A Three-Step Process for Self-Editing

This summer has been the Season of the Edit. In addition to prepping the manuscript for DEAR ALDERONE for release this November, I edited several client's books, my pre-Arthurian novel, and a major project for my VIP client.

I confess: I LOVE editing. I love working with the raw clay of the original words and molding it into something worth making permanent. But I have discovered that many writers don't share my editing zeal. 

I present my editing process -- a three step method of polishing the words you've written until they shine. It's fast and relatively painless. And (dare I say it) it can be fun!

Phase 1:  Read as Your Rival (The Content Commentary)

Read your own work as if a rival writer penned it. 

Write down observations about text inaccuracies, awkward construction, non-sequiturs, redundancies, clarity problems, formatting, and overall execution. Then write specific suggestions for how you (the more gifted craftsperson) would fix the flaws.   

Be sure to also note strengths – those sections that are particularly well-crafted, moving, or memorable.

Reading as if reviewing a competitor’s work tends to make it easier to get "picky" with the piece.  It helps to assess consistency of voice and conduct a general evaluation of things like tense, agreement, parallelism, sentence and paragraph construction, and spelling.

During the commentary, only make notes.  Comment on the entire project, identifying strengths and weaknesses and mercilessly mining for inconsistencies.

Phase 2: Take the Notes and Take Action  (The Rewrite)

When the commentary is finished, review the notes that result and act upon them.  Rewrite until you get it right.

Address every concern raised in the commentary notes.  In addition, conduct a line-by-line edit that would make your 10^th grade English teacher proud:

·      Rework passive sentences into active ones. 

·      Replace linking verbs with verbs of substance. 

·      Delete adjectives and adverbs without remorse. 

·      Identify static characters and give them arcs. 

·      Surprise your characters more often. 

·      Eliminate overused words and phrases. 

·      In other words – make creativity take a back seat to craft for a while.

Phase 3: Proof

The final phase – the proof -- is concerned primarily with the manuscript's adherence to proper English usage.

Beginning a proof edit assumes that any glaring errors in logic, plot, or characterization have already been dealt with.  This step is really about making sure all i's are dotted, t's crossed, and things like periods, commas, and apostrophe S's are used correctly.

Commentaries, rewrites, and proofs.  Each is an essential part of the editing process. Done correctly, they can help you analyze your work more objectively.  Then it’s up to you to roll up your creative sleeves and polish your prose until your soul shines through.

The Problem With Backstory

A few weeks ago, in church, I heard a story that was so unexpectedly funny (in church!) that I laughed loudly enough to make those nearest me turn their heads to see who was causing the ruckus.

I couldn't wait to share it with my daughter. So, on our way home, I repeated it practically word for word:

A grandma was babysitting her granddaughter. "Grandma, how old are you?" the little girl asked.

"Oh, honey, when you get to be my age, you don't tell anyone how old you are," Grandma replied.

A little while later, the grandma noticed that her granddaughter was no longer playing in the living room. A quick search of the house revealed the little girl in the grandmother's room, on the grandmother's bed, with the contents of the grandmother's purse spread out, as the little girl intently studied her grandma's driver's license.

"Grandma," said the girl, "you're seventy-three."

"That's right, Dear. How did you find that out?"

"I just looked at your birth date and did the math. And Grandma -- it says here you got an F in Sex."

My 10-year old laughed as hard as I had. But then she stopped. "That's the punchline," she asked. "The point of the story."

Uh-oh, I thought. I nodded.

"So the whole 'how old are you?' lead up was all backstory," Miss Thing said. "It wasn't necessary."

Much as it pained me to admit, she was right. Not only could the story have started with Grandma searching the house for the missing granddaughter, in the interest of time, set-up and payoff, it should have started there.

The story starts with an incident that sets things in motion.

Backstory can introduce the main character. It can set the scene. It can ground the reader in a brave new world. But this is not information that compels the reader to turn the page. This is not even information that the reader needs in the first chapter. As long as backstory reigns, the story can not start.

What is missing in backstory is the Inciting Incident -- the plot point where things start to happen. The question "how old are you" may have been the backstory that set the plot machine in motion. But until the grandma realizes her babysitting charge is missing and goes to find her, the story stays static.

Backstory is just water under the bridge...

If you're in the throes of an edit, consider revisiting the beginning of your project and identifying where the story starts. Find the incident that kicks everything off. The incident will not be backstory. It will not be exposition. It will not be staged drama or contrived conflict. Instead, it will be an event that involves an action that sets the main character or story (depending on whether the project is plot- or character-driven) on a collision course with the ending. THAT is where your story starts.

Find it. Start there. And wave goodbye to everything that happened earlier.

