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The fabulous Julie Musil probably doesn't need an introduction, but I'm going to give her one anyway. She's not only a lovely person, but she's made a huge difference to a lot of aspiring authors, including me, with her thoughtful breakdowns of popular books over on her blog, which she does regularly along with some of the most inspirational posts anywhere on the web. Oh, and did I mention she's a writer? : ) Check out her lovely book below!
Creative Stage vs. Analytical Stage by Julie Musil
Has this ever happened to you? You’ve written the story. You’ve edited it. You’ve sent it off to beta readers. You’re prepared to tweak the story using their constructive feedback. You read the suggestions, and...they’re not tweaks. They’re major flaws in the story. You feel like the whole thing is an unredeemable mess.
Can I get an Amen?
If you’ve been there before, or if you’re there now, believe me, I get it. I wrote a story that I absolutely loved, and when I got feedback, I realized I needed to do some serious work before it was ready for other readers. But where to begin? How would I take those helpful comments and put them into practice within the manuscript? The task overwhelmed me.
That’s when my writing buddy, superhero
Leslie Rose, gave me this useful advice:
exit the creative stage, and enter the analytical stage.
Leslie looooves her spreadsheets *shudder*. Leslie advised me to use one of those dreaded thingies to analyze my story. In desperation, I plugged my nose and created columns and rows. And guess what? It worked. I now have a roadmap for fixing weaknesses in my story.
If you’re willing to plug your nose and create one of those dreaded thingies (aka spreadsheet), here are some columns that can help with the analytical stage:
Chapter Number (rows)Self-explanatory, yes?
KeepAfter you’ve skimmed through the chapter, you’ll have an idea of what it’s about. What should you keep? Are there beats or moments that are crucial to the story? World-building that’s necessary for set up? If so, you’ll want to keep those. Write necessary moments and/or emotions in this column.
TossAre there paragraphs in this section that are unnecessary? Blah-blah-blah exposition that can go? Is there a walk-on character that can be deleted? Is there too much information in this scene, which can be threaded in somewhere else in the manuscript to increase tension? Make a note of it in this column.
ObjectiveEach scene should have an objective. Why is this scene here? What does the character hope to accomplish by taking this action in this particular area of the story? If there isn’t a clear objective, now you know what needs to be added.
ObstacleOnce you’ve established the objective of each scene and/or chapter, you can then discern what the character’s obstacles will be. Is the antagonist getting in their way? Is it the weather? An empty gas tank? The character’s own fear? Something or someone should get in the character’s way of reaching their goal. If there are no obstacles in this section, add ideas to your spreadsheet. You can even just remind yourself that you “need obstacles.”
OutcomeWill the character reach her goal within this scene? If so, what will be the new objective and obstacle? If the character does not reach her goal, how does she internalize this? If you don’t like the outcome of this scene, mention why. If you have alternate ideas for the outcome, brainstorm them within your spreadsheet. When it comes time to re-write, you can then choose your new direction.
Spreadsheets are a great tool if you need to set aside the creative stage for a bit and focus on the analytical. You’re still creating, because you’re brainstorming solutions for the problems you’ve found, but you’re now looking at the story with a different side of your brain. You’ve set aside the feel-good-cuz-you’re-a-brilliant-writer mode and entered the cold-calculated-slice-and-dice-master mode.
Yes, it’s time-consuming. Yes, it’s difficult to look at your story objectively. But we want our stories to be the best they can be, even if we must create a dreaded spreadsheet thingie.
Can I get another Amen?
How do you tackle major revisions? Are you as spreadsheet-averse as I am? Do you have other ideas for how to analyze your story from the ground up? Columns we could add to the spreadsheet? Please share!About the Book:
When her protective older brother disappears, sixteen-year-old Melody loses control of her orderly life. Her stuttering flares up, her parents are shrouded in a grief-induced fog, and she clings to the last shreds of her confidence.
