Editing is Educational
I recently put my hand up to be a beta reader for Nicola Cameron’s second book of her Leoshine series, entitled Leoshine: Princess Quarry. Having read and fallen in love with Leoshine, Avram and Resham in book one, I was keen to get a glimpse into their Myxolidian future.
As I reflected on my engagement with her draft manuscript, I realized how educational this experience was for me as a writer who will be working with editors and as an editor for other authors.
I want to remember what I learned and I hope sharing will be educational for you too!
- First of all, I love being pushed to learn new words or new ways of using a word. In fact, I woke up the next morning after reading the draft wondering why Nicola had used Princess Quarry in the title given (spoiler alert!) that Leoshine is never directly called that name. I immediately checked the dictionary and everything became clear. Key takeaway: keep a dictionary handy and use it often.
- That led me to have a better understanding of what a title can do — and maybe should do? That is, to provide an umbrella for the entire story which is — maybe — its essence. All in one phrase. I want to explore this further.
- If I spend a lot of time on the title, then I need to see each sentence deserving of my time and my attention. I have also learned that Nicola agonizes over every word, and she delights in doing so — which may sound like she is a sadomasochist but only in the world of words.
- Each of those sentences should fit neatly into a paragraph filled with inner monologue, spoken words and narration to help fill the gaps. I began to appreciate how this creates depth in storytelling to which I aspire.
- Like every industry, there are acronyms or symbols I need to learn. So now I know what the following means: IM (stands for “inner monologue”) and L/ (means a double L in Tassnara Font — specific for Nicola).
- Action verbs are necessary in fiction and represent — for me — the importance of our actions speaking much louder than our words. This made me think about the Law of Connection as described by Sahil Bloom: “Everything in your life is connected in some way, shape, or form. All of your actions from your past have impacted your present, and all of your actions in the present will impact your future.” So actions matter.
- Space and time are also important to a reader. The story has to make sense in both space and time. In fact, as an author I know I need a timeline to ensure my story sticks to that schedule. Then I probably need my own map!
- It is also clear to me that we need different kinds of editors to catch different kinds of writing flaws, but even then, we only see what we can see and what we know. For example, looking back, I realised I had missed some line edits in the first few pages — probably because I began to see a pattern and then failed to go back — Nicola was kind enough to say that was a gift! For another example, her editor seemed to know a lot about the weather and science (I would have missed that!) whereas I knew all about cracked ribs.
- Talking through the proposed changes grows the author’s understanding. The touchpoint of collaboration sparks a better story — and I am honored to play that role. There were times when I had flagged a question or concern, then kept reading and found the answer — and promptly forgot about the earlier flag which should have been deleted. There were other times when it was just plain helpful to talk about Nicola’s intention and knowledge of her characters and storyline — then it could be decided if any tweaks were necessary rather than a wholesale change. In other sections, a flagged concern led to a substantive edit which resulted in greater clarity for the reader.
- Editing will change how I read in the future. In fact, I think it already has. I can’t read anything now without noting the strength of a great sentence, how punctuation is used, font choices and the fluidity of mixing descriptions with the action.
My hope is that this makes me a better writer and a better editor.
What lessons have you gleaned from your editorial experience? I would love to know — your contribution would lead to better things for both of us!
Tammy Brimner is a writer, professional photographer and leadership consultant with a passion for leadership development and improved organizational culture stemming from over 25 years working in a large, complex and multifaceted organization. She is also a Certified Organizational Coach, an aspiring author, singer/songwriter, a fair weather golfer, and a cyclist.
Follow Tammy on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tammy-brimner