An Editor's Perspective: Q & A w/ Entangled Publishing's Adrien-Luc Sanders, Part II

MuseInks is honored to again feature Adrien-Luc Sanders (@smoulderingsea), Entangled Publishing's Managing Senior Editor of the Flirt and Ever After lines. Adrien-Luc dispenses priceless #editortips on Twitter where he somehow manages to highlight the problems that plague many writers' submissions without degenerating into cutting snark. He blogs at Kowloon by Night.

He was so generous with his answers to my questions, that I broke his interview into two parts. Read Part I here. Today features his responses to five more questions about how editors and authors can make each other's lives easier and suggestions for how writers can improve their chances for success in submissions.

Q:  In general, how far do you have to read in a submission before you realize you love it and want to acquire it?

A:  It varies too much to really have a "general" answer. With some books I know within one page, and I'm praying throughout the rest of the manuscript that it won't jump the shark and will gratify all my boyish hopes and dreams, etc.

Others have had a slow start, but there was a spark that prompted me to keep reading for a chapter, two chapters, five, until that little hint flourished into a great story.

There have been others where even on the last page, I wasn't sure. Those are the ones I have to walk away from for a little while. If I find I can't stop thinking about them, and realize I really made an emotional connection with the characters and they're sticking with me, then I know.

Q:  What are the qualities of your dream author? Which quality is *most* important? Why? 

A:  It's kind of hard to answer this without saying "all my authors are my dream authors." Seriously, they're all different, but I love them all and they're amazing to work with.

If I was going to build an Authortron 2000, though, I'd say they would be a consistent producer of quality stories with a great voice. I don't mean they need to churn out a story a month, but one to two really good stories a year--stories that show attention to their craft and a dedication to good storytelling, while still producing steadily enough to build and keep a loyal fanbase.

They'd need to be patient and have one hell of a sense of humor, both to deal with me and to handle the stress that chopping apart their manuscripts can cause. They'd need to be dedicated. They'd need to be open to the editing process, flexible, and willing to learn.

They'd need a solid understanding of how the industry works.

They'd need to have a great author presence when interacting with readers, and be accessible on social media as a real person readers feel like they can connect with. They shouldn't think of themselves as le artiste. They shouldn't need hand-holding, though I don't mind coaching, especially for new authors on their first book. What matters is that they learn from that coaching and grow through each successive edit.

The most important out of all that? I'm going to cheat and list two: flexibility and dedication. The editing and publishing cycle is one of constant change.

It's rare that the story you submit will be the story that gets published, though the core of it will still be there. Same house, new furniture. (Sometimes same house, same furniture, furniture drastically rearranged. There's a bidet in the kitchen.) Release dates will change. Cover art will change. Jacket copy will change. You have to be flexible to be able to adapt to that and just roll with the punches without having a meltdown.

And you need the dedication to commit to all the hard work involved. Someone once told me that my job as an editor isn't nearly as hard as her job as the writer actually producing the story, and I just didn't understand. I do. I've done both, and I can tell you actually writing the book is just the first small step. That's the easy part. Even selling the book is easy compared to the amount of work both the editor and author must do to get a book ready for publication. There are generally dozens of people involved and it's a whirlwind of activity, change, and sometimes disappointment--and I know how it feels both as an editor and as a writer implementing his editor's corrections. You need dedication to survive that, then dive back in for another round fully knowing what you're getting into.

Q:  You write as well as edit. What has being an editor taught you about your writing?

A:  That I need to listen to my own damned advice. ~laughs~ No, seriously. I kind of had this epiphany when I was working on an author's manuscript, that all these mistakes I keep highlighting? I do this. I do this, but I act like it's okay because it's me, when it's not okay at all. That was years ago, but I basically felt like I slapped myself in the face, and I needed it.

Personal demons lurk on every writer's path...

Every writer's been through this stage, I think. Where they think their mistakes are forgivable because it's artistic license.

No matter how professional you are as a writer, you'll have some demons to work through as you sort yourself out and figure out your path. That was mine: getting over this love affair with my own overdone prose and learning to write as cleanly and sharply as I expect of my authors.

I'm still not sure I've succeeded, but I am more self-aware--and when I edit my own work, I'm probably even harder on myself than I am on them. I'll go through an entire edit pass where I deliberately make myself hate my manuscript, so I can identify what's really good and what really sucks. Before that self-administered slap in the face, I'd have thought it was all good.

In fact, some of the #editortips I tweet? Are actually mistakes I've caught myself making. I'm not saying "Look, this author screwed up with me by doing this; don't do this." I'm saying "Look, I screwed up. Don't make my mistakes."

Q:  What are some things you would like to see more of in your submissions inbox?

A:  Post-apocalyptic. Zombies. Horror. SciFi. Steampunk. PoC. LGBT. Dark stories with the villain as the hero. Anything that breaks the category mold.

I'm a little glutted on contemporary right now, and have a roster of talented authors constantly producing more great stories, so contemporary's a bit of a hard sell for me right now--but I'd love a good romantic comedy.