The only lead to her brother’s disappearance is a 30-second call from his cell phone to Rex, the leader of a crime ring. Frustrated by a slow investigation with too many obstacles, and desperate to mend her broken family, Melody crosses the line from wallflower to amateur spy. She infiltrates Rex’s group and is partnered with Drew, a handsome pickpocket whose kindness doesn’t fit her perception of a criminal. He doesn’t need to steal her heart—she hands it to him.
With each law Melody breaks, details of her brother’s secret life emerge until she’s on the cusp of finding him. But at what point does truth justify the crime?
Amazon |
Barnes and Noble |
GoodreadsAbout the Author:
Julie Musil writes from her rural home in Southern California, where she lives with her husband and three sons. She’s an obsessive reader who loves stories that grab the heart and won’t let go. Her YA novels
The Summer of Crossing Lines and
The Boy Who Loved Fire are available now. For more information, or to stop by and say Hi, please visit Julie on her
blog, on
Twitter, and on
Facebook.
Website |
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Goodreads
THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY
Win 1 of 2 ARCs of The Notorious Pagan Jones
The Notorious Pagan Jonesby Nina BerryHardcover -- May 26, 2015Harlequin Teen
But all of that is about to change. Pagan's old agent shows up with a mysterious studio executive, Devin Black, and an offer. Pagan will be released from juvenile detention if she accepts a juicy role in a comedy directed by award-winning director Bennie Wexler. The shoot starts in West Berlin in just three days. If Pagan's going to do it, she has to decide fast—and she has to agree to a court-appointed "guardian," the handsome yet infuriating Devin, who's too young, too smooth, too sophisticated to be some studio flack.
The offer's too good to be true, Berlin's in turmoil and Devin Black knows way too much about her—there's definitely something fishy going on. But if anyone can take on a divided city, a scheming guardian and the criticism of a world that once adored her, it's the notorious Pagan Jones. What could go wrong?
Pre-order from Amazon | Pre-order from B&N | Pre-order on Indie Bound
Tell Me What You Think!
How analytical can you get while writing or reading?a Rafflecopter giveaway
We are thrilled to welcome Alex J. Cavanaugh to the blog today as he provides a glimpse into the writing authors face AFTER the deal is done! Alex first made waves, or jumped into hyper-drive, with his Cassa Trilogy, which landed on the Amazon bestseller list. He is also the founder and leader of the wildly popular online Insecure Writers Support Group. Surely that wouldn't describe anyone of us, now would it? Be sure to check it out as well as Alex's newest release, Dragon of the Stars, below.
Writing Doesn’t Stop When the Book’s Finished, A Craft of Writing Post by Alex J. Cavanaugh
Working on a book can take years. We create the first draft, revise, edit, incorporate more changes from critique partners’ suggestions, perhaps hire an editor and edit some more, and finally polish it to perfection. When a publisher says yes, we breathe a sigh of relief. We’re done!
Not so fast. Done? Hardly–we’ve only just begun.
For those who’ve not journeyed down this path yet, let me give you an idea how much MORE writing there is with that one manuscript.
Publisher revisions – No matter how polished, there will be changes. Sometimes minor, such as correcting grammar, clarifying points, tightening the prose, or adding description. Sometimes it’s more involved and results in rewrites or point of view changes. Either way, we will be working on that manuscript several times before our publisher puts it into production. And if we sign with an agent first, that’s an added layer of edits before a publisher ever sees it.
Synopsis – This will involve either adjusting the blurb from the query letter or creating a whole new one. We’ll polish it many times over, passing it back and forth with our publisher. (Unless you’re fortunate and your publisher does this for you.)
Cover art – Some authors have more input than others, but often there is a cover form that needs to be filled out that will give the illustrator a place to begin.
Author bio – Even if we have one already, it will need to be polished and publisher approved, as it will appear on both the book and your site.
Our social media sites – We’ll be ramping up our presence, writing blog posts, Tweets, and more in anticipation of our launch. We’ll be establishing our platform while making contacts. This takes time. It takes reaching out to others and building relationships. It takes becoming part of the community and giving back. Networking that’s done right, with comments, reTweets, and posts that support others, involves a lot of writing.
