Editing Day

I'm ready to start a final read through of my latest novel, The Marine's Heiress, before sending it to my editor at New Concepts Publishing. I'm still worried about the balance between my science fiction and the romance in the novel, but I expect it to be a clean manuscript.

Clean means it will have a minimum of spelling and grammatical errors. I will also try to make sure it is formatted in the manner my publisher likes it. Many small publishers operate on thin budgets and the less work I cause them, the quicker they will get my book ready to put in the lineup for release.

Editing is work for me, even more so than writing a first draft. I do best when I do this last read through with few interruptions. I will spend hours on it and every hour I'm away from it I'll be thinking about it.

I'm not an editing expert but there are lots of places to go where experts have shared their experience with the rest of us. Just goggle editing tips. Here's one I read over before starting a new edit.

Sometimes editing can be overwhelming so never hesitate to ask for advice. If you have critique partners and alpha or beta readers they are invaluable but when it comes to the end, you must take the responsibility for getting it all right.

On the other hand, I enjoy the editing experiences I've had with New Concepts Publishing and Crescent Moon Press. It will be a relief to hand it all over to the professionals.

Do you keep editing tips by your side when you're working on revision? Any favorites that you turn to again and again? Ever have a bad experience with an editor?

This Time of Year

I hate the cold. I hate getting out of a warm bed in the morning. Like many of you, I'm sure, I keep my house in general on the cool side to save energy costs and the bedroom is a little frosty in the mornings.  But...there's always on of those...I do get a lot of writing done in the winter because I stay indoors as much as possible.

My editor at New Concepts Publishing shocked me yesterday with the return of my manuscript with all the first edits done and ready for me to go through again. I wasn't expecting it until next month. Guess that makes my plans for this weekend pretty solid. And the temperatures are going to dip again so it's inside for me.

But next year at this time, I hope to take a mini vacation/writing retreat of sorts to a warm weather location and do some writing in the sunshine. Did I mention I hate the cold? I'm  not a huge fan of the beach because the ocean is so durn noisy and so are the people lounging about there. But early morning walks and digging my toes into the sand sound pretty good right now.

We had a little snow for Christmas and that's enough for me. I'm ready for a little warm weather and outdoor exercise.

So this weekend, I'll be watching some Dr. Who and editing a manuscript for what feels like the 1000th time. I'll also be wishing for warmer weather.

What are your plans for the weekend? Is winter dragging on for you or you one of those cold weather fiends? Are you keeping your house cooler than you used to?

Not Enough Flossing

A few days ago I had my six month check up and cleaning at the dentist except because I had to change my original appointment it was over eight months since my last visit.  I used that as my excuse as the hygienist gave me a lecture about flossing more often and doing a better job of it.

As I drove home, enjoying the freshness of newly polished teeth, I realized flossing is a lot like editing.  You have to make time to do it, and you have to do a thorough job of it.  There are tools to help you, different proven methods and you're better for it when it's done. 

Flossing isn't fun and sometimes neither is editing.  Reading over the same manuscript time after time can frustrate a writer.  It's tempting to get lazy and hurry through the process but you need to hit between every tooth each time you do it.  When editing you have to read every word, contemplate every comma, and weigh the importance of every sentence and scene. 

Even though I brush every day and floss most days, I still need professional help from the dentist.  Editing is like that too.  No matter how good you are at it, you need a professional to fine tune it and make it the best it can be.  With more and more writers going the self-publishing route, I think there will be a greater demand for free lance book editors to help writers polish their work.

Have you ever used a free lance editor for one of your books?  Do you do editing for authors? Would you pay an editor to prepare a book for self publishing? What do you see as a reasonable fee for such?

Sword-Sharp Scenes

The great Alfred Hitchcock once said, “A good story is life with the dull parts taken out.” I suppose that is exactly how we want our novels to read. No dull parts or scenes.

As I edit a first draft, I evaluate each scene and decide if it’s necessary and are there ways to make it better. Is there conflict or tension in every scene or perhaps it hints of further conflict to follow.

Deepening character relationships or revealing the emotions of said characters adds weight to a scene. Does the scene reveal an important clue to upcoming events or character motivations? Is the scene in the best POV for effective story telling?

Once I’m sure I must keep a scene I will try to tighten it a little. Can I start it later in the action or end it sooner to leave the reader wanting more?

And this leads to the final test. Does the scene compel the reader to keep going? How many times have you read a book before bed intending to stop at the end of the next scene? But you can’t stop after that one and go one more and one more until the clock reads one in the morning and you have to get up in five hours to get ready for work?

So take out the dull parts of your story. Make each scene work to keep the reader turning the pages. What things do you look for in a scene? Do you find yourself removing entire scenes during edits?