On Writing: Questions to Ask Yourself During Editing

Yes, I know it's not All About Editing week anymore. But I'm editing again, so it's on my mind again, which means you lovely readers get yet another post on the subject. This time, I want to talk about the questions you should ask yourself as you're reading your work and editing it.

The subject for this post first occurred to me when I was editing Please, Sir and working on a particular scene. Paige is standing in her boyfriend's childhood home, in the foyer, and there are pictures on the wall. Originally, there were photos of her boyfriend's father. That just didn't make sense. I needed a certain reaction moments later, when Paige meets John, that just wouldn't have happened if she had seen pictures of him. Logic. Sometimes I have it.

Does this make sense?
My number one question. If you ask nothing else, ask this. Does this make sense? As I mentioned before, it made no sense for Paige to see a photo of John and then react as though she hadn't. If the answer is "no," things need to change. If the answer is "maybe," you should probably try to figure out why it isn't "yes." And if the answer is "yes," can you explain why that is?

Does this help or hurt the story?
A protagonist moves the story. There are various other definitions, but that's the one that helps me the most when it comes to identification. For me, words are also the protagonist. Each word should help move the story forward. (Or backward, whatever; I love Tarantino as much as the next cinema fan.) Every word, every sentence, every paragraph, every scene should move the story. It should help. It should help tell (by showing, but you knew that) the story. If it doesn't move things along, it hinders. It hurts. Hurting is bad. Pain means that something is wrong. So, you know, fix that or something.

Is this the right word?
If you've checked out the word usage tag here on my blog, you probably already know that I'm a big fan of the "use the right word" piece of writing advice. Not just because I have a literary lady-boner for Mark Twain, either. The right word makes all the difference. Are you using the right ones?

Why does this story need to be told? (What's the point?)
Maybe you're really good at asking this question before you even start writing. If that's the case... Okay, you can't see me, but I'm totally making faces at you. For the rest of us, a good time to ask this question is during editing. Why are you telling this story? Why does it need to be shared? The answer doesn't have to be epic and life-changing. It could be something as simple as, "Because I wish I could have read it without having to write it." If you can't come up with a reason--for real; if you ask yourself this question in a fit of insecurity and frustration, the results won't be accurate--then it's time to reevaluate what you're saying and why you feel the need to share the story with people.

Each and every piece you shove out into the world should be your very best. Taking the time to edit, to examine your work and your choices and your motivations, is vital to the process of making it the best.

All About Editing: Finding An Editor

So you've written your piece. You've self-edited it to within an inch of its fragile life. You're ready for an editor. That's great! But where do you find one of these magical, skilled people?

Decide if you need a beta reader or an editor.
A beta reader is less formal and probably doesn't have the same professional credentials as an editor. Here's a tip: you probably want both.

Check with your colleagues.
If you belong to a writers' group (and you probably should), see if any other members offer beta reading or critiquing services. Having someone who reads and writes in your genre look over your work can be immensely helpful. This isn't to say that having someone who doesn't read and write in your genre is a waste of time, but you're going to get different insights from each of these people. If you're on Twitter, ask the authors you communicate with who they recommend.

Check with your friends and family.
Having your loved ones read your work can be terrifying. I understand that. But they may surprise you. It never hurts to float the question their way. Treat them the same as you would any other beta reader, though. No special treatment just because they're loved ones. If you think feelings will be hurt because of this, there's no harm in steering clear. I know there are families out there with family members who would be hurt if they made suggestions the author didn't take. I'm fortunate; most of my friends were made in writing circles, so we all just trade beta reading and editing.

When all else fails, Google.
There are lots of professional editors out there. Check their work and references before you hire anyone.

Last week, we had a guest post from Nicole. You can visit her website here (and you can read her testimonials here). If you're in the market for an editor, Su is another option I'd like to recommend. You can visit her website here.

All About Editing: The How

This subject is nearer and dearer to my heart right now because I've finished the first draft of the new romance novelette and I started the editing process (with any luck and a lot of hard work, it will be a novella when I'm done). So I thought that I would share my editing process.