Website – Sometimes we have to construct our own website, comprised of some of the items above and more. We have to let people know who we are so they will feel a connection.
A marketing plan – Sometimes we’ll need one before signing with a publisher. But afterwards, we’ll definitely need to do our research and create a list. There are so many opportunities, and we don’t want to miss an important one.
Letters and emails – We’ll be contacting bloggers, authors, websites, bookstores, reviewers, schools, etc. We’ll need professional introductory letters when asking for reviews or blurbs. This will be an ongoing marketing effort, even after the book is released.
Online tour – Often there is an online tour during the launch, whether set up by us, our publisher, or a publicist. Requests will come in for interviews and guest posts. Each one will need to be different and fresh. And they can’t simply shout ‘buy my book.’ It will take effort to come up with an interesting topic or angle, one that will make readers comfortable with us and more likely to buy our book. We’ll be writing and polishing these for months, sometimes right down to the wire.
Speeches and more – We might be asked to join a conference panel or give a talk at a convention. We might be invited to speak at a school or an event. The last thing we want to do is go in unprepared. (Especially with kids who can eat us alive!)
Review copy edits – Yes, even after all that polishing, we’ll be editing and correcting some more. There’s always that one elusive typo…
There are a million other details that will require our writing skills, from preparing promotional Tweets to bookmark details. We might have to create our own book trailer. Maybe we’re writing up announcement for our local paper. Maybe we’ve started a newsletter that requires a couple hours of writing time each month. Plus our website content needs to be updated. And if you believe the social media stuff ends shortly after the book is released, think again!
Bottom line, there are a lot more words to write after the manuscript is completed. This can overwhelm some authors. But if we go into it with eyes open, prepared and willing, we’ll enjoy the release of our book that much more.
And then guess what? We get to start all over again.
Happy writing!
About the Book:
The ship of legends…
The future is set for Lt. Commander Aden Pendar, poised to secure his own command and marriage to the queen’s daughter. But when the Alliance declares war on their world, Aden finds his plans in disarray and told he won’t make captain. One chance remains–the Dragon. Lost many years prior, the legendary ship’s unique weapon is Hyrath’s only hope. Can Aden find the Dragon, save his people, and prove he’s capable of commanding his own ship?
Amazon |
Barnes & Noble |
Kobo |
Goodreads What Are the Kargrandes?About the Author:
Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design, graphics, and technical editing. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the
Insecure Writer’s Support Group. He’s the author of Amazon Best-Sellers
CassaStar,
CassaFire, and
CassaStorm.
Website |
Insecure Writers Support Group |
Twitter |
Goodreads -- posted by Susan Sipal,
@HP4Writers
By: scriberess,
on 2/22/2015
Blog:
A. PLAYWRIGHT'S RAMBLINGS
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Sitting down in front of the computer, chin in hand and thinking about playwriting. Again. Note the word, "thinking" but not the actual act of taking fingers to keyboard and producing some worthwhile dialogue. Still further delayed the process by going over finished plays and assessing whether they need fixing or editing, something I'm prone to do in both my writing and painting. Frequently, the end result is ruining any progress on whatever project I'm "fixing."
I'm an inordinate "fixer" of all my artistic undertakings, which really don't require further adjusting. Recently, I applied what I swore were the absolute final strokes to a black and white painting first started three years ago, which has been "fixed" over the years. Perhaps this will be the reality and then again, who knows.
In as far as my plays are concerned, some have been altered to the point where all objectivity has been lost as to the strongest version. Most often, the changes are relegated to small dialogue adjustments or altering what appears to me to be a weak a scene. In the end, a decision has to be made which version is the best version to submit, followed by a period of self-doubt and whether my plays are actually produce-able. Perhaps this is a common pattern with writers in general in that the selection of the right words is paramount to the whole story line. In as far as dialogue is concerned, the character has to utter words and phrases that suit her/his mannerisms, personality and mien and therein lies the challenge.
