Be a Better Writer--WORKING WITH AN EDITOR
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2015 8:55 am
Since I retired almost six years ago, I’ve been freelancing as an editor. Many of my clients are present or former FaithWriters; others have found me on Facebook (as Superior Editing Services). Over these past six years, I’ve compiled a mental list of things I wished my clients knew before our editing collaboration began, and for this week’s lesson, I decided to share that list with you.
I also reached out to several other editors I know for their additions to this list. There were some things that we all agreed on, others that were only issues for one or two of us. I’ve included them all, and if any of them seem to conflict with each other, I’d recommend that you clarify it with your own editor when you’re in very early stages of the process.
So…if you’re getting something ready for editing, here are some things to keep in mind.
1. If most of your writing so far has been for FaithWriters, you should keep in mind that the single-spaced, block paragraph format you’re accustomed to using here isn’t the preferred format for most editors. Send your MS (manuscript) to your editor double-spaced, with indented paragraphs, and with no extra blank space between the paragraphs, please.
2. For those indented paragraphs, use the ‘tab’ key—don’t indent manually using repeated hits of the space bar. Better still, if you know how to select a format for your MS that automatically indents paragraphs, do that.
3. Use Times New Roman, size 12, throughout the entire MS. Don’t use any fancy fonts, and keep formatting to an absolute minimum. Additionally, don’t include pictures, illustrations, pretty borders, and the like. Those are things that can be worked on once the editing is done, and you’ll want a designer to do that. They interfere with the editor’s job, though.
4. There should only be one space after each period. If you have a hard time re-training yourself to type that way, use the ‘find and replace’ function of your word processing program to get rid of all the extra spaces at once.
5. Before you send off your MS, use spell check and grammar check, but don’t expect them to catch everything or to always be correct. If grammar check suggests a change, consider it carefully, but don’t automatically make the suggested change. Your best resource for finding errors is you—read your MS out loud. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find that way.
6. Try to find two or three friends who will do a read-through of your MS to catch typos and other glaring errors before you send it to an editor.
7. If your MS is non-fiction, be sure that you’ve cited everything that needs to be cited (quoted passages, scripture) and that you’ve obtained any necessary permissions (for lyrics and the like). Know and use the correct format for citing scripture and quoted material from other sources.
8. Understand the different levels of editing. If you Google “levels of editing,” you’ll find that every site has a different list and a different way of defining what happens at each level of editing. So here’s my greatly simplified list (but certainly discuss this with your editor):
a. Proofreading—the editor looks for typos, misspelled words, errors of punctuation, grammar mistakes, and the like.
b. Medium-level editing—includes proofreading. In addition, the editor looks for sentences or paragraphs that need to be re-worked for any of several issues (awkwardness, voice, word choice, tense, POV, among others).
c. Substantive editing—includes proofreading and medium-level editing. In addition, the editor examines such issues as character development, plot consistency, fact-checking and research, some suggested re-writes of problem areas.
9. Some editors use different terms for these; you’ll want to be sure that you and your editor are clear on what is needed. If you think all you need is proofreading, and your editor thinks you need medium-level or substantive editing, be prepared to take a deep breath and let it go. I’ve had people ask me to proofread their MS—but that’s not what I do. In fact, I’d find it impossible to just proofread a MS—and I’ve never once been given an MS that only needed proofreading (although often that’s what the writer thought it needed).
10. To continue the thought from the previous point: there’s a famous quote that’s been attributed to several different writers, from Faulkner to Wilde to Chekov. Kill your darlings. Whoever said it, the meaning is clear—in the editing process, you’re going to have to be prepared for the deaths of some of your favorite things in the MS. Trust your editor. You hired her because she knows what she’s doing. Come to an agreement with her about disputed passages/plot points/characters—you may decide to resurrect some that she has slashed (but try not to). She knows what she’s doing.
11. An editor won’t do a total re-write. If you need that, or if all you’ve got is a barely-fleshed-out idea, hire a ghostwriter.
12. Have a thick skin. When I’m editing, I rarely take time to note passages that work, so you’ll see lots and lots of red ink and slashes. It may seem as if your editor is overly critical. Don’t take it personally and don’t fight with her, saying that your previous readers loved that passage or that you always thought a semicolon went there.
13. If your editor points out something about your writing that she frequently has to tweak—stop doing that thing. Let her teach you.
14. Learn how to use the note feature of your word processing program, and how to accept or reject changes.
15. Expect to come up with a contract, and to pay at least some in advance. Discuss payment plans and mutually agreeable timelines for different stages of the contract to be completed. If there are extensive re-writes, expect to pay extra. All of this applies even if the editor is a good friend. Contracts may seem unnecessary or awkward with your friend, but editing is her job. Please don't ask her to do something for you for free.
You’ll notice that I didn’t include here what you should expect to pay an editor. Fees vary widely, depending on many factors: the level of editing needed, the urgency of the timeline, whether there will be additional MSs from the same client (among others). Each editor sets her rate and her payment schedule according to her own factors. My custom, for example, is to do 1,000 free words before I set up a contract with a client. That way I can determine how much editing will be needed, and the prospective client can see how I edit and if that’s what she actually had in mind. Once I’ve done the free 1,000 words, we discuss all the terms of the contract. I’m open to negotiation of my fee, and I occasionally give discounts for large jobs.
Other editors will have their own procedures for determining how much they’ll charge for a given job. FaithWriters has several experienced editors; if you go here and scroll down a bit, you can read about each one.
Now that you’ve read this—any questions? Comments? Did anything here surprise you?