The first thing you should know is that I absolutely hate sending out a manuscript unless I think it's ready to be read by people who don't like me. That intense aversion to mistakes and bad writing led to the development of an editing process that is far more involved than the writing process (and my writing process is pretty involved).

Read the whole story.
Read the whole story, beginning to end, as a reader. You can make notes about what to edit, but just read it first. See it for the whole piece that it is because you're about to break it down into its most basic parts and it will be easy to forget the whole.

Read each section/chapter.
Each individual part should stand on its own. Not, you know, totally on its own, but each section should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. It should move the story along. It should add value to the story. It should be complete.

Read each paragraph.
Each paragraph should be consistent. It should be about something specific. It, like each section, should add value to the story and move it along. Each paragraph should be a shining example of your writing. It should be excerptable. (That is a word now.)

Read each line.
Like each section and each paragraph, each line should be valuable. It should also be different from the one before it and the one after it unless you're going for something specific that requires repetition and similarity. Sentences, lines, have rhythm and flow. I'm not musically inclined, but I know that variation in sentence sound and structure is much more pleasing to my inner ear than a bunch of the same thing over and over.

Read each word.
Each and every word in your manuscript should be the right word. Not almost the right word, not sort of the right word, not close enough. It should be the exact word you mean to convey your meaning. I strongly believe that every writer should spend some time writing poetry. Nothing teaches you to use the right word better than writing poetry.

Search for easily-misused words.
This is a technical detail. Search your manuscript for words that are easily misused. Your/you're, their/there/they're, through/threw and the like. Spellcheck won't catch this because you've correctly spelled the words. Chances are that you'll catch any of these mistakes when you read each word, but it's never a bad idea to be safe.

Search for overused words and phrases.
We all have pet words. We probably even have pet words that change, or words that we associate with a particular story. I had one story that was very lush, very padded, and I used the word "plush" repeatedly throughout it. My beta wanted to beat me with the word. So what I'm saying here is: search your story for overused words. Unusual words and phrases--words like exacerbate and loquacious, phrases like "come with" and "piss-poor"--will stand out to the reader, so using them even more than once in a short piece, twice in a longer piece (unless, again, it's a conscious choice vital to the story/formation of the story) is going to stand out.

Search for -ly words.
Really. Lovely. Squiggly. These words are filler words. They have their place, but the chances are that they've been overused, abused, and treated as a crutch. It's okay, it happens to everyone. Use them sparingly. Think of them as a potent spice, or an expensive one. The more you use them, the less precious they become.

Search for very.
Mark Twain said it best when he said to replace every instance of "very" with the word "damn." It has the same effect and your editor will take them out. If you're DIYing your writing (or you just don't want your editor to think you're overly fond of swearing), change every "very" to "damn" for fun, read your story, and then delete the damns.

Check your details.
The Internet is a great place. It has websites like Google and Wikipedia and communities like Little Details. It's full of people who are experts on something and they're willing to share their expertise. Use them. Check your own details, first. Make sure your protagonist doesn't suddenly change hair color halfway through the story. Or cars, or location, or whatever. Trust me, the reader notices these things. Then check the other details. For example, I had to change my hero's job in the Marines based on some information I found at Wikipedia. Also--and this is a tip from my days as a researcher--it's a good idea to have different sources of information, sources that don't call on each other for backup. I like three sources, personally.

Check your characterization.
You can tell your readers that your hero is a good guy, but if you're writing him being a dickface to waiters and kicking puppies, they're going to know that he isn't. Make sure that you're showing the character traits you want your characters to possess. If he's kind, show him doing something kind. If he's an ass, show him being an ass. And be consistent. Unless, of course, the point is that your character completely changes who he is throughout the story. Then you can do whatever you want, I guess. Just make sure that your character is behaving in the ways you would expect from someone who is like him. This is where observing people becomes a useful skill.

Check your plot.
Are there any holes? Sew those suckers up. You don't want the reader to be halfway through the story and saying, "This doesn't make any sense." Remember: the difference between reality and fiction is that fiction has to make sense. It has to. You can't rely on your readers to say, "Ah, well, that's just how it goes." That is not how it goes. How it goes is exactly how you write it and you need to be the God of your written world. You need to keep track of everything and make sure that everything has a purpose and a reason.