Although the actual act of submitting plays is a positive move, there is also the self-doubt that creeps in waiting for updates on their fate. Negative thoughts like:
- perhaps the wrong version was sent - whatever that is
- maybe I don't have what it takes to be a "real" playwright
- given the volume of experienced and produced playwrights, many of whom are familiar names to
the public and within the theatre community, do my literary gems stand a chance?
And so the uncertainty continues but something drives me to persevere. The possibility, whatever the odds that there is a theatre "out there" somewhere that will see something special in my plays is enough to keep me going and press on. Meanwhile, some fine tuning of the dialogue and changes to the story arc is required to Dead Writes. Really.
P.S.: just read that Larry David's new play, "Fish In the Dark" is a big hit on Broadway. It should only happen to me! Mazel-tov, Larry...or Mr. David. Good to note that good comedy will always draw a crowd.
Few writers approach revisions with as much love as the initial creative process. But not author Elizabeth Langston. She joins the blog today to give us a fresh, and much appreciated, perspective on how to really dig revisions. And we get to help Elizabeth celebrate the cover reveal of her upcoming book. Congrats, Elizabeth, on a fabulous cover for Wishing for You! Check it out below!
I Heart Revisions: A Craft of Writing Post by Elizabeth Langston
I love revisions. Maybe that’s freakish, but it’s true. For me, edits (no matter how many rounds) are fun! I’d rather “fix” a second draft than write the first.
So today, I’m sharing three of my favorite revision techniques to try with your next draft. I’ve included an exercise with each, plus examples from my book
I Wish.
Rediscover the heart of the storyWhat is the point of your book? What is its “North Star”? Whenever you feel frustrated or distracted during revisions, it helps to have clarity on the emotional core—the heart—of the manuscript.
In one sentence, can you capture what the protagonist strives to achieve or needs to discover? You don’t have to share the sentence with anyone else, so it can be as corny, sweet, or idealistic as you like. The
heart of the story can be whatever helps you—the author—to stay focused.
Write your sentence on an index card, put it in a teaser, or make it your computer’s background. Just have it front and center, so you’ll always know where your story is headed.
Exercise: Write the heart of your story in one sentence. If you can’t think of something original, then:
- borrow a proverb (“slow and steady wins the race”)
- use a movie quote (“there’s no place like home”)
- fill-in-the-blank (“[protagonist] discovers that _________________”)
I WISH Example:
Witness scenes from all perspectivesRead through key scenes multiple times, once from the perspective of all major characters present.
I do this for the emotional, intense, story-changing scenes. I start with the “least” important character there. What does this character know before the scene begins? What does s/he observe in the scene? What does s/he smell, hear, taste, and feel? Does her dialog or reactions reflect her true emotions? Does his presence contribute something important? If not, could the character be removed from the scene?
Once I’ve allowed a character to affect the scene (or not), I go through the scene again in the head of the next character—and then the next, revising as I go.
Exercise: Pick an important scene (from your 1st or 2nd chapter) with at least 3 characters, such as friend & hero & heroine. Get into the friend’s head and experience the scene, especially using all of his/her senses. Is anything missing from the narrative or dialog?
I WISH Example: Lacey argues with Grant (the genie) about her depressed mother—in front of her mother. In the first draft version, Mom says something vaguely hopeless to Lacey after Grant leaves.
I wanted to be part of my mother’s solution. I wanted her children to be the reason for the miracle. “Why does it have to be a stranger who helps you get better?”
“Grant isn’t a stranger.” Her voice sounded weary. “He doesn’t remind me of Josh.”
It was the first time I’d heard her use my stepfather’s name in months. “What does Grant do that I haven’t done?”
“Nothing. It’s just different with him.” Her fingers reached out to smooth my hair. “You don’t get to be a kid anymore, and I can’t even promise when that’ll change.”
When I reread the scene through Mom’s eyes, I realized that she felt regret for how her depression was affecting her daughter. So I let Mom reveal her regret through dialogue.
I wanted to be part of my mother’s solution. I wanted her children to be the reason for the miracle. “Why does it have to be a stranger who helps you get better?”
