to her. It came back several weeks later with an invoice for £400. She found the things that weren’t right mostly around punctuation, grammar, and word choice, but had done said littlex on the about things that I could have done better – shifts in POV, tense slips (past simple to continuous of or even future), and over writing, to name but a few. It was myx first book. In my heart of hearts I knew I could do better but I was keen to get it up on Amazon. I accepted what she’d done since she was, after all, the professional.
A year passed; my book two draft manuscript was ‘complete’ , and with a first draft of Book Two ready, I needed another editor. This time I was far more aware of the shortcomings of editor number one and appreciated the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit – a significant learning. I needed the skills of a recognised professional editor. I contacted the Society for Editors and Proofreaders; downloaded their booklet ‘Editing Fiction – A Short Introduction’ before scouring their members database until I found one of their senior editors who worked in the humourous fiction genre area. Several weeks and £1,200 lighter I had a heavily red-penned MS, but with little regard for structuralx corrections. She had been through thorough, but there was no conversation, not no interaction, between us. I’d not learnt from the experience and felt disappointed. Learningx number two: your editor must be someone you can with whom you can have a dialogue.x with. There is no point in changes being made unless you understand the why.
As a parallel activity I’d submitted 1,000 word sample to an on-line editor (my point five). She came back with an extensively annotated response with responded with extensive annotations and a variety of suggestions. In particular she discussed my hook in the opening paragraph, the use of conflict to drive the story, and my point of view (POV) options. All aspects of writing upon which previous editors had not commented. She was the first to show me to the power of the edit. Against each significant change she had written wrote a paragraph of explanation. Too late to use for my current book, I logged her as a possible for Book Three. At least now I had a real sense of what I was looking for in an editor. The learning was the realisation that an edit is not binary. It’s not a case of handing it over, have it unpicked word by word or line by line and then that’s was it. There are definitive corrections – the rights and wrongs - but there are so many shades of grey in between.
For my next book I sought an editor based on my experiences. Via a small advert in a local magazine, I had the good fortune to meet Fiona Joyce (Dunscombe), a prize winning literary fiction writer who also excels at editing, teaching creative writing, and coaching. She hasx moved me forward in my writing career beyond all measure. She believes in me, encourages me, but most of all pulls no punches. Submit your work to her and she produces a detailedx report incuding why something is not working, or points out where a POV is breached,and/ or any of the many other myriad of things you as a writer can fall foul of. I’m in sponge mode wanting to learn, improve, and develop as a writer so take it all in the spirit intended. For example, like anyone who’s spent time crafting a story, when she deleted over 2,000x words of a 10k short story I too felt pain. The payoff is I know my story is the better for it.
To all authors, remember you a structural editor is an essential part of your writing toolkit so choose wisely:
• Really Appreciate the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit.
• Understand the edit process is as important as the writing process and can take months.
• Like a puppy, an editor is for life. Look for a person with whom you can have an open and honest relationship with.
• Realise you are always in learning mode; be prepared for the worst and aim for the best. Develop a thick skin.
• Remember, as a writer you have a your own voice, a unique way of expressing yourself, and your editor needs to appreciate this.x
• A copy edit is the last thing you do to a MS otherwise you are wasting your money.
• Editing is essential, not cheap, and the way you to raise yourself above the crowd. The only way to get to the top of your game is to have crafted, honed and polished material.
As a by the way, I re-read my first book and was so embarrassed by it I virtually rewrote the complete story.
Creating a fiction novel requires a writer to consider many things. No author can escape the need for an editor. From day one I was aware of the need to respect my readers and do justice to myself and my story telling. The way I write, my initial draft is made without regard for the rules of writing. A truism is, you cannot edit a blank sheet of paper, and therefore I work on just getting the story out of my head. Working with pen and paper and from a title, I quite literally write forward. I write in scenes only, no chapters. Once the bulk of the story is drafted I reflect on what I've written to identify themes, plots, twists and characters to see where they are with regards to my overall story. At this point I draw up an outline to facilitate the denouement. Everyone needs to end up at the right place at the right time, so my laissez faire approach is channelled towards a more definitive end point.
My manuscript thus far is a form of self-indulgence. I now have to give it up to a structural editor. She – all three point five I've used have been women – takes my prose, lock, stock and barrel, and I wait. I’ve changed editors because I've been through a learning process in terms of my own writing ability, understanding the art of storytelling, learning about the needs of readers and how the edit process works.
