A Glimpse Into the Final Editing Process for My Book
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I received an email from my editor with her final editing requests before my novel is published early next year. So I’m spending the next couple of weeks dealing with all those pesky things that are still not quite right, even after multiple drafts and edits.
It’s not the most fun part of the process, but my detail-oriented Virgo mind does enjoy finding ways to arrange things just so. And it’s a great lesson in how much there can still be to do even after you think the book is “done.”
Therefore, I thought I’d share this process with you, in hopes that it might be interesting, or instructive, or both.
Fortunately, there are not a lot of edits to do, although some will be trickier than others. I first read through her feedback, then made a list of what I need to concentrate on:
Pronouns: I need to make sure that chapters open with names rather than pronouns. As my editor points out, readers put down a book and may not remember who is in the scene when they pick it up again. In fact, I should probably go through the whole manuscript with a fine-toothed comb to make sure all the pronouns are absolutely clear in terms of who they are referring to.
Places: I need to be more specific about “here” or “there.” For example, “…never get internet in here” could be “…never get internet in the kitchen.” I need to make sure I’m clear about where the action is happening.
Over-used filler words: “Then” and “next” are often redundant, as is “suddenly.” If the reader knows the action is taking place in a linear fashion, the writer doesn't need to tell us. If I just let the action happen, it will be more vivid and engaging.
Check for worry, worries, worried, what if, what ifs… My editor reminded me to let the action speak for itself rather than telling the emotion in the character’s head. I was trying for interiority, but if so, I need to make it more “shown” than “told.” I recently mentioned to a client, “Don’t tell us what you’re going to show us, or have already shown us.” I need to take my own advice, and this just proves how tricky it is!
Remove many of the exclamation points. I checked and I had a whopping 56 in a 10K word manuscript. Yikes. Too many robs them of their punch. It’s not just a matter of removing them, I have to look at each sentence where they’re used and see if it really need an exclamation point, or if it needs to be changed to actions or more vivid speech. (Those of you who’ve been at the end of my “get rid of as many exclamation points as possible” speech will get a particular chuckle out of this.)
I will also need to look for places where there can be more chapter breaks, which is a feature of the type of press I”m writing for (books for emerging adult readers). Breaking up established chapters while preserving the narrative flow can be a challenge, and it will be the last thing I tackle.
That’s it! Note that none of these are major revisions. She wrote, “My reason is that in each case, it makes for tighter, clearer text, and I hope this is helpful to you as you grow as a writer.” She is absolutely right. And of course, these are things that I focus on as an editor myself.
While it’s not an objectively huge number of things, it will require careful hunting through the manuscript to find specific instances to edit. I’m confident I can finish the edits in time - and I also know these things can take longer than anticipated! And in the end I’ll have a much stronger book.
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