“Grant isn’t a stranger.” Her voice sounded weary. “He doesn’t remind me of Josh.”
It was the first time I’d heard her use my stepfather’s name in months. “What does Grant do that I haven’t done?”
“Nothing. It’s just different with him.” Her fingers reached out to smooth my hair. “I’m sorry, baby. You don’t get to be a kid anymore, and I can’t even promise when I’ll be able to be the adult again. I’m just…sorry.”
Give all relationships an arcWhen I’m in the first round of revisions, I don’t analyze the subplots; I analyze the protagonist’s most important relationships. I write a mini-description of how each of her relationships evolve over the course of the book—ensuring that I address their status at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.
Exercise: Pick a secondary relationship, such as between the MC and a teacher or employer. How do they feel about each other on page 1? On the final page? Does their relationship arc flow smoothly? Should it?
I WISH Example: When the story opens, Lacey has isolated herself from practically everyone. By the end, I wanted her to have happy or hopeful connections to all people who are important to her.
- Grant; Mom; brother; best friend; former crush: All of these relationships had clear arcs. I only had to tweak and smooth.
- Estranged friend: Lacey remained estranged from her best friend Sara—start to finish—in the first draft. I decided to bring them to more a civil place by the end of the book—which required 2 new scenes.
- Deceased stepfather: Lacey is angry with her late stepdad for leaving a mess in her lap. In the first draft, her anger never went away. But really, she needed closure. I added a new chapter so that Lacey could release her pain and remember how much she’d loved him.
So there you are—3 techniques to consider when you’re revising a manuscript. I borrowed and modified these ideas from a craft book called:
Second Sight: An Editor's Talks on Writing, Revising, and Publishing Books for Children and Young Adults by Cheryl B. Klein. I highly recommend this book.
If you have suggestions for other books on revisions, leave us a comment!About the Author:
I'm Elizabeth Langston, and I write Young Adult (YA) magical realism.
Whisper Falls is a time-travel series set in 18th- and 21st-century North Carolina. The
I Wish series features a "genie with rules." The first books in both series are on sale for 0.99 through February 15th at most e-book retailers. See my blog (
http://authoretc.blogspot.com ) for details.
I live in North Carolina, USA and work in the computer industry for my day job. I have two college-age daughters and one geeky husband. At night, when I'm not writing, I'm watching TV (dance reality shows,
Outlander,
Elementary) or reading (and that is all over the place.)
Website |
Twitter |
Goodreads About the Book:
Wishing For You (I WISH #2): Avail Oct 2015
With high school graduation only months away, Kimberley Rey is eager to discover what her future holds. The next big decision is rapidly approaching--where to apply to college. But this choice is complicated by a memory disability. How will her struggles to remember affect her once she moves away from home?
Help arrives through an unexpected and supernatural gift. Grant is a “genie” with rules. He can give her thirty wishes (one per day for a month) as long as the tasks are humanly possible. Kimberley knows just what to ask for—lessons in how to live on her own.
But her wishes change when she discovers that a good friend has been diagnosed with a devastating illness. As she joins forces with Grant to help her friend, Kimberley learns that the ability to live in the moment—to forget—may be more valuable than she ever knew.
Wishing for You on Goodreads |
I Wish on Amazon |
Whisper Falls on Amazon 
I am thrilled to announce that in addition to bringing you agents of note, we are now including editors as well!
You met my editor, Samantha already, now I'd like to introduce, Deborah Halverson.
Deborah Halverson spent a decade editing books for Harcourt Children's Books before becoming the award-winning author of Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies, Writing New Adult Fiction, the teen novels Honk If You Hate Me and Big Mouth, the picture book Letters to Santa, and three books in the Remix series for struggling readers. She is now a freelance editor, author, writing instructor, and the founder of the popular writers’ advice site DearEditor.com. Deborah also serves on the advisory board for UC San Diego Extension “Children’s Book Writing and Illustrating” certificate program. She speaks extensively at workshops and conferences for writers and edits adult fiction and nonfiction while specializing in teen fiction, New Adult fiction, and picture books. For more about Deborah, visitwww.DeborahHalverson.com.
