Editors- You DO Need Them

By Dale T. Phillips

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Editors are essential to improving your work and aiding your success. Most writers are blind to the faults in their own writing, despite being sharp about discovering them in every other printed work. I’m no exception, and though I’m paid to evaluate and edit other manuscripts, I still pay another good editor to help make my manuscripts better. However, when I send my manuscript to my editor, I’ve done a great deal of cleanup beforehand, to give her less work to do. Note that some editors charge by the page, which is a crap system. Something that needs a lot of cleanup takes far more time than a very clean page, so go for editors who work hourly, to save yourself money. And get honest ones- my editor thought the latter half of a novel needed rewriting, so sent it back for revisions before spending hours editing something that would be significantly changed. 

There are different types of editors and editing, and disagreement about which is which, as some of these terms are variable. Some combine more than one of these in their inclusive editing. Know up front what you’re getting and paying for.

• Manuscript evaluation/appraisal— This high-level check is for the essential quality of your manuscript. Does it work as a book? Does it have commercial viability? Does it have the elements it needs for publication, or are there major problems which must be corrected first?

• Developmental or Story editing— This is a check that the structural story works as it is, or may need chapters/characters moved around, added/deleted, or simply further detail in certain areas. Completed story arcs?

• Line editing— This check is for content and flow, things like consistency of voice, point-of-view, tone, and clarity, and slack writing which may sag or need some punching up.

• Copy editing— This type drills down to the precision bits on a word-for-word basis, usually working to a style type or sheet. Different copyeditors work using different standards, though, so make sure you agree with yours. 

• Proofreading— Checking for any and every error, in text, layout, numbering, placement, etc.

• Fact checking— If you have a manuscript with a lot of facts in it, you may need one of these editors for verification of the information you’ve included.

Because most Indie writers don’t have a lot of surplus income, they blanch when told they MUST have a good editor for their work, before it goes out to the buying public. Since good editing runs $50 or more per hour, they despair at not having hundreds of dollars to make their work better. Especially when they hear that there are different levels of editing, and the work might need more than one editing pass. Ouch! When you’re talking about a thousand dollars or more for each book, that’s real money to most writers.

And if the writer is expecting an editor to wear all those hats and correct all the errors in a manuscript in one pass, and to do it cheaply, well, that’s like looking for unicorns. So the money-impaired writer is tempted to skip the process altogether, or to assume a publisher (if they go that route) will take care of that. Skipping (or even skimping) on editing is a bad business decision that will adversely affect a writing career. As a reader, when I encounter a poorly-edited book, I seldom read that author again. If their story wasn’t even worth an editing pass, then it’s not worth wasting my time to read it, or anything else by them. So what’s a poor writer to do?

It’s never too early to start your search for a good editor, to get them lined up for when you’ve got a work ready for their red pen. Know what type of editing you’ll be getting for the money and get some samples up front. Many writers got burned paying for poor levels of edits they didn’t want or need. You’ll need to do some careful research for this one, to find someone you’re comfortable working with, who can be trusted to work in a timely fashion, and who provides quality for the price. You can start an editing fund right away, even if it’s a few bucks a week. Forego the pricey coffee, young hipster, and bank those four dollars so your work will be better. Your stories are worth it, aren’t they?

Here are some ways to get your manuscript in shape BEFORE you send it to the editor. The less work the well-paid editor does, the less you pay. You’ll see that each method described here will do some of the work of different editors. It’ll catch a lot of simple stuff, but it’s extra work that takes an editor more time to point out and mark up.

• Study about feedback, using beta readers, writing groups, and workshops. Get advance feedback for your work through the methods described there. Story edits for flaws can cause massive rewrites, driving up the cost of your editing, and taking a lot of extra time. When your story passes muster with all your free feedback sources, then send it on to a pro.

• Our brains play tricks when scanning text, gliding over mistakes, so copy the text into a different type of file, and change the font, and the size, and print it out. You’ll catch a lot of things you didn’t see before.

• Get a helper, someone to listen, and read through your work- slowly. Do this in stages, so you don’t overdo it. Mistakes will sound like dull clunks in many cases. You’ll wince when hearing some of the stuff you wrote that looked okay on paper. Mark it all and fix that stuff!

• Some people recommend reading it backwards. If that floats your boat, go for it. Haven’t tried that one yet.

Check with the editor in advance when you know you’ll soon have a manuscript for them. They might be busy for weeks with the work of someone else, and you don’t want to have your manuscript sitting around. Once you’ve put in all the free feedback, and had other eyes on the text, NOW you’re ready for a proven, paid set of eyes for your work. You’ll swear up and down your manuscript is perfect, but you’ll be shocked to discover what you missed when you get it back. 

On the path to success, quality is necessary to establish a trusted “brand”- with clean, well-told stories, your audience will grow. Having a lot of mistakes in your manuscript will get you dinged in reviews, and may convince some to not buy or read it. Lay the groundwork for a long-term writing career you can be proud of.

