Once you finish your manuscript, and you’re happy with it, it’s time to send it to an editor. You may think your work is done, but you can actually learn from the process. So what is the best way to get a lot out of the experience? Follow these rules when working with your editor, and reap the benefits for you and your manuscript.
- Make sure your manuscript is as clean as possible.
Let’s rewind a bit. Are you happy with your manuscript, or are you just done with it? Sometimes it’s tough to keep working on a piece for a long time, and that’s especially true of long works. Once you finish writing, give yourself at least a couple weeks—a month if possible—before reviewing the work so you have fresh eyes and don’t insert words or meaning where it doesn’t exist. Then go over the manuscript as thoroughly as possible.
Think about the characters and the story. Do they connect? Do the character relationships make sense? Does your story make sense? Is there adequate conflict? Etc.
Consider how the different chapters align, the order of paragraphs and sentences. Think about the words you use and if they make sense in the context. Finally, think about how you can tighten the manuscript, removing words that are unnecessary and anything repetitious.
Once your manuscript is as clean as you can make it, then you can send it to your editor.
You might be thinking, “Why does it matter? Isn’t it the editor’s job to clean it up anyway?”
Let me put it this way. If you walk in a room where everything has been pulled out of the drawers and off the shelves and thrown all over the floor, much like my house after rampaging preschoolers have been in the room for five minutes, you see a gigantic mess. You might start by picking up all the books, then the dolls, then the dress-clothes, then the kitchen stuff, and so on. When you get through the wreckage, though, are you going to dust and vacuum? Are you going to wipe down the walls? Rearrange knickknacks so they are pleasing to the eye? Probably not.
It’s the same with editing. If the editor has a big mess to clean up (you may not realize it), then the finished product may not be as polished as you like. Where do you want the editor to spend most of their time? Correcting spelling and making sure that you didn’t leave words or punctuation out, or finely tuning the verbiage. Do what you can to make the piece presentable and let the editor delve in to do the best part of her job. You will be much happier with the final product.
2. Ask questions about the type of edit and what is covered in the price.
Always know what you’re getting into with a contract but especially with your book (your baby!). Talk to the editor about what she usually does with a book. Ask to see a sample edit. Ask how many rounds of editing it will go through and if you will be able to see the manuscript at any point. Build a relationship with your editor so she knows your needs and expectations. You don’t want to go into this blindly.
When you decide to work with an editor, you should have a discussion about your expectations and what your plan is for your book. Talk about your vision for the story. Give the editor details so she knows what was going on inside your head when you wrote. This will help the editor clean ambiguous passages a little easier, too.
3. Don’t just accept changes without thinking.
This is one of the biggest mistakes you can make as a writer with a freshly edited manuscript. Do not ever accept changes without reading them through first. Your editor may have been confused about your intent and rewritten an awkward sentence to mean something completely different. I usually mark sentences that I think could fall into this category, but I might not pick up on everything that was ambiguous.
Another reason to review the changes is to see what the editor is correcting. This will help you pick up on your frequent mistakes and give you a clue about what is confusing. It lets you know what the editor is looking for. It helps you see how the editor changed the manuscript to make it read smoother.
This is a huge learning opportunity! If you want to improve your writing, which any good writer should want to do, then pay attention to the edits.
I can’t tell you how many times I swallowed my pride and waded through red ink to read comments and figure out where I could have been clearer, crisper, or more concise. Although I have learned a lot of my years of being edited, I still have much to learn. I was just asked recently why I made a decision to word something a certain way because it indicated that the person had changed genres. I apologized and stated that my intent was to indicate breadth of talent not a change in career. That’s one I will watch out for in the future!