I secretly wanted to be a writer all my life, but having a practical streak even as a child, I figured I should get a “real job” in the publishing industry. Editor sounded good to me. Fortunately Harcourt Brace (now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) had offices in San Diego at the time. I wouldn’t have to move to New York to pursue an editorial career! I added a copyediting certificate from UCSD to my English degree then applied at Harcourt until the managing editor of the Children’s Books Division took a chance on me. Boy, had I found my people! That was 1995. I learned how to make books in the managing editorial department, then moved over to acquisition, where I worked with veteran and debut authors as they revised and perfected their manuscripts. But that desire to write was still niggling at me. It took seven or eight years, but I finally worked up the courage to see if my dream was worth holding on to. Sure I could write, but could I finish a whole book? And then write another, and another? On the sly, I began what became my debut YA novel,
Honk If You Hate Me. In 2005, as my second novel for children was publishing, I had to give up corporate editorial life to be home with my infant triplets. I hung out my freelance editor shingle, and ten years later I couldn’t be happier. I bring my in-house editorial experience to bear as I work with writers to get their manuscripts ready for submission to editors and agents or for independent publishing.
2. What are some of your favorite YA/children’s books?
I’m a sucker for writers who can give the obvious a fresh spin that startles me in the most moving ways. Salina Yoon melts my heart with the unexpected
Penguin and Pinecone. A friendship between an animal and a pinecone? Inspired!
The Day the Crayons Quit and
If You Find a Rock both celebrate items so common in childhood that we barely notice them anymore.
Kids notice them though… and so did these authors, who found brilliant ways to make us grown-ups take notice once again.
3. What is the biggest difference between an agent and an editor?
It’s crucial to understand the scope of each one’s involvement in your career. An editor is focused on single projects and your potential body of work with that publishing house. Your agent cares about each project, too, but she also has your full career in her sightline. I am very experienced in this business—I could negotiate my own contracts and I’ve got plenty of editorial contacts. Yet I value expert consultation and support for my career so much that I have an agent for my children’s books and an agent for my adult craft books.
4. What have you seen too much of? Not enough of?
With the current enthusiasm for contemporary realistic stories, I see too many manuscripts that showcase above-average writing but fail to deliver a fresh angle on the contemporary teen experience. What makes your story about a regular kid in high school stand out from all those other well written stories about regular kids in high schools? I want to see more great writers find their distinct angles so that they can find publishers and places on bookstore shelves.
5. What title are you most proud of and how did you find the author?
I love every novel I worked on with Jean Ferris. I remember my very first week as an editorial assistant—Jean’s
Love Among the Walnuts was in design stages at Harcourt. Jean’s editor, Diane D’Andrade—my boss—asked me to give the jacket copy a whirl. Eager to impress, I worked on it that night at home, trying to capture the tone and convey the special cleverness of that story. Then I felt it: a
click. It was the first time I experienced that soul-deep connection that strikes an editor when she finds a writer she truly “gets.” Jean is so clever with the words and the stories, and her quirkiness jives with my own. I worked on several other books with Jean as an assistant editor before I started acquiring her manuscripts myself, including
Much Ado About Grubstake and
Eight Seconds.
6. How important are trends when considering work?
Most of the time, books on the market at the height of a trend were written and even acquired before that trend existed. The boring every-day reality of acquisition is editors looking for manuscripts in the genres or styles they enjoy, then singling out those that are exceptionally written and that have noteworthy angles they can play up in cover and promotional copy. They want to love the book and see ways to bring readers’ attention to it.
7. What is more important: character, plot, or world?
I need well developed characters in even the most plot-driven books to feel like I’ve had a satisfying reading experience. As for world, I see that element as more than just the place and time in which we embed our characters. Too many writers stop at those two aspects of world-building and then aim the rest of their story-building efforts at their characters and plot. Having your character
act upon and
react to the time, culture, environment, and props can greatly enrich his characterization and the story as a whole. I see setting get shortchanged too often in manuscripts—to the detriment of the story—so I dedicate a full chapter in each of my craft books to using setting to enhance all other aspects of your story.
