Basic Rules:
- Seek help when you’re stuck
- To develop or review an outline or map of the piece
- To review what you’ve begun writing to see if it is taking good shape
- To review what you’ve written
The editing process for a book or article is not just a matter of turning over your manuscript for correction. Generally there are two aspects for an editor to consider – the structure and the writing (each with several editorial considerations).
It is definitely easier for an editor if you’ve written from an outline or mindmap (my recommendation these days is XMind(dot)net – it’s free, and it creates both a visual and a linear (outline) format at the same time (as does NovaMind at $30 and up), so you can work in whichever mode is more comfortable for you. I like to map visually, but write following the outline). For a novel, a plotmap can be sketched using an Excel table – putting the chapter numbers across the top, and down the side have a row for each character plus setting, chronology and what the reader learns. To define the flow of the story, fill in the squares that are relevant for each chapter.
Most writers wait to get editorial help until the first draft is polished (or unable to be polished because they’ve lost their thread). Consider having an editorial collaborator early in the process to make it faster – and likely less expensive in the end, because it’s time consuming to tear a “finished” book apart to look at the structure if it isn’t working.) With your editor you can build the outline or plot together, providing all the detail you can think of. Talk over what will work and not, and why. The benefit is that with a good map of where your piece is going, you have already thought through every angle, so that the process of writing is simply a matter of dressing up “good bones.” The more detail you’ve already considered, the faster the writing will go. Guaranteed.
Once the structure is solid, the editor changes hats (some editors have one or two hats, some have as many as Imelda had shoes) and looks at the languaging of your idea/s. (There’s no point in doing this first because the piece might need extensive rewriting.) Languaging considers audience, point of view, voice, complexity, richness, etc.
- Before you start looking for an editor, define where you are in your process and what you need from an editor:
- support with the logical unfoldment or structure of your material
- coaching to develop your material
- verifying content (someone who is broadly read and educated and has critical thinking and even research skills)
- keeping you committed to the writing process, exploring blocks (coaching)
- refinement of the writing
- proper grammar, punctuation, formatting
- proofreading
Some editors are skilled at structure, few at coaching, and not many can develop a distinctive “voice,” or enrich language brilliantly. Many more can correct for good grammar. (But don’t let grammar override YOUR voice: inflection and grammar are not always compatible – specifying your audience will create parameters for appropriate vocabulary, tone, and inflection.) Proofreading is a specialized skill.
Tune in next week for How To Find an Appropriate Freelance Editor
And in the meantime, delight in the process …
Download PDF: When Writers Should Begin To Look For An Editor