I have some weirdly specific things I'm looking for, too, like a YA about space gypsies. Or a story that tackles alchemical magic in a way that believably integrates real physics and chemistry. Or a story that combines magic and technology with a good logical foundation. Or, if you really want to sell me a contemporary, something Dexter-ish with highly dysfunctional people who still manage to find romance. If that can even count as a contemporary.

Q:  If people wish to submit fiction to the imprints of Entangled Publishing for which you are an editor, what is the best way to go about it?

A:  For the Flirt and Ever After lines in general, you can submit to:
flirt-submissions(at)entangledpublishing(dot).com or
everafter-submissions(at)entangledpublishing(dot)com.

I do acquire for the Entangled/Entangled Select, Entangled Teen, and various category lines, though, so if you have something for one of those lines that you think is right up my alley, you can send it directly to me at adrien-luc(at)entangledpublishing(dot)com.

The submission information page at http://www.entangledpublishing.com/submission-information/ has links to the submission guidelines for all of the lines, as well as to the Entangled blog, where we post special thematic calls for submissions. We have several open on the F&EA lines right now; I have a sub call roundup linking them all from my blog here: http://kowloonbynight.com/2012/05/23/sub-call-roundup/ .

Ruminations on Redundancy

Or, Allow Myself to Repeat Myself...

When I was in university, one of the English professors had practically papered his office door with comics and jokes that had grammatical, composition, or literary themes.

(One of my favorites, which I spent far too much time looking for online in the futile hope that I could link to it here, was a Sunday "Shoe" strip. In it, as I recall, Shoe, the crochety old bird, is nursing a drink at a bar. Something out of frame periodically bellows: "Evermore!... No, that's not right... Livermore! No.... Fillmore!" Shoe and the bartender resignedly endure the outcries. "No, no, no," the speaker mumbles. "It's 'never' something... Nevermind!"

The frame expands to include a massive -- deeply pickled -- black bird sitting at the bar. Shoe looks at the bartender and says, "I see the Raven's drunk again," just as the black bird belts out: "NEVERTHELESH!")

Anyway -- in addition to Poe-inspired humor, the professor's door boasted the following sign:

"Department of Redundancy Department"

For some reason, whenever I encounter redundancies within a project, I cannot help but "see" that sign.

Redundancy -- unnecessary repetition -- is a surprisingly common weakness that often occurs in otherwise polished manuscripts. As with any flaw, the first step toward elimination is recognition. Some examples:

Redundant Cat Repeats Himself

* He spoke to her and asked…

* He thought to himself…

* The information was posted on their website for viewing…

* We discovered in our investigation…

* “You’re right,” he agreed.

* Ideally, the best you can do is...

* I have a friend of mine...

See? Repetitiously redundant wording.

Several things can contribute to redundancy, including:

* Trying to explain a step-by-step procedure so the reader is assured of "do it yourself" success.

* Combining different edits of a manuscript.

* Forgetting what a word actually means.

* Attempting to be overly precise.

* Being too close, or too familiar with the project.

* Working on too tight a deadline that does not allow time for a clear, objective reading.

Redundant Nevermore

Some ways to recognize redundancy when you see it:

* The same word or phrase shows up repeatedly in a sentence, paragraph, or section.

* Similar (or identical) beginning and ending sentences within a paragraph.

* Two or more words that mean the same thing within the same sentence.

* Using words to describe what a character's actions already convey. (He nodded in agreement...)

Correcting a redundancy once you find it is rarely difficult. Simply excise all but the most important reference in the offending passage. Not only will this make your writing tighter, but it will also significantly improve your ability to engage your audience's attention -- and keep it.

"The Rules": A 12-Step Process for Submitting Copy for a Professional Edit or Critique

Confused about the process for garnering a professional edit or critique of your Magnum Opus? Fear not, intrepid writer! It's a simple 12-Step process. Here are The Rules:

1. Write something you love.

I have CREATED! I'm as happy as a pig in a puddle!

2. Polish it till it shines so brightly you can see your face in it.

3. Research the websites, magazines, publishers, or agents that want the sort of thing you write.

There's a great big world out there just waiting for me. I must discover where I fit into it.

4. Study what they're producing / printing / representing.

5. Screw up your courage.
(Alcohol in moderate quantities may be imbibed for crucial courage screwing.)

 Relentless optimism is a bonus.

6. Choose from three to five websites, magazines, publishers, or agents to approach. Commit to submitting your Bright Shiny Object (BSO) to these entities.

7. Give your BSO first to a kind but discerning Beta reader. Request honest feedback & comments.

Tell me what you really thought. Go on. Say it. I can take it.

8. When criticism comes (and it will), do not overreact. Do Not Cry. Do not quit.

"Noooooooooooo!"