Check your subplot(s).
If you're writing anything longer than a short story, you probably have subplots. Do the same checking for them that you do for your main plot. Resolve them however you want, but a resolution is not abandoning them mid-story because they're inconvenient.

Read it out loud.
Reading your work out loud forces your brain to relay information to your mouth. Because it has to work harder, it notices things it missed when you were just reading silently. I don't know if that's true because I made it up, but reading your work out loud is just one more way you're guaranteed to find things you wouldn't have found otherwise.

Ignore it.
I know that every list of advice on writing tells you to ignore your work or leave it alone. This is good advice. You gain some distance and some perspective. You return to your work with a fresh eye and a fresh ear. Let it sit for as long as you need, then come back to it and repeat the editing process.

Read it again.
Read it to yourself and then out loud one more time. Make changes as needed, but this time, it doesn't need the machete it needed before. It just needs little tweaks. Sound good? Look good? Feel good? Great. Only two more steps left to go!

Send it to someone else.
No matter who you are, your writing can always benefit from someone else's perspective. That's why publishers employ editors and that's why good fanfic writers use betas. If you value your writing at all--and of course you do, you're reading this post--you will hand your work over to more than one someone else. These will be people you trust. These should also be people who are not butt-kissers. They should be just as hard on you and your writing as you are. (But not harder. No one should ever be harder on your own work than you are.)

Make changes accordingly.
Once you get your manuscript back from your editors and beta readers, you should have feedback to consider. The changes you make are entirely up to you. You're the writer. Your word is law as far as your writing goes. But, again, if you care at all, you will consider the feedback you get and you will make changes.

Read it one more time.
Okay, I lied, there's one final step. Read it again. All the way through. Resist the urge to make any more changes as you read and simply read it as a reader. It should be as perfect as you can make it now. This should be your best possible work. Congratulations!http://parchmentplace.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/red-pen.gif

All About Editing: Beta Reading

A beta reader is a test reader or an unofficial editor. You, the writer and first reader, are the alpha reader. She, the second reader, is your beta. In fandom, a beta reader can do everything from a read-through and feedback on the overall story to in-depth editing. Beta reading is a good way to hone your editing skills in the same way that self-editing is a good way to hone your beta reading skills.

Familiarize yourself with the rules of writing.
If you're not already comfortable with the basics, get comfortable. A practical handbook and a good dictionary or a trustworthy website on grammar and writing are invaluable. For your first few betas, you may end up consulting these resources frequently.

Don't apologize and don't be offended.
Resist the temptation to apologize for the quality of your critique. Your critique is valid--regardless of your experience--because you are a reader and you have opinions. The writer will take or leave your comments as she sees fit, so don't be offended if you see the finished project and realize that "problems" you identified weren't fixed. Remember that the writer has the final say in her own work.

Pick your projects carefully.
Identify what you like to read and take on those projects. Identify aspects of your own writing that you need help with and take on projects that will let you learn. Beta reading is work, but it should be work that you can do without having to force yourself.

Read twice.
Read it once as a reader. Make notes if you have to, but wait for the second read-through to critique. Read it the second time with a critical eye and a red pen.

Be thorough.
However you decide to beta read, be thorough. Give all parts of the manuscript your attention. This is a bit of a pet peeve of mine, as when I first started using beta readers, I had a couple of them who started off each beta with many, many notes, but once they got to the last half, they just sort of... stopped making notes. Be consistent with your critique throughout the manuscript.

Be prompt.
If you have offered or agreed to beta read, turn the story around as quickly as possible. Chances are that the writer is counting on you. She may be working on some sort of deadline, she may be anxious, she may just want to finish the story and move on. Returning your notes quickly is appreciated just as much as the notes themselves.

Be honest.
This is the single most important tip for beta reading. Be honest in your critique. Be honest about what you liked and what you didn't like. Don't give false praise or flattery. You're doing a job and that job is not butt-kisser.

For more beta reading resources, check out the following links:

• How to Beta Read
• Tips for Beta Readers
• Tips on Beta Reading from a Beta

All About Editing: Self-Editing

Self-editing is the final bit of work you should do on your manuscript before you send it off to your editor or your beta reader. Self-editing is also something you should be really, really good at--especially if you're going DIY the whole way. Compared to editing your own work, editing someone else's work is ridiculously easy, so if you're interested in editing for others, learning to self-edit well is one of the first steps you should take.