If you've worked with an editor, is there anything you'd add to this list from the writer's point of view? Anything that you wished the editor would have done differently? Anything that made the process easier for you? (If that editor was me, go ahead and gripe about it. I can take it.)
I also reached out to several other editors I know for their additions to this list. There were some things that we all agreed on, others that were only issues for one or two of us. I’ve included them all, and if any of them seem to conflict with each other, I’d recommend that you clarify it with your own editor when you’re in very early stages of the process.
So…if you’re getting something ready for editing, here are some things to keep in mind.
1. If most of your writing so far has been for FaithWriters, you should keep in mind that the single-spaced, block paragraph format you’re accustomed to using here isn’t the preferred format for most editors. Send your MS (manuscript) to your editor double-spaced, with indented paragraphs, and with no extra blank space between the paragraphs, please.
2. For those indented paragraphs, use the ‘tab’ key—don’t indent manually using repeated hits of the space bar. Better still, if you know how to select a format for your MS that automatically indents paragraphs, do that.
3. Use Times New Roman, size 12, throughout the entire MS. Don’t use any fancy fonts, and keep formatting to an absolute minimum. Additionally, don’t include pictures, illustrations, pretty borders, and the like. Those are things that can be worked on once the editing is done, and you’ll want a designer to do that. They interfere with the editor’s job, though.
4. There should only be one space after each period. If you have a hard time re-training yourself to type that way, use the ‘find and replace’ function of your word processing program to get rid of all the extra spaces at once.
5. Before you send off your MS, use spell check and grammar check, but don’t expect them to catch everything or to always be correct. If grammar check suggests a change, consider it carefully, but don’t automatically make the suggested change. Your best resource for finding errors is you—read your MS out loud. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find that way.
6. Try to find two or three friends who will do a read-through of your MS to catch typos and other glaring errors before you send it to an editor.
7. If your MS is non-fiction, be sure that you’ve cited everything that needs to be cited (quoted passages, scripture) and that you’ve obtained any necessary permissions (for lyrics and the like). Know and use the correct format for citing scripture and quoted material from other sources.
8. Understand the different levels of editing. If you Google “levels of editing,” you’ll find that every site has a different list and a different way of defining what happens at each level of editing. So here’s my greatly simplified list (but certainly discuss this with your editor):
a. Proofreading—the editor looks for typos, misspelled words, errors of punctuation, grammar mistakes, and the like.
b. Medium-level editing—includes proofreading. In addition, the editor looks for sentences or paragraphs that need to be re-worked for any of several issues (awkwardness, voice, word choice, tense, POV, among others).
c. Substantive editing—includes proofreading and medium-level editing. In addition, the editor examines such issues as character development, plot consistency, fact-checking and research, some suggested re-writes of problem areas.
9. Some editors use different terms for these; you’ll want to be sure that you and your editor are clear on what is needed. If you think all you need is proofreading, and your editor thinks you need medium-level or substantive editing, be prepared to take a deep breath and let it go. I’ve had people ask me to proofread their MS—but that’s not what I do. In fact, I’d find it impossible to just proofread a MS—and I’ve never once been given an MS that only needed proofreading (although often that’s what the writer thought it needed).
10. To continue the thought from the previous point: there’s a famous quote that’s been attributed to several different writers, from Faulkner to Wilde to Chekov. Kill your darlings. Whoever said it, the meaning is clear—in the editing process, you’re going to have to be prepared for the deaths of some of your favorite things in the MS. Trust your editor. You hired her because she knows what she’s doing. Come to an agreement with her about disputed passages/plot points/characters—you may decide to resurrect some that she has slashed (but try not to). She knows what she’s doing.
11. An editor won’t do a total re-write. If you need that, or if all you’ve got is a barely-fleshed-out idea, hire a ghostwriter.
12. Have a thick skin. When I’m editing, I rarely take time to note passages that work, so you’ll see lots and lots of red ink and slashes. It may seem as if your editor is overly critical. Don’t take it personally and don’t fight with her, saying that your previous readers loved that passage or that you always thought a semicolon went there.
13. If your editor points out something about your writing that she frequently has to tweak—stop doing that thing. Let her teach you.
14. Learn how to use the note feature of your word processing program, and how to accept or reject changes.
15. Expect to come up with a contract, and to pay at least some in advance. Discuss payment plans and mutually agreeable timelines for different stages of the contract to be completed. If there are extensive re-writes, expect to pay extra. All of this applies even if the editor is a good friend. Contracts may seem unnecessary or awkward with your friend, but editing is her job. Please don't ask her to do something for you for free.
You’ll notice that I didn’t include here what you should expect to pay an editor. Fees vary widely, depending on many factors: the level of editing needed, the urgency of the timeline, whether there will be additional MSs from the same client (among others). Each editor sets her rate and her payment schedule according to her own factors. My custom, for example, is to do 1,000 free words before I set up a contract with a client. That way I can determine how much editing will be needed, and the prospective client can see how I edit and if that’s what she actually had in mind. Once I’ve done the free 1,000 words, we discuss all the terms of the contract. I’m open to negotiation of my fee, and I occasionally give discounts for large jobs.
Other editors will have their own procedures for determining how much they’ll charge for a given job. FaithWriters has several experienced editors; if you go here and scroll down a bit, you can read about each one.
Now that you’ve read this—any questions? Comments? Did anything here surprise you?
If you've worked with an editor, is there anything you'd add to this list from the writer's point of view? Anything that you wished the editor would have done differently? Anything that made the process easier for you? (If that editor was me, go ahead and gripe about it. I can take it.)