Few things satisfy a writer as much as typing those two little words: the end. Once the feelings of pride and elation fade, though, you’ll likely start wondering what comes next for your beautiful manuscript. Editing may seem like a logical next step. The sooner an experienced professional can lay eyes on your hard work, the sooner you can take your manuscript from draft to published masterpiece, right?
Well, not necessarily. Before you google “best book editors,” there are a few things every writer should take time to do.
Take a Break
Writing is intense cognitive work, and your brain deserves a break from your manuscript. Close your document or notebook and don’t open it for at least two weeks. Watch that show on Netflix everyone’s talking about. Go on long walks. Journal or write some poetry. Pick up a couple books from the library and immerse yourself in someone else’s writing for a bit. Resting will give you a fresh perspective on your manuscript, and you’ll be more objective about its strengths and weaknesses as you move into revisions.
Workshop Your Manuscript
Hopefully, you’ve already been receiving feedback from a trusted critique partner or two as you’ve worked through your first draft, but if you haven’t yet joined or built a community of like-minded critique partners and beta readers, now is the time (but don't look for them among family and friends). They are invaluable resources for any writer. Critique partners are fellow writers who swap work on a chapter-by-chapter basis, while beta readers are readers or writers who read completed manuscripts from the perspective of the target audience. Both can help you catch inconsistencies, vague descriptions, major plot holes, and other issues in your manuscript.
Revise and Rewrite
Ernest Hemingway famously said, “The only kind of writing is rewriting.” Very rarely do writers, even well-established ones, churn out a tight, well-told story on draft one, two, or even three. Stories are stubborn, complex things, and it takes extensive brainstorming, reshaping, and troubleshooting to get each piece functioning as effectively as possible.
Even though you’ve already slogged through dozens (or hundreds) of hours to get your early drafts on paper, it’s often in later drafts that your brain will start to make crucial connections. By being patient through this process, you will start to figure out how to solve tricky plot holes, make your least favorite character feel three-dimensional, or refine your narrative voice.
Related: Self-Editing Part 1: Getting Started
Take Another Break—or Two
I can’t stress this enough. I once heard an author in my local writer’s association say that letting a manuscript rest for as long as a year was key to successful revision. At first, I thought this advice was ridiculous. Why should anyone wait that long before revising a manuscript?
A while later, I decided to pick up a manuscript I’d put away a few years before. At that time, I couldn’t see how to fix its central problems. During my time away from this manuscript, I had completed several drafts of another manuscript. I’d increased my craft knowledge through reading in my genre, workshopping, and participating in classes and local writing conferences. I’d also had some significant life experiences that helped me understand the story I wanted to tell better. When I finally reread my manuscript, I realized just what it needed to advance to the next stage of development, and I felt ready to recommit to it.
While we don’t all necessarily need to take breaks of a year or more before starting another round of revisions, extended periods of rest can make all the difference to the next draft of your manuscript.
You don’t need to move between these steps chronologically or within a certain time frame—rather, you should transition fluidly between them until you feel you have accomplished all you can on your own. Once you’ve used all your resources to the best of your ability, you are ready to hire an editor for a developmental edit.
Why Does this Process Matter?
All this resting, revising, and workshopping may seem excessive, especially when you consider that it might take a year or even two to complete it. But if you can be patient and tenacious enough to work through this process, you’re more likely to have a successful editing experience that will help you achieve your publication goals. Here’s why:
-The editor can help you accomplish more in less time
Editors are often praised as miracle workers, but in reality there is only so much we can do with an underdeveloped story with massive plot holes, flat characters, confusing narration, or poor pacing during one or two rounds of editing. While we can certainly help you find and address these issues, you’ll likely need to complete another significant developmental edit after working through the first round of editing, especially if you want to attract agents or publishers.
If you initiate a developmental edit when your story is in its later stages of development, one round of editing will be much more likely to bring it to a publishable level, and your manuscript will stand out among the underdeveloped manuscripts that dominate most slush piles.
-You will implement the editor’s feedback more successfully
While editors are experts on storytelling, we cannot turn an author with still-developing skills into an advanced writer. While we can steer you in the right direction as you work on your manuscript, our edits can’t provide a substitute for the long hours of learning and practice every author must log in order to become advanced storytellers. Swapping work with critique partners, beta reading other writers’ manuscripts, and revising your manuscript at least several times will go a long way to honing your writing skills.
The better your revision and rewriting skills and the more extensive your writing and storytelling knowledge, the better you will incorporate the editor’s feedback and recommendations into your next draft.
-It will save you money
Editors charge more to edit a manuscript that is in rough shape. If the manuscript has systemic, fundamental issues, it’s going to take more work and time to help the client improve it. Developmental edits are the most expensive type of edit, so if you submit a manuscript that is as clean and tight as possible, you will get a better value for your money. In addition, you will likely need just one round of developmental editing rather than two or more, reducing your costs even further.
Can I Begin Working With an Editor Before I'm Ready for a Developmental Edit?
Yes! It’s common for writers to get stuck during revisions. Sometimes, they can benefit from an editor’s opinion to help them decide if their book is ready for a developmental edit. Other times, writers need a bit of professional guidance to help them get back on the right track. And in still other cases, a writer might feel they could benefit from a developmental edit but they have a limited budget. I offer a few services that can help.
-A consultation
I enjoy educating writers about their options, and I try to fill each 30-minute consultation, held over Zoom, with information and resources authors can use immediately. When I book a meeting with a writer, I send them a brief survey that prompts them to share basic information about their project and upload a short writing sample. This allows me to come to the meeting ready to discuss the writers’ unique goals and needs and suggest the best way for them to move forward.
-A partial manuscript review
The first third of a manuscript is often the most difficult to write successfully because it provides the foundation for the entire book. There are many elements that must work together seamlessly in a book’s beginning, including character establishment, worldbuilding, inciting incidents, and narrative voice. In a partial manuscript review, I examine the first chapters of the manuscript and provide you with clear feedback on its current effectiveness and the best ways to improve it.
-A full manuscript review
With this service, I look at the entire manuscript and evaluate its overall effectiveness in terms of character development, story arc, pacing, dialogue, worldbuilding, and narrative style. It’s essentially a lighter, less-structured version of a developmental edit. While it doesn’t replace a developmental edit, it still gives writers an in-depth perspective on how to address the most pressing issues during their next round of revisions. For many authors, this is a cost- and time-effective way to receive professional, focused feedback, no matter what shape their manuscript is in.
Are you ready for a free consultation? Click here to contact me!