9.  Take feedback & comments into consideration. Revisit your Bright Shiny Object. Buff it till it gleams.

10. Send the professional editor or kind critiquer the portions of your BSO you wish edited & critiqued. (No viruses or other computer nasties, please.)

11. Repeat Step 9. Then send BSO query to entities chosen in Step 6.

Run like the wind! I hereby unleash you upon the world!

 12. While waiting for news, begin again at Step 1 with new project...

Did I miss anything? Let me know! Weigh in with your own process in the comments.

All photos from MorgueFile.com

The Toothbrush Edit

Our bathroom sink rests upon a vanity that has two doors. One hides three drawers in which we keep things like medication, razors, deodorant, and toothbrushes. The other contains various cleaning supplies and a small trash can.

When in stealth mode, I am invisible. Photo by Gracey Stinson

This morning I discovered that if one leaves the door to the trash open, our smallest cat will dart inside the vanity and… disappear.

Concerted searching yielded no cat in or around the trash. Like Lucy in the wardrobe, she was gone.

Now, I’m all for magic portals in my house that transport one to another world. But the skeptic in me refused to believe that Tiny Kitty had discovered it.

More thorough searching revealed the truth:

She slinks through a tiny open area and curls up on our toothbrushes!

BLEAH!

Of course, the cat was ousted and the brushes destroyed. But she went there with such purpose. Which makes me wonder how often she has done this particular maneuver. Without our knowledge.

This upsets you? HA! Wait'll you hear where else I've been sitting!

~all over body shudder~

The Great Toothbrush Incident is like editing.

I write it, and it’s great. I re-read it, and still think it’s great. Then my betas get hold of it. And, like a toothbrush full of cat fur, I suddenly realize that what I thought was necessary HAS TO GO! The sooner the better.

Of course, though I threw the toothbrushes out, I immediately got new ones. One must have daily oral hygiene. Likewise, the offending words must be replaced with newer, cleaner prose.

Minion! What have you done with my butt grooming salon?

The tendency, once I see a major problem in a work, is to berate myself and wonder how I could have missed it for so long. But that’s just counterproductive water down the drain. The important thing – more important than changing either tainted tools or text – is taking proper steps to ensure the problem never happens again.

We all make mistakes. We are all capable of learning from them. And we’re all capable of remembering to close the door to the vanity to keep the cat off the toothbrushes.

Tips for Tackling the Rewrite

Every writer knows the drill:

*  My manuscript is done!  I'll just hand it to my editor for a quick polish. I rock!

*  AACKK! What's with all the markups? I thought it was done. Now I see it's just doomed. I suck.

*  It's lurking on my hard drive, taunting me. I can't bring myself to open it. I'm overwhelmed.

Time passes. One day...

*  ~Pulls on big-girl panties. Opens file.~ Time to get to work. I will.

Rewrites can be hard. Oh, the actual work is rarely all that difficult. But getting into the correct mindset  -- one that revels in the challenge instead of wanting to sit rocking and muttering in a dark corner -- can be brutal.

I recently worked with a writer who thought his manuscript was ready for my editorial services. Instead, it's in need of a rather drastic rewrite. I worded my thoughts on the matter as delicately as possible, but I know they probably still seemed harsh.

Every writer wants a reader that says: "This is fantastic! I loved every single word!"

Anything less is a letdown. Which means no one wants to hear: "This manuscript is not yet ready for an editor. It first requires a significant amount of rewriting and polishing."

Agony. Cue Bon Jovi's "Shot Through the Heart." Set it for infinite repeat play...

But rewrites don't have to be painful. Some tips for getting through them.

1.) Break Up With the Current Manuscript

Your love affair is over. The words in their current form are NOT perfect. The sequencing and story line needs work. Accept that though your eyes see only assets, other (more objective) eyes see major flaws.

So be strong. Break it off. Tell the book that it's over. No matter how much it begs or bribes, you and it are through. You want out of your existing relationship. You're going to pick up the pieces and move on.

Photo by Scott Liddell from www.morguefile.com

2.) We Can Still Be Friends (With Benefits)

A rewrite doesn't mean that you throw everything away and start from scratch. Instead, it's an opportunity to redefine your relationship with your story and keep only what works best. 

Keep a copy of the old manuscript somewhere. No matter what happens in the rewriting process, the original story will still exist.  You can always go back to it, if you need to. (Once the rewrite is underway and the story gains new strength, you'll be surprised at how rarely you wish to revisit the past.)

3.)  Don't Plan the Wedding Before the Date is Over

Rewriting doesn't mean the time already spent on the manuscript is wasted. It just means that more time is required to make sure the project is viable. Beware of rushing headlong into querying or self-publishing. Take your time and enjoy the process.

When beginning a rewrite, I suggest revisiting your original outline (and, if non-fiction, your existing Table of Contents). Rewrite in bite-sized pieces, chapter by chapter.