My first editor experience came from a casual conversation between my wife and the woman in question. My wife told me about her, that she was a nice person, lived near us and didn't charge an absurd fee. Not knowing any better, I submitted my 90,000 word manuscript to her in Microsoft Word. It came back several weeks later with an invoice for £400. The file had many tracked changes (a Word facility to see what’s been modified), which I then had a choice of accepting or rejecting. She found the things that weren't right mostly around punctuation, grammar, and word choice, but had said little about shifts in POV, tense slips (past simple to continuous or even future), and over writing, to name but a few. It was my first book. In my heart of hearts I knew I could do better but I was keen to get it up on Amazon and I accepted what she’d done since she was, after all, the professional.
A year passed, and with a first draft of Book Two ready, I needed another editor. This time I was far more aware of the shortcomings of editor number one and appreciated the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit – a significant learning. I wanted/needed the skills of a recognised professional editor. I contacted the Society for Editors and Proofreaders; downloaded their booklet ‘Editing Fiction – A Short Introduction’ before scouring their member database until I found one of their senior editors who worked in the humorous fiction genre area. Several weeks and £1,200 lighter I had a heavily red-penned MS, but with little regard for structural corrections. She had been thorough, but there was no conversation, no interaction, between us. I’d not learnt from the experience and felt disappointed. Learning number two: your editor must be someone with whom you can have a dialogue. There is no point in changes being made unless you understand why.
As a parallel activity I’d submitted 1,000 word sample to an on-line editor (my point five), a woman in Australia. She responded with extensive annotations and a variety of suggestions. In particular she discussed my hook, the use of conflict to drive the story, and point of view options. Basic stuff but aspects of writing upon which previous editors had not commented. She was the first to show me the power of the edit. Against each significant change she wrote a paragraph of explanation. Too late to use for my current book, I logged her as a possible for Book Three. At least now I had a real sense of what I was looking for in an editor. The learning was the realisation that an edit is not binary. It’s not a case of handing it over, have it unpicked word by word or line by line and that’s it. There are definitive corrections – the rights and wrongs - but so many shades of grey in between.
For my next book – A Tunnel is Only a Hole on its Side - I sought an editor based on my experiences. Via a small advert in a local magazine, I had the good fortune to meet Fiona Joyce (Dunscombe) - http://writeoutonalimb.com/ - a prize winning literary fiction writer who also excels at editing, teaching creative writing, and coaching. She has moved me forward in my writing career beyond all measure. She believes in me, encourages me, but most of all pulls no punches. Submit your work to her and she produces a detailed report including why something is not working, or points out where a POV is breached, and/or any of the other myriad things you as a writer can fall foul of. I’m in sponge mode wanting to learn, improve, and develop as a writer so take it all in the spirit intended. For example, like anyone who’s spent time crafting a story, when she deleted over 2,000 words of a 10k short story I felt pain. The payoff is I know my story is the better for it.
To all authors, remember a structural editor is an essential part of your writing toolkit so choose wisely:
• Appreciate the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit.
• Understand the edit process is as important as the writing process and can take months.
• Like a puppy, an editor is for life. Look for a person with whom you can have an open and honest relationship.
• Realise you are always in learning mode; be prepared for the worst and aim for the best. Develop a thick skin.
• Remember, as a writer you have your own voice, a unique way of expressing yourself, and your editor needs to appreciate this.
• A copy edit is the last thing you do to a MS otherwise you are wasting your money.
• Editing is essential, not cheap, and the way to raise yourself above the crowd. The only way to get to the top of your game is to have crafted, honed and polished material.
As a by the way, I re-read my first book and was so embarrassed by it I virtually rewrote the complete story.
Finding an Editor
I write humorous fiction and to date I’ve used three point five different editors, with varying degrees of success.x
No author can escape the need for an editor. From day one I was aware of the need to respect my readers and the need to do justice to myself and my story telling. The way I write, my initial manuscriptx draft is done made without regard for the rules of writing. A truism is, you cannot edit a blank sheet of paper, and therefore I work on just getting the story out of my head. Once the bulk of the story is drafted I start to reflect on what I’ve written to identify themes, plots, twists and characters to see where they are with regards to my overall story and draw up an outline to facilitate the denouement.