8. Literary or commercial?
Oh boy, can I revel in a rich story with layered themes and complex stylings! But I’ve always been a pop culture girl, so toss me a well crafted commercial book any day.
9. What book do you wish you’d edited?
I’m crushing hard on
The Day the Crayons Quit, let me tell you. To have been a part of it’s creation in any way would have been a treat.
10. What’s your favorite part of being an editor?
Learning that a writer I’ve worked with has landed a publishing contract sure rocks my boat, but my greatest pleasure is in the editing itself. I will cheer out loud when I work out that elusive something that can crack open a writer’s revision strategy, and I love it when I’m so excited by a revised manuscript that I fill the margins with happy faces and exclamation points. Helping a writer move her project to the next level is immensely rewarding.
11. Coffee, tea, chocolate — what’s your vice?
I’m sorry, could you repeat that? The word
chocolate hijacked my brain….
Have you wondered what happens once your book is sold and the editing process begins? Then you're in luck because Stina Lindenblatt is here to give us all a behind-the-curtains peek at the editing process. Stina is published by Carina Press and blogs with Querytracker. Having lived in several countries, she now calls Canada home.
Working with an Editor by Stina Lindenblatt
When I first signed with Carina Press (digital imprint of Harlequin), I had no idea what to expect. I’d heard HORROR stories from other authors about the experience (with other publishers). When I was a newbie writer, I assumed if an editor offered you a contract for your book that meant she loved it. And generally, that is true. But that doesn’t mean your book is ready to be published yet. It might mean you have to tweak the story here and there (plus do line and copy edits). Or it might mean you’re facing major rewrites. The second scenario is more common with the second book on contract verses the first, because the editor generally has to love the first book before she forwards her request to the acquisition committee. With the second (or third) book on contract, the editor has no idea what to expect. She’s just hoping she’ll love it as much as she did your first book.
And you’re hoping the same.
Or else you’re in for some major rewrites. And no one enjoys that.
For the most part, you can expect three rounds of edits. Sometimes more. From my own personal experience and the experience of other authors I’ve spoken to, the first round (the developmental edits) will amount to a letter from your editor. This letter could be a single page or it could be fourteen pages (like Libba Bray received for her third book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy). But like the saying goes, size really doesn’t matter. Your editorial letter might be only two pages, and it could still amount to you rewriting a third of your book. If your editor is anything like mine, she’ll start off by highlighting what she loved about your book. If yours does that, REREAD IT A MILLION TIMES each time your stomach knots into a tight ball as you read the rest of her feedback. It will make you feel better and it’s calorie free (as opposed to the chocolate you’ll be tempted to scoff down while reading the editorial letter).
If you’ve sent your book out to beta readers before sending it to your editor, you’ll be familiar with the concept of taking a breath (and possibly a day or two) before tackling the edits. There is one big difference, though, between dealing with your beta’s comments and those of your editor: one you can ignore, the other you can’t. If you don’t agree with what your beta reader said after you’ve given the feedback some distance, then you can ignore it. But make sure it’s not just pride that’s keeping you from agreeing with her. With your editor’s comments, you often don’t have the same luxury of ignoring her feedback. Unless you have a good reason not to, trust her experience and judgment. She might have a very good reason for her comments. For example, your use of a common trope may be cliché. Or she might decide a major plot point is weaker than it should be, and you need to rethink it. A good editor will give you suggestions, and it’s up to you where you go with it.
Hopefully you will have nailed things on this round of edits, but it is still possible that you might need to do a few more back and forths on the developmental edits. Or if you’re lucky, the changes can be dealt with during line edits. After line edits, your manuscript will be sent to the copy editor. Some publishers will also include a round of proof reading.
If your book is under contract, your contract will specify the time frame all of these edits are expected to be done by. Unfortunately, things happen and you might not get the time listed in your contract. For example, instead of one week to hand in copy edits, you have only two days. Not only that, you might be expected to do the edits while you’re on vacation. It all comes down to the production schedule of your publisher, and you often don’t have a say in the matter.