Start with Chapter 1. Determine exactly what you want it to convey. Know how you are going to hook your reader and keep him or her turning pages. Rewrite it for sentence and paragraph clarity. Then give that chapter to a few trusted Beta readers. Ask such questions as "Is this clear?" "Is it compelling?" "Would you keep reading? Why or why not?" (For further ways to make the most of your Betas, see A Cheat Sheet for Beta Readers.)

Polish Chapter 1 until it is as good as you can possibly make it. Then turn your attention to Chapter 2.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

4.) Focus on the Relationship

A rewrite affords an opportunity to delve deeper into whatever compelled you to begin the book in the first place. Re-examine your rationale. Do you still subscribe to the theories you had when you began writing? If so, are they clearly explained in your book? If your theories have evolved, how can you use your change of heart to strengthen the project?

A rewrite also allows you to re-evaluate the relationships within the work. Can you ratchet up the dramatic tension between the protagonist and antagonist? What about between the hero and heroine? Can you add layers to your primary (and secondary) characters that will enrich the story and, ultimately, enrich the reader?

Of course you can. And every time you improve upon a relationship within the text, remember to rejoice that you had the opportunity to do the rewrite. The work would have suffered without it.

*****

What's your best tip for rewriting? What helps make the mere thought of undertaking a rewrite bearable? Add your tips to the comments below.

Advice to a New Author: Before You Hire an Editor

While trolling Craigslist for a suitable shed I could turn into a chicken coop, I ran across a post from a "new author" that said, in part: "I have a manuscript and desire an editor to review and make suggestions... any insight anyone can give me would be helpful."

Since I'm a sucker for new writers asking for help, I contacted the poster. A lengthy e-mail dialogue ensued. So many of his questions were common for writers who have finished a manuscript only to wonder "NOW WHAT?" So here is my two cents' worth of advice:

Photo by Scott Liddell from www.morguefile.com

1.  Betas Before Brass Tacks

If you have just finished your manuscript, you may be more in need of a beta reader than an editor. You could pay me or any competent editor to perform that service for you as well, but you may be further ahead to first find 2 or 3 readers familiar with the genre in which you write. It might be advisable to wait for a professional edit until your beta readers have read and reviewed your manuscript and offered their views on the structure and content.

2. Be a Savvy Shopper

All editors are not created equal. Some charge by the hour. Some charge by the job. Some charge by the word or the page. Solicit several quotes, both for turnaround time and estimated charges. Then, do the math necessary to compare apples to apples so you know what you're agreeing to.

For example:

I charge from $1 to $2 per page for editing. Quick reads with minor corrections bill at the low end. Major edits, fact checking, formatting and consistency issues, and revisions that take more time bill at the high end.  On average, a 100K manuscript has 300 pages. (Properly formatted, with 1" margins and double spacing, 250 words per page is the rule of thumb.) The math is pretty simple.

I know of one "editing service" for a vanity press that charges between $.018 (for light copy editing) and $.029 (for major editing) per word. While, on the surface, this looks inexpensive, simple multiplication reveals that you'd be paying between $4.50 and $7.25 per page. The same 100K project could cost between $1,800 and $2,900. (This is significantly higher than every competent freelancer I know.)

It's true, cheaper isn't always better. But it's worth your while to know ahead of time what you can expect to shell out.

3.  Know What To Expect

When bidding a major editing project, I typically edit the first 3 to 5 pages free of charge. That gives me the opportunity to see how much editing and revision the work requires so I can make an informed bid. It also gives the author the chance to see the sorts of changes and comments I provide, and to determine whether he or she thinks we can work well together.  If the editor you've chosen has a different bidding policy, you might want to ask for an edit of only a few pages at first to make sure the two of you are compatible.

Some editors differentiate between their fees for a light copy edit (primarily grammar, spelling, and punctuation) and a major manuscript edit that includes formatting, continuity, construction, plot, and other big-picture things. Know what you want. Know what you need. That way, you'll understand what you're paying for.

4. Do Your Homework

When hiring an editor, get testimonials from former clients. If a freelance editor is reluctant to provide you with the names of satisfied customers, consider that a red flag violently waving in warning. Take a few moments to check out some of the books they've edited. If at all possible, scan through them or read a chapter.  Notice the editing in the book and pay attention to how it "reads."


5. Remember: You're the Writer

Don't expect your editor to rewrite your book. That's why God created ghostwriters and co-authors. Truth be told, most editors are perfectly competent to do rewrites. But when I wear my ghostwriting / co-authoring hat, our relationship changes. So do my rates.

Turn in your best, most polished product to an editor.

Editors don't mind misspellings and rough edges. We live for finding typos and errors in parallelism. We relish discovering plot holes and inconsistencies. What we don't take kindly to, however, is a client who turns in a rough draft expecting us to wave our magic Word wand and make polished, publishable prose. You're the writer. If you expect the editor to do a great job on your manuscript, be willing to step up to the plate and do your job first.