Identify your problem areas and focus on those.
I tend to abuse the em dash, the semi-colon, and the comma. Maybe you confuse your and you're, or you abuse the ellipsis. Whatever your weakness may be, focus on it. Scour your manuscript for instances of your weakness(es) and eliminate them. If you're anything like me, this will get frustrating and you will, eventually, learn to stop being so abusive of language.

Compare your manuscript to a traditionally published manuscript.
Especially if you are a "new" writer (read: a writer who has just set pen to paper/fingers to keyboard), compare your manuscript to one that has been traditionally published. If you write fiction, pick up a fiction novel. If you write non-fiction, pick up non-fiction. Really look at the published work. Do your quotations look the same? Do your paragraph styles look similar? Are your chapters roughly the same length?

Focus on the basics.
Spelling. Grammar. Use your word processor's spell check. If you use MS Word, give the sentences with the green squiggly a second glance, but keep in mind that MS Word is not programmed with the Grammar Bible. Speaking of the Grammar Bible, it's a good idea to learn the rules of grammar. You are not too old or too smart or too big to go back to third grade (or fifth grade, or whatever) and re-learn elementary English. Keep in mind that you can't effectively break the rules of grammar unless you actually know those rules.

Don't jump heads.
Nora Roberts is notorious for this. You're probably not Nora Roberts, so don't do it. Pick one point-of-view (POV) and stick with it. Many first-time novelists choose first-person narrative, and that's fine, but whichever POV you choose, make sure you don't slip into Author Narrative and tell the reader things your POV character can't possibly know. Don't mix things up until you're confident that you can do one style consistently and well.

Check your tense.
Examine your manuscript for consistent tense use. If you start off in present tense, don't suddenly start using past tense. It is entirely too easy to switch back and forth while you're writing, so be very careful.

Hardcopies are your friends.
The best way to edit your manuscript is the old-fashioned way: a printed copy and a pen that can double as a machete. If you can read your work out loud as you edit, that's even better. If you absolutely must edit on the computer, read backwards. Start at the end and work your way back, word by word, then sentence by sentence, then paragraph by paragraph.

For more self-editing resources, click the following links.

• Self-Editing by Lori Handeland
• How To Edit Your Own Writing: Self-Editing Checklist
• Self-Editing Success by Carole Moore
• 10+ Ways to Improve Your Writing by Self-Editing
• Before You Submit: Tips for Self-Editing
• Seeking the Write Life tag: Self Editing Tips and Tricks
• More Self-Editing Tips
• 10 Tips for Self-Editing
• Three Tips for Self-Editing
• Self-Editing Tips at the Novel Doctor

Guest Post from Nicole: "Editing in English"

Language fascinates me. I'm interested in how we use it, how it shapes our thoughts, and how people who know more than one language think and work with words. For our first All About Editing post, freelance editor Nicole wrote some about language and some about editing, satisfying my curiosity and--I hope--piquing your interest in the professional editing process. 

***

How will she be able to edit my manuscript; she's not even English!

That's what I get a lot. Maybe not directly, but people do think that way. To many English-speaking natives it's impossible to understand that a person with German mother tongue is editing English manuscripts.

The answer is: I just read it, make comments as I go along and I make you work hard. To me, reading English is no different to reading German. There might be the odd term I don't understand, but that's what dictionaries were invented for.

I've been in the UK for five years and spoke English from day one. Of course I had learned it at school for many years, which is a big advantage, but being in the country is what makes your brain switch. I speak, write, dream and breathe English. On the other hand, I'll admit it wasn't easy in the beginning. I remember the first book I bought over here: the biography of Jamie Oliver – or better one of them and I had difficulties reading it. Although I read English before, I never read a book, only music magazines. Those problems didn't put me off; instead, they posed a challenge, which I happily accepted. I've loved reading all my life and since I moved over here I wanted to read in English, one of my favourite languages. I've not bought a German book since then and, in April 2009, I've even started to write in English. The transformation from a German speaker to an English author was hard and a steep learning curve, but certainly most useful. I've learned that when I write in English, I seem to think in English, then compare what I want to say with German the same time I'm typing. It happens in a matter of seconds, but still shows in my syntax.