My manuscript thus far are is a form of self-indulgence. I now have to give it up to a structural editor. She – all three point five I’ve used have been women – take my prose, lock, stock and barrel, and I wait. I’ve changed editors because I’ve been through a learning process in terms of my own writing ability, understanding the art of story-telling, learning about the needs of readers and how the edit process works.
My first editor experience came from a casual conversation between my wife and the woman in question. My wife told me about her, and that she was a nice person, lived nearx us and didn’t charge an absurd fee. Not knowing any better, I submitted my 90,000 word manuscript to her. It came back several weeks later with an invoice for £400. She found the things that weren’t right mostly around punctuation, grammar, and word choice, but had done said littlex on the about things that I could have done better – shifts in POV, tense slips (past simple to continuous of or even future), and over writing, to name but a few. It was myx first book. In my heart of hearts I knew I could do better but I was keen to get it up on Amazon. I accepted what she’d done since she was, after all, the professional.
A year passed; my book two draft manuscript was ‘complete’ , and with a first draft of Book Two ready, I needed another editor. This time I was far more aware of the shortcomings of editor number one and appreciated the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit – a significant learning. I needed the skills of a recognised professional editor. I contacted the Society for Editors and Proofreaders; downloaded their booklet ‘Editing Fiction – A Short Introduction’ before scouring their members database until I found one of their senior editors who worked in the humourous fiction genre area. Several weeks and £1,200 lighter I had a heavily red-penned MS, but with little regard for structuralx corrections. She had been through thorough, but there was no conversation, not no interaction, between us. I’d not learnt from the experience and felt disappointed. Learningx number two: your editor must be someone you can with whom you can have a dialogue.x with. There is no point in changes being made unless you understand the why.
As a parallel activity I’d submitted 1,000 word sample to an on-line editor (my point five). She came back with an extensively annotated response with responded with extensive annotations and a variety of suggestions. In particular she discussed my hook in the opening paragraph, the use of conflict to drive the story, and my point of view (POV) options. All aspects of writing upon which previous editors had not commented. She was the first to show me to the power of the edit. Against each significant change she had written wrote a paragraph of explanation. Too late to use for my current book, I logged her as a possible for Book Three. At least now I had a real sense of what I was looking for in an editor. The learning was the realisation that an edit is not binary. It’s not a case of handing it over, have it unpicked word by word or line by line and then that’s was it. There are definitive corrections – the rights and wrongs - but there are so many shades of grey in between.
For my next book I sought an editor based on my experiences. Via a small advert in a local magazine, I had the good fortune to meet Fiona Joyce (Dunscombe), a prize winning literary fiction writer who also excels at editing, teaching creative writing, and coaching. She hasx moved me forward in my writing career beyond all measure. She believes in me, encourages me, but most of all pulls no punches. Submit your work to her and she produces a detailedx report incuding why something is not working, or points out where a POV is breached,and/ or any of the many other myriad of things you as a writer can fall foul of. I’m in sponge mode wanting to learn, improve, and develop as a writer so take it all in the spirit intended. For example, like anyone who’s spent time crafting a story, when she deleted over 2,000x words of a 10k short story I too felt pain. The payoff is I know my story is the better for it.
To all authors, remember you a structural editor is an essential part of your writing toolkit so choose wisely:
• Really Appreciate the difference between a copy edit and a structural edit.
• Understand the edit process is as important as the writing process and can take months.
• Like a puppy, an editor is for life. Look for a person with whom you can have an open and honest relationship with.
• Realise you are always in learning mode; be prepared for the worst and aim for the best. Develop a thick skin.
• Remember, as a writer you have a your own voice, a unique way of expressing yourself, and your editor needs to appreciate this.x
• A copy edit is the last thing you do to a MS otherwise you are wasting your money.
• Editing is essential, not cheap, and the way you to raise yourself above the crowd. The only way to get to the top of your game is to have crafted, honed and polished material.
As a by the way, I re-read my first book and was so embarrassed by it I virtually rewrote the complete story.
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Writers do it in Public...
When you (self)publish your writings - bad, good, or excellent - they are there for the whole world to see. Like any artform or skill authors improve as they learn - life is about learning - but they
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