6. Do Not Argue With the Nice Editor

...Because, really, life is just too short.

(I found my chicken coop, by the way: A lovely 8 x 8 structure, complete with windows and a mini-loft that weighs a freaking ton.

Moving it was a total dog and pony show that involved, at one point, my friend holding a 10 foot section of 4" PVC pipe above his head to hoist up the electrical wires that hung too low over the road so the trailer and shed could inch underneath. But I digress...)

Have you every worked with a freelance editor or are you an editor?  Please share any pertinent words of wisdom for new authors (or for chicken coop movers) in the comments below.

The Art of Christmas Wishes

A picture paints a thousand words...and several thousand words can paint a picture. I love the wall hangings from Postertext. Tops on my Christmas list are The Great Gatsby and Through The Looking Glass.

The creators used the text from the books and arranged it to depict a scene from the story. Cool, huh? Art that crosses mediums to be -- more art.

It inspires me that books written decades, centuries, lifetimes ago can continue to speak to readers today. That notion is what compels those of us who write to press onward.

It tempers the criticism our work inevitably receives.

It encourages us to persevere in the face of rejection.

It motivates us to complete what we start -- even though we may be the only ones currently clamoring to know What Happens Next.

It's the green light at the end of a dock, winking across the waters, teasing us with the possibilities.

It's the feeling of disappearing entirely into the world we create in the hopes of making that world real for someone else.

One of my Christmas wishes is for every writer struggling to break into print to experience the thrill of acceptance. But remember -- whether that particular wish comes true for you this year, I still believe that the thrill of creation far outweighs the joy of publication... At least in this writer's book.

And so my larger wish is for every writer to discover anew the passion that fuels the art -- and find the time to indulge it!

Editor and literary agent's intern Cassandra Marshall wants to know: What do you want for Christmas? Telling her (and providing a link to the object of your desire) could win you a nifty stocking stuffer: a FREE EDIT of a FULL MANUSCRIPT!  How's that for a wish come true!

What's your wish? Comment below, and we'll dream together!

Using What You've Got

or, In Praise of Simple Tools

Once, when I was "between books," my publisher asked me to edit a manuscript that had come in rife with holes. Shortly after submission, the expert who wrote it took an extended break with reality, sequestering himself away from the world and refusing to respond to the publisher's requests for changes.

Since it is widely known that writers will do anything for money, and since the book's publication date loomed on the imminent horizon, I agreed. I focused all of my initial efforts on a particular chapter that the publisher felt had a hole in it. What an understatement. It turned out that the "point" of the book -- the obvious reason why someone would buy it -- was missing.

And so, rather than begin my edit at the beginning, I started with a chapter in the middle, looking for ways to plug the hole.

Only after working on the mid-book edit did I go back to the beginning and start critically looking at the work as a whole. While the project was rife with mistakes -- spelling errors, usage errors, incomplete sentences and sweeping generalizations -- I was unprepared for the magnitude of the problem. (In all fairness, the publisher had warned me before I began. It is my fault that I didn't grasp the enormity of what I agreed to do.)

For instance: the very first word of the entire manuscript was misspelled!

And that's not all. The very first sentence contained two usage errors, an agreement error, and a flat-out sloppy workmanship error.

Here's the thing: I don't mind. Things like this keep me in business. But it can quickly put you out of business if you're submitting manuscripts in this condition. Sure, the occasional mistake might make it into the final draft. But shoddy workmanship shows a disregard for the editor that publishers don't find amusing. It can also drastically slow the book's progress into print.

The moral of the story? Use what you have. A simple spell-check could have taken care of the basic errors in this manuscript. (If you think a word is spelled correctly, but there's a little wavy red line under it, take the few seconds necessary to have your computer look it up. That's what the little wavy red line means: "Check me!" The person who wrote the original manuscript evidently thought it meant, "Get more Twizzlers!")

Running a grammar check would have highlighted most of the usage problems and misspellings that made "real" words. Now, I loathe grammar check. It annoys me beyond words. But that's not the point. If you're not sure of your spelling or your grammar, use the tools widely available to you before sending something that represents you off to someone who is going to PAY YOU to put it in print.

Then, if doubtful of your abilities, ask a friend with a good grasp of the written word to do a read-through. Your manuscript will need edited before it goes to print. However, it behooves you -- and will only strengthen your relationship with your publisher -- to make the in-house edit as painless as possible.

The book in question required a complete re-write. I ended up putting my life on hold in order to beat the manuscript into publishable shape in time for the publisher's deadline. Though the final product came out rather well, I feel it is safe to say that the expert will be hard-pressed to find a publisher who is willing to work with him again.

