De-mystifying the Editing Process: Pt. 3
Common mistakes and final thoughts
Common Editing Mistakes to Avoid
In my last post, I talked tips to help with the editing process. Things that can help shift your perspective and give you fresh eyes, tools you can utilize to speed up multiple rounds of edits, and why more than one round of editing is important. This week, I want to touch on the flip-side of that coin. Common missteps.
Overlooking Consistency
Readers are smart, but making them work too hard can turn them off your writing. Characters, places, and the timeline of the plot should be consistent throughout the book. If you’re having trouble with this, try making an outline or notes to track details of these key elements.
Consistency throughout your manuscript keeps readers from getting confused. The easier your story is to follow, the more likely someone will continue reading it. Inconsistency =/= complexity. Complex stories often have the most consistency in order for a reader to remain fully immersed!
Ignoring Passive Voice
One of the first things I do during a copyedit is scan the manuscript for passive voice. That’s not to say passive voice doesn’t have its place within writing, but many people overuse it without realizing they’re doing so. The more you utilize active voice, the more engaging the prose is for the reader. It creates a more dynamic image.
An example of this could be: “Shannon was having a bad dream,” could instead be written as, “Nightmares plagued Shannon.”
The difference between the two is in the feeling the two invoke; the latter, in active voice, commands a specific, assertive picture for the reader. It tightens the prose, removing filler words, uses stronger verbs, and keeps the reader in the action. The former in passive voice removes the reader, uses extra words, and leaves the reader with a more ambiguous sense of the action, forcing them to work harder to identify whether Shannon is more important or her bad dreams.
Relying Solely on Editing Software
This is where my tip to read aloud really comes in handy. Editing software is fantastic in its own right; it can really help to cut down the time needed for a round of edits, and catch things we overlook.
But algorithms don’t have the nuance we do as humans. There might be errors it doesn’t catch, like a word that isn’t misspelled, but is nonetheless incorrect. Or it highlights something to change that doesn’t fit the style and voice of your piece.
It’s important that even if you use an algorithmic software, you are still putting eyes on your manuscript, well, manually. Tools are just that. Tools. They’re meant to help you, not replace you. You still need to put the legwork in on your own.
Skipping the Proofreading Stage
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Yes, at this point you’ve probably completed at least three rounds of edits. It can be exhausting, and many people find it discouraging, especially in the age of social media. We often see someone announce a project, then post beautiful, completed projects rather than the messy process in-between. No one, not even the greatest names in writing, writes a perfect first or even second draft.
It is possible, I know this hurts to hear, that errors were overlooked during previous editing stages. After looking through a manuscript you have written multiple times, your brain can’t help but sometimes skip past things it remembers. (This is why utilizing my very first tip, get some time and distance, is important!) It is hard to keep fresh eyes on a project you have grown so close to.
Proofreading is like getting onto a rollercoaster. You know what’s coming. You’re excited. You buckle in and pull the bar down, or the shoulder harness, or whatever safety and containment it has. You grip the bars or handles. You’re ready. But a park employee still comes by for a final safety check. That is your proofreading. It’s a necessary final step that gives your work that optimal polish. Don’t skip it.
The Importance of Professional Editing
Whether I am your editor or not, I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Self-editing is absolutely essential to the process, but there is no substitute for having an extra set of eyes on your manuscript. If you’re on the fence, think about it this way—a professional editor is a lot like the park employee doing the rollercoaster safety check, and you get a lot of benefits from it:
While self-editing is essential, consider hiring a professional editor for your manuscript. A professional can provide an objective perspective and catch issues you may overlook. Here are some benefits of professional editing:
Expertise: Like the park employee metaphor, a professional editor has training and experience in the craft elements of writing. Having a professional look at your work is benefitting from that training to help sharpen your writing and highlight your unique voice.
Fresh Perspective: That expertise is invaluable for many reasons, but one of the biggest is they didn’t write the manuscript. A professional editor is bringing fresh eyes to your work, and can provide insight you can utilize to improve the overall quality of your project.
Time-Saving: This might be low-hanging fruit, but it’s kind of like ordering take-out. Can you cook? Yes. But if you order your food, you can use that time to get other things done. Hiring an editor frees you up to work on different areas your writing career might encompass, like social media, content creation, marketing, and more.
Remember, as much as we love the writing, we often have to wear ten other hats to get our work noticed. Allowing someone to help you with one of the more time-consuming elements of the manuscript process can give you time to put those other hats on and get that work done.
Final Thoughts
I might be biased, but I think editing is the most important step in the writing process next to drafting. You can’t have one without the other, and a poorly edited manuscript often doesn’t perform well in the reader market. Editing requires focus, patience, and attention to detail.
With any luck, you’ve read parts one through three and found some nuggets of gold to hone your process on the road to publication. Fine-tuning a manuscript is hard work. It helps to remember the end goal is an amalgamation of three vital things: 1) Realizing and producing the best version of your work. 2) Sharing your story—only you can tell your story in your unique voice. And 3) Leaving the reader with a polished, refined piece that resonates with them.
A last nugget to remember: Every author, especially the greats, has gone through this process. No one is immune. Meet your editing process with open arms, don’t be afraid to ask for a fresh take or walk away for a bit when you get stuck, and be patient with yourself as much as with your writing. All the time and effort you put into your completed manuscript will be worth it when you see the finished product.
I hope this three part series has brought you useful information about editing and refining your editing process. It’s been my pleasure to put these tips and explanations out there, and I welcome you to drop in the comments with questions, suggestions, or to share what has/ has not worked for your editing process. Happy editing!
Sláinte,
- Kit