Reading is different: as far as I know, there's no comparing or double checking. Which is why it doesn't have an effect on my editing. Since I'm specialising on synopses, character- and plot-development, my focus lies on anything but grammar. To be honest, I never knew about my editing talents, I didn't even know I could do it at all. It's when I started to critique others on a writers' site, that my talent surfaced; people told me I've helped them a lot and that I should pursue it as a career. After a few months of editing for free, I started out as a freelance editor and since then I've helped quite a few writers to transform their manuscripts into a state ready for submission. Same goes for synopses. I've yet to meet one that defeats me.

I'm well-known for my machete skills and I chop up every piece that is put in front of me, meticulously looking for inconsistencies and glitches. And to be able to do that, you don't need to be perfect at grammar, everyone who's got a good eye for details, common sense and logic – some of the most important assets an editor has to have – can pick up on them. My clients respect me for my picking apart their books, for my suggestions on how to fix problems, for helping them to see. They don't disrespect me for not being a native. Once they trust me with their novels it's clear that I'm more than capable of doing my job as good as a native with a degree hanging on the wall. The only difference is that I may charge less.

As for copy-editing: here's another challenge for me and I'm determined to learn the grammar, not only for my own sake, but for my clients' sake, for I would love to be able to offer all services in future, including proofing. I do a bit already; dialogue attributes for example. I've learned how to use them the hard way: by comparing my own writing to traditionally published books. As a result I'm teaching my clients how to use them correctly. They've become one of my pet hates: if used incorrectly, it will throw the reader out of the story. Talking of pet hates, I've got a few more.

Many writers start sentences with present continues form: Running down the stairs, she pulled on her jeans. I really would love to see that. What the sentence really says: She runs down the stairs while pulling on her jeans. Quite complicated – if not impossible – if you ask me. You would not believe how many times I have to highlight those and it drives me mad. Of course they have their place in writing: Walking through the park, she thought about what happened last night, would be a correct use of the form, but if every third sentence begins like that, it becomes a rather tiring read.

***

You can contact Nicole at her editing blog, Synopsisandbookfactory. While you're there, why not read what her clients have to say about working with her?

Monday Miscellany

After my SitRep Saturday post, I ended up writing another thousand words or so on the vampire WIP and then inspiration really struck and I set the novel aside to action draft one short story and outline a novelette.

The short story is the first I had planned to write for another three-story erotica/romance anthology. I've had the basic outline and plot for it written for a while, I just hadn't gotten around to writing it.

And then, once I was finished with that, inspiration really took over. Between Saturday evening and yesterday, I ended up writing 6100 words of an action draft of a romance novelette. Hence the photo you see to the left (available here): I'm looking for another book cover. I mean, I still have work to do; I need to finish the action draft, then draft it, then go through the revision and editing process, but since book cover design is such a tricky thing, I thought it couldn't hurt to get started.

But wait, there's more to this post!

This week is All About Editing week here at From the Writer's Desk. I'll have a guest post from an editor going up tomorrow, then we'll discuss self-editing on Wednesday, then beta-reading on Thursday. Right now, the Friday schedule is still a little open and I may very well decide to discuss editing next week, too, but I'm very excited about this. Editing is such a huge part of the writing process. It's just as important as the idea and the actual writing itself. I want to share tools and resources. I want to direct you, my lovely readers, toward some wonderful editors.

And I want to do this now, before NaNoWriMo, because while writing a novel in a month is a really great thing, chances are that novel is going to need some editing. Sharing the information I have, giving a couple of editors the chance to shine a little, is going to get you thinking (I hope) about how you're going to edit (should you choose to participate in NaNo).

Having this specific series of posts to think about is also serving to kick my lazy butt back in gear. The husband will be home from training this week and that means my vacation is over. I've slacked so much that my blog hits have really taken a nose dive. How am I ever going to meet my goal of 600 hits now? Le sigh. This just means I'm going to have to work harder.