We can all use a little help from our friends. In the writing world, spell check, grammar check, and beta readers are our friends. If you want a career, instead of a single-book debacle, don't hesitate to use them!

After the Edit: Using "Gallbladder" Text

When I was in college, I had a friend who developed gallbladder problems after giving birth to her first child. She had the offending organ removed and then, because one doesn’t lose body parts every day, brought it home with her in a little jar.

It served as a conversation piece for quite some time. “What is that? A mummified kiwi?” We used to ask her what she’d do if she had a hysterectomy. And I don’t want to think about how she’d have handled our family’s bout with brain surgery…

Some writers approach cutting text with the same attitude. They can’t bring themselves to permanently get rid of anything they have created. Often, this results in interesting snippets and oddities cluttering up their desktop because, though the information didn’t belong in one project, it was just too good to erase.

Now that NaNoEdMo is drawing to a close, it is quite possible that there are other writers like me who have a file folder full of “gallbladder text.” If so, here’s a kick in the butt to put it to use.

Some suggestions:

• Develop article ideas that utilize some of your longer items. You may find you simply need to add a few current nuggets of information to create salable article-length pieces.

• Compile short sidebars and blog posts of interesting factoids, trivia, or insights. Sell them to markets you have already developed OR use them to establish ties with new online venues. They can help garner new readers and fans and increase awareness of your Big Project.

• Stretch your craft. Try something new with the cut bits: develop a short story or try some flash fiction. Use the bite-sized edits to improve your hook, structure, or introduction of plot points.

• Use especially wordy, pithy, or convoluted "just bad writing" text to give a distinctive voice to a character. Often, it can be useful to help establish a speech pattern that is quite unlike your own.

Getting paid for (or, at the very least, using) words you have already wrestled onto the page always a good thing. It certainly beats printing them, pickling them, and preserving them in a jar for posterity.

Imagine Reading Your Rival's Work

a Shameless Secret for Reveling in Self-Editing

In my humble experience, nothing frees me from the bondage of being in love with my own prose as much as imagining that Someone Else wrote it and has brought it to me, begging for my expert advice. It's amazing how quickly the story holes, plot flaws, and character weaknesses present themselves...

When the fun of writing ends, the reality of editing begins. Editing is where the rubber of the creative muse meets the asphalt of craft.

Every writer knows that editing one's own words can be brutal. It can cause heart palpitations, migraines, divorces, and weight gain. Many writers have a deep and abiding love for every ember that has issued from their creative depths. They approach an edit looking for a reason to retain every single word.

On the other hand, editing the words of someone else (read: A Lesser Writer) can be a rewarding experience that unleashes all the pent-up snarkiness and sarcasm of one's Inner Curmudgeon.

So -- why not make that work in your favor?

The next time an edit rears its ugly head at you, read your words as if you were reading your rival's work.

"I don't have a rival," you might say.

Of course you do. Every time you read a query that caused an agent to sign a new writer and think "I don't see what's so great about that," every time you read an award-winning short story and nit-pick it to shreds, every time you make snide comments about a bestselling author's work, you are naming your rivals. Of course, rivalry can be friendly. But even more importantly -- rivalry is tough.

Pretend your writing rival wrote the draft of the manuscript sitting before you. Narrow your eyes. Pull out that red pen. And indulge in a gleeful edit to your heart's content.

Reading Your Rival's Work is Step 1 of A Three Step Process of Self-Editing, my article that Missy Frye featured in the Incurable Disease of Writing today. Thanks, Missy!

That's how I begin to tackle a self-edit. What's your favorite tactic?

The Dead Horse Edit

or, Thoughts on Making Major Changes

A good friend of mine is the equine manager for a facility whose owners delight in buying the saddest, most broken down horses imaginable in an effort to “save” them.

One mare is currently in need of a merciful end. Knowledgeable horse people and at least one reputable vet have said so. Yet the mare’s owner balks at the decision – not because she has philosophical issues with playing God, but because she clings to the hope that the experts are wrong and that the arrival of Spring will somehow cure the horse’s irreparable neurological issues.

The owner has mandated that she will “wait and see what happens.” Which translates to hoping that the mare will simply die a quiet, natural death.

Earlier this week, my friend categorically stated that she refuses to be held responsible if the horse goes down for the final time in her stall and dies.

“Oh,” said the owner, processing this. “Why?”

“Because,” my friend said, “the tractor with the bucket on it doesn’t fit into the barn aisle.”

This was not explanation enough. My friend tried again. “If the horse dies in its stall, they don’t tear the barn down…”

Ahhh… Eeewww!

Suddenly the mental tinder lit and the seriousness of the situation became clear.

Exploring the Big Bag o’ Editing Excuses

Wanting to save starving and abused animals is commendable. I’ve been involved in multiple rescues. I sympathize. I really do. Sometimes, though, the most humane thing to do is to allow an animal’s misery to end -- which means making tough decisions and big changes.