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Dale T. Phillips has published novels, story collections, non-fiction, and over 80 short stories. Stephen King was Dale's college writing teacher, and since then, Dale has found time to appear on stage, television, radio, in an independent feature film, and compete on Jeopardy (losing in a spectacular fashion). He's a member of the Mystery Writers of America and the Sisters in Crime. 

www.daletphillips.com

Targeting Enemy Words

By James Glass

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Writers are notorious for their love of words. Because of this, we have a hard time targeting certain words as enemies. If you don’t take the time to dig deep in your manuscript, searching for enemy words, you risk weakening your story. This robs the reader of your full potential and they may decide to put your book down.

Watch out for empty words in your writing. The word ‘was’ is a sign of the dreaded passive voice, which places a distance between you and the reader. Sometimes ‘was’ is unavoidable, but use it often and the story becomes diluted and boring. Look for stronger verbs that impart real meaning.

Look for crutch words. These are the words writers fall back on when we can’t find a better way to express what’s going on. This often occurs when we dilute the force of what we’re trying to say, but the effect usually muddles the story.

Another commonly overused word is ‘very’, so watch out for it. To help you determine which words are your crutches, go back through the draft of the last thing you finished. Read through the pages with an eye for frequently used words, especially in the same paragraph. Make a list of the words you use often. Once you target them, these words will stand out. This doesn’t mean you can’t use them, but limit the amount of playing time they have in your story.

The most common enemy words are adverbs. Ninety percent of the time, they are unnecessary. The awful thing about most adverbs is you can cut them without changing the structure of your sentence.

Here’s one example. Jack nodded slightly. Talk about wishy-washy. Jack either nodded or he didn’t.

Here’s another. Cindy talked excitedly.

If you want us to see Cindy talk excitedly, add action, not adverbs. We tend to add adverbs thinking they will give extra impact, only to discover it’s weak writing. Comb your first drafts searching for adverbs to cut. Save the best ones for when you really need them, and they will have a bigger impact.

Here’s a list of 10 commonly overused words or phrases. Go back and see how you can delete them. If you can’t, figure a way to rewrite the sentence and make the story tighter. 

1. In order to

This is one of the flabbiest phrases I see in writing. People use it, but not one sentence stops working if ‘in order to’ is deleted. Replace with ‘to’, which has the same meaning. This one minor change will make the statement clearer.

2. Really

If you’re saying someone is ‘really’ tall, you’re missing the mark. How tall are they? Readers want you to show them, not tell them. With that in mind, swap this vague term for a more accurate descriptor. If you can’t be more descriptive, delete the word.

3. A lot

‘A lot’ is similar to ‘really’ in terms of vagueness. Saying something is ‘a lot’ different than it used to be robs your readers of an experience. While they understand something has changed, they don’t know what. Provide more specific information so the reader can make good decisions and connect with you on a deeper level.

4. Just

The only time ‘just’ has a place in your content is when you’re talking about something being ‘fair.’ For example, ‘The trial was just.’ Uses of ‘just’ to imply something small or inefficient (e.g., ‘She just couldn’t take the heat anymore.’) doesn’t add anything. In most cases, you can remove this word without affecting the sentence’s meaning.

5. That

‘That’ may seem like an inoffensive word, but it’s usually not necessary. For example, “These are the best pair of shoes that I’ve ever worn” could be changed to, “These are the best pair of shoes I’ve ever worn.”

6. Then

‘Then’ makes your writing stammer, which is the opposite of what you want. To smooth your text, remove the word whenever the sentence makes sense without it. And don’t start sentences with ‘then’ because it makes them clunky and difficult to read.

7. So

‘So’ is another word that doesn’t do much. Despite this, many people use it, particularly as a transition or explanatory word. Delete the word and, in most cases, your readers will thank you.

8. Got

‘Got’ is a lazy word because it doesn’t tell people much about how or why someone got something. Instead, use words that add power, such as ‘obtained’ and ‘earned.’

9. Often

‘Often’ teases readers by telling them something happens frequently without being clear. Replace ‘often’ with specific descriptions, such as ‘five times a week’ or ‘every year.’

10. Very

Perhaps the laziest descriptive word of all, ‘very’ can be deleted without taking away the intended meaning of what you’re trying to convey. Go back and replace the combination with a single, stronger adjective. For example, instead of saying ‘very beautiful,’ use ‘gorgeous.’ Replace ‘very intelligent,’ with ‘brilliant.’

When editing, circle or highlight all the empty words in red. Try rewriting those sentences with stronger verbs. This forces you to restructure the sentence making it sound more active.

Circle or highlight all the adverbs you find in yellow. Check how the sentences sound without them. If the meaning isn’t changed, cut them. Be sure to read aloud. By reading out loud, you hear the flow instead of relying on your writer’s voice alone.

When you finish, you will end up with a cleaner, more efficient prose. Something your readers and editors will both enjoy.

Happy writing.

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James Glass achieved the rank of Command Master Chief before retiring after 22 years in the United States Navy. After retiring from the Navy, he exchanged his rifle for a pen. He and his family moved back to Florida. James is also the president of the Panhandle Writers Group. He’s published five novels, one novella, and two (you solve the crime) chapter books.