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Through The Eyes Of An
Editor By: Susan C. Haley
When
we use the written word as a means of communication with others, we
expect to have it read. Whether we are writing to share information,
philosophy, experiences, creating a story to inspire or entertain, or
simply a personal note, we need a reader. We want that reader to feel
and understand what we’re saying. If fiction, we want to take them on
a journey into the world of our story. We don’t want to simply tell
them; we want to take them into the experience with us.
How
often has a book carried you to another place or time, allowed you to
feel a new experience? Has it introduced you to a whole new group of
people? Maybe to a new hero, role model or friend? You laughed or cried,
loved or loathed, felt joy or rage, but you felt the characters. You
experienced the story and shared in the adventure! For a while, you left
your own world and ventured into another between the covers of a book.
This
is the power of good writing. This result is what every writer dreams of
achieving. And, it simply cannot be done alone. Enter the editor.
Having
some form of editing is especially vital in these days of huge changes
in the Publishing industry and the ever-increasing number of authors
choosing the POD or Independent publishing route.
My focus here is to share some basic tips and ideas stemming from
what I’ve observed as copy editor for a small press and independent
contracts.
Rarely,
do we open a book and not see an acknowledgement to those who helped
make the book possible. In most instances, we’ll see credit given to
an editor. So, just what is an editor’s role and when do you need one?
There
are three types of editing: 1.
Content Editing – Actually
guides the creation itself. 2.
Copy Editing – Structure
and Grammar check of a completed manuscript. 3.
Proof
But
first, the writer must have something of quality and potential to
present to the editor. Possibly, the most crucial editor of all is the
writer. The writer must take care and pride in their work. No one wants
to pay for, nor is it the job of the editor to clean up an ill-prepared
or sloppy manuscript.
Regardless
the genre, all writers hope to end up with a book that’s a page
turner, a book that will teach, touch, inspire, or entertain a
reader. In successful novel writing, it’s downright imperative. We
could spend an entire day in a workshop on only one element of fiction
writing. Voice, point of view, and dialogue come to mind instantly. Yet,
there are many more questions we must ask ourselves. Does fiction
require research and authenticity, an element of believability? What’s
required in era and setting? Character and plot development? In
non-fiction, what is the best way to present facts, figures, philosophy
or experiences? The list goes on. In this article, however, I’d like
to introduce the need for editing more as an ATTITUDE about how we must
look at writing.
Having
basic skills in grammar and expression is an obvious requirement but as
important, and what I’ve seen sorely lacking in most new authors’
work, is a basic knowledge of the elements of their genre. This
is especially true in the case of fiction novel writing.
No
matter your past experience or profession, no matter your mastery of
language skills, there must be an effort to learn the elements required
in your chosen genre - fiction or nonfiction. I’ve literally had to
labor my way through novels written by accomplished journalists or
teachers simply because they didn’t know the elements required in
fiction writing. Regardless how knowledgeable they are in their content
or the nonfiction story they wish to tell, I’ve noticed that few new
writers are aware of how to best present it.
We’ve
all heard the motivator “Practice Makes Perfect” or the more you do
it, the better you’ll become. True, but first you must know what is
required in the mastering of your specific skill. All the practice in
the world won’t make a champion speed skater a figure skater if they
don’t know the elements of figure skating. The same is true in
writing. An award winning essayist can write ten novels but the tenth
will be no better than the first if the elements required in good
fiction are still missing.
Once
you’ve chosen the type of book you want to write, the easiest and best
way to sharpen skills is to read a lot of genre-related books by various
authors. Get a feel for
it. In the role of reader, what moves you and what doesn’t? Before
you start seriously putting a manuscript together, invest in a few How
To books relative to your genre. Get a pocket copy of Strunk and
White’s Elements of Style,
a dictionary, and a Thesaurus. Research
the wealth of information available on the Internet and in your library.
A subscription to Writers Digest
or The Writer magazine is another valuable and affordable asset to all
novice writers. Know how to set up a basic Word Document file that is
manuscript specific.
More
is not necessarily better. Every single word must move the content
forward. Redundancy, repetition and long boring dissertations can be
death for a book. In fiction, the hue and cry is “cut, cut, and
cut!” I’ve copy edited novels that could be improved simply by
cutting a hundred pages or more.
Stay
focused on the plot, the subject, or the message. The reader doesn’t
want to go off on an irrelevant side trail just when you’ve captured
their attention or moved them to the edge of their seat. If it happens
too much, you’ve lost them.
Never
subtly intrude on your character’s personality by inserting
author-driven opinions or assumptions. This is called author
intrusion and it robs your characters of their own voice and
impact.
Never
write with a condescending tone, assuming you have to over describe,
explain and reiterate. If the reader isn’t getting your message or
visualizing your scene, maybe it’s because you aren’t presenting it
with clarity and active tense. In
fiction novels, good dialogue is crucial. There are entire books devoted
to mastering dialogue. Invest in one. Know how to do it and do it well.
Know how to punctuate it. A successful novel depends on it.
Avoid
‘ly’ adverbs describing tone. If your character is angry, make the
comment itself show the anger rather than the continual ‘he said,
angrily’. Or ‘she said, thoughtfully’. Avoid speaker attribution
when it’s obvious who’s speaking. He said/she said after every line
of utterance is the first indicator of bad dialogue.
Write
it like you’d speak it. Make use of contractions frequently. That is
how we speak as a norm and it brings the character to life.
Be
consistent. If you choose to
attempt a dialect, slang, or accent, be familiar with it and be
consistent. If you want to drop g’s, that’s fine, just make sure you
are consistent throughout. It’s most helpful to read your dialogue out
loud, perhaps with a family member taking another speaking part. Feel
the sound of it.
It
is also imperative to remain consistent in verb tense. Don’t start a
sentence in past tense and end it in the present. The one exception may
be found in dialogue.
Punctuation
is probably the most generally abused element in book writing. In most
cases, the hard and fast rules we all learned in high school English
apply. But due to the volume and length in book writing, we are given a
bit of leeway to facilitate the flow of reading, accentuate a style, and
avoid having our book appear like someone dropped bird seed on it.
Over
and above the standard rules of prepositional phrases and dependent
clauses, think of a comma as taking a breath. Again, read your work out
loud and make note of your breathing. The words and,
or, and but don’t automatically call for a comma if the
statement is one fluid thought. Learn
the proper use of a semi-colon and quotation marks. These are quite
likely the most errantly used articles of punctuation. A semi-colon is
used when both elements of the sentence can stand alone. Basically,
it’s a softer rendition of a period. Many use it as replacement for a
comma. Often two short, crisp sentences are more powerful. Nothing is
harder to read than long, seemingly endless sentences peppered with
commas, emphasis quotes and semi-colons.
Too
many quotation marks are distracting for the reader. I call it the picket
fence effect. If you want to call attention or add emphasis, use
italics. Book titles and proper names are now seen italicized in lieu of
quote marks. Single quotes are used only when quoting within a quote.
Don’t continually use them for achieving emphasis.
Limit
overuse of exclamation marks. Doing so lessens the effect when you
really want to show intense emotion.
These
are just a few of the things to consider when beginning the creation of
a book. Writing is a lot of hard work and a continual learning process.
The author is their own first editor by becoming knowledgeable in the
elements of good writing and reading out loud, but we are too close to
our own work to be the only editor. Close family and friends can offer
input and support but, in most cases, shy away from honest critique in
deference to author feelings. Writers need impartial and fresh eyes and
honest critique. I’m an editor, but I’m an author first and my most
valuable asset is my editor. Susan Haley, Author RAINY DAY PEOPLE – A Novel
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