March is NaNoEdMo: National Novel Editing Month. To some writers, editing is akin to self-mutilation and they approach it with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for being flayed alive or doing one’s income taxes.

During an edit a writer will often encounter significant blocks of text that should be sacrificed for the ultimate good of the book. Knowing that something needs to go and actually making the cut, however, are two very different things. Writers who look at their words with an editor’s eyes can bring a bottomless bag of excuses to the task.

Sometimes a writer feels a misguided need to champion the things that need cutting. Those words have originated from the Creative Muse! What might the Muse think if they were simply cast aside on the rubbish heap of superfluous prose. She might never visit again…

On occasion, laziness is the reason the tough cuts aren’t made. This is a woefully weak scene, but it’s where I introduce the enzyme that saves humanity. If I cut the scene, I’ll have to rework at least a third of the book… Nooooo!

And sometimes a writer’s ego interferes with the editing process. Sixteen agents have passed on the material. My mother AND every single person in my writing group thinks my main character is two-dimensional. But I’m brilliant. I wrote it. Ergo: it is brilliant. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a mental midget.

Don’t Tear the Barn Down

When conducting an edit, keep in mind the important thing: The Story.

Review your structure and make certain it is sound. Every single thing that remains after the edit should contribute to your story's strength. If it doesn’t, it has to go.

A “dead horse edit” is dispassionate, objective, and necessary.

Regardless of how much you loved the words when you wrote them, if you notice that a scene, a chapter, an act, or a character weakens or detracts from the story, then do the humane thing for your writing career and get rid of them.

Your characters won’t resent you for cutting them.

The Creative Muse will not go on strike if you ax 20,000 words.

Your ego will not suffer a fatal blow. (And if it did, would that be so terrible?)

The DHE forces you to deal with a project’s major issues – even if you don’t want to – because, ultimately, it’s the responsible thing to do. All that remains afterward is to polish the remaining prose until it reflects your soul.

Thoughts On Editing and Being Edited

I have a monster labor-of-love manuscript lurking nearby that I have grudgingly agreed to edit. I'm a bit worried, because the author is quite in love with his words and had much of the draft memorized. This, as most editors can tell you, does not bode well.

I once revised and edited a book for a publisher and asked them how they wanted the manuscript mark-up done. I wondered if they wanted to show the author every suggested change.

I received the following response:

We find it horrifies many authors to see what's been done to their work. We'd rather send him the edited manuscript with all the edits in place and have him read it anew. Many times an author won't even notice that his words have been changed or rearranged. It often makes for smoother sailing for all involved.

I have found this to be true over and over again. If an author sees the red edits doing war with the original words in black, the tendency is to become defensive and / or discouraged. However, such negative emotions are unwarranted.

A good editor never looks at the manuscript as an opportunity to deface black print and replace it with red. A good editor thinks only of the project's ultimate good.

If you are fortunate enough to have someone edit your work, consider not looking at the markup. Consider, instead, only reading the results of the edit. See if any glaring problems leap at you. Read with fresh eyes, if at all possible. Remember: your responsibility is not to your original text. Your responsibility is to your reader. In most instances, your editor shares that responsibility. Revel in that support rather than rebel against it!

What are your thoughts? Any experiences with editors (good, bad, or otherwise) that you care to share?

On Edits and Evergreens

I'm in the midst of a very tedious, bird-by-bird edit of an enormous project for one of my favorite clients. It's a legacy project -- one over 5 years in development that took over 2 years to write. I'm not only proofing for grammatical and punctuation errors, but I'm also looking for format, style, and layout issues. The completed project, including supplemental material is over 175,000 words -- the equivalent of 4 full non-fiction projects... I spent the entire day making sure every comma was in the right place.

The tone for the day was set when I received the news that the winners of the 3-Day Novel Contest have been announced. And they are not me. Or I am not they.

In any case -- I'm not on the list. Evidently, the writing I do while recuperating from the swine flu is not up to snuff. Most depressing.

And the edit continues.

It's a necessary thing, this edit. And I'm happy to do it. But it's slow going. It's an odd layout with thin margins, nearly no white space, and skinny, squished sans-serif font -- which means that in a very short time span, my right eye develops an irritating involuntary twitch and begins to beg for mercy. And at the end of the day, there isn't a creative cell in my body that's willing to stand up and insist that I pay attention to it.

Which means that when the edit is done, I'm going to have to spend a day or two recharging my vision and my muse.

Earlier today, I served as a guest contributor on Missy Frye's Incurable Disease of Writing blog. My piece explains how writers can use evergreens (finished, polished pieces) to keep the momentum of their careers going while still taking time to regroup after finishing a major project.

It appears that the timing is fortuitous. I'm looking forward to spending a day with my evergreens. I can't wait to take my own advice.

If I ever get this edit finished...