It can be scary when you start working with an editor, but it doesn’t need to be. The most important thing you can do is learn from the experience and let it help you grow as a writer. In the end, it will be worth it.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stina Lindenblatt writes New Adult and adult contemporary romances. In her spare time, she’s a photographer and can be found at her
blog/website and on Twitter at
@StinaLL. She is also a contributing blogger with the Querytracker blog. Her New Adult contemporary romance
TELL ME WHEN and
LET ME KNOW (Carina Press, HQN) are now available.
GoodreadsABOUT THE BOOK
Amber Scott should be enjoying life as a college freshman. She should be pursuing her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She should be working hard to make sense of her precalculus math class.
She shouldn’t be waking up her college roommate with screaming nightmares. She shouldn’t be flashing back, reliving the three weeks of hell she barely survived last year. And she definitely shouldn’t be spending time with sexy player Marcus Reid.
But engineering student Marcus is the only one keeping Amber from failing her math course, so she grudgingly lets him into her life. She never expects the king of hookups will share his painful past. Or that she’ll tell him her secrets in return, opening up and trusting him in a way she thought she’d never be able to again.
When their fragile future together is threatened by a stalker Amber thought was locked away for good, Marcus is determined to protect her—and Amber is determined to protect Marcus…even if that means pushing him away.
Photo by Vicky Lorencen
Maybe you didn’t know it (and maybe it doesn’t show), but in addition to being a writer, I’m an editor. Part of my job as a Communication Specialist is to edit other people’s work. I think about a lot of things when I’m editing, but I guarantee you there’s one thing I never think about . . .
Let me backtrack a sec. Just so you know, there are a lot of things I do think about when I’m editing a piece of non-fiction. For my job, I pour over articles, letters, brochures, ads, scripts and the like. Here are the kinds of questions I ask myself during the editing process:
Who’s the audience for this piece?
What’s the bottom line—the message—to be conveyed?
Does this truly communicate the message or is it a lot of pretty words strung together?
Is there a simpler way to say it?
Could this be tighter? Is there fluff or useless repetition or verbosity . . . (oops, now I’m doing it!)
Is this the best format for this piece? Would subheads help, for example?
Is there a flow and connection throughout?
Is the tone and language appropriate to the message and the audience?
Is there proper use of grammar and punctuation?
Quite a list, isn’t it? So, what “don’t” I think about? I do not think about the author. Hold on. I should be more specific. Maybe it sounds heartless, but I don’t think about the author’s feelings. Sure, when I’m editing, I do try to keep the author’s intent and style in mind. I don’t want to edit to the point that the piece no longer sounds like the author. But as I’m editing, the last thing I care about is the author’s feelings. It’s not even part of the equation.
Here’s what I care about: answering my list of questions above to the best of my ability so that the end product is a clean, eloquent, effective piece of communication. That’s it. I never once ask myself if it would hurt the author’s feelings if I take out an entire paragraph or reorder the piece or change silly things like utilization to a perfectly fine, simpler word like use. And even though that might sound cold, it’s truly a marvelous thing. Think about it–would you rather have your byline attached to a solid piece of writing or a so-so piece? C’mon. Let me hear you say it. Mm-hmm. I thought so.
Why am I telling on myself? I want you to remember this the next time your work is edited or you’re swirling in a vortex of editor comments. Your editor isn’t heartless. Your editor wants to make your work shine. And sometimes that means hauling out the sandblaster and pick ax. It can be painful at the time. But, baby, it’s for your own good. So, try not to take it personally. It really isn’t about you. It’s about making your work better. And what’s not to like about that?
Just don’t touch “my” work!
Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers, a counselling rather than a collaborating task. The tendency of the writer-editor to collaborate is natural, but he should say to himself, ‘How can I help this writer to say it better in his own style?’ and avoid ‘How can I show him how I would write it, if it were my piece?’ – James Thurber
