I
recently received a 4 Star review from RT Reviews for my latest release, The
Morning After, and my editor, Stacy at The Wild Rose Press, deserves as much of
the credit as I do.
I
believe this because last year, I worked as an editor for an e-publisher. What
I learned could probably fill a book, if I wrote nonfiction. Not
only did I become a better editor as the year wore on, my skills as a writer
also improved.
My
authors ranged from the experienced to first time published. The blunders of
both groups ran the spectrum from point of view problems to back-story dumps.
How
much easier I saw the foibles of other authors than my own. But what I came to
recognize were my own weaknesses. When you’re removed from a manuscript, you
see the pitfalls so much clearer. We love our manuscripts like a baby and, like
all mothers/fathers, we can’t necessarily see the imperfections. The phrase we
worked so hard over and is so clever has no history for the editor. Pretty easy
to slash and burn. When I realized this, I was able to more easily step back
and use the same technique on my own manuscripts.
We’re
told to write without fear of our inner editor; to ignore her and lay our story
down with abandon. I have a multi-published friend who requires little, if any,
editing once she’s completed her manuscript. I’m convinced her inner editor
works side-by-side with her. She’s at the point in her career, after having
written so many books, she and her inner editor are one and it doesn’t disrupt
the creative process. Editing other authors has given me some of that ability.
Kind of the practice-makes-perfect syndrome.
But,
and this is a big but, I will always need an editor. In my opinion, an author will
always be too close to her work to see all overused words, illogical plot
lines, flat characters, questionable POV issues and unneeded verbiage to name a
few. I also have a newfound respect for editors. It’s hard work. And every
suggestion from my editor gets a thoughtful consideration from me now.
What
I found most amazing about the experience was hearing my voice in other
authors. How many times had I disagreed when told to cut paragraphs of
back-story? It hurts. We create this wonderful history, and shouldn’t everyone
want to read about our well-rounded characters? You really have to know this!
Or “but Nora Roberts” switched POV in the middle of a scene – why can’t I? Some
edits are hard to make.
What I found most amusing about the experience
was a comment my husband made to me one day as I toiled over one of my own
manuscripts. My editor had sent back the first round of edits. I cringed at the
amount of red. “My gosh, this is going to take me longer to edit than it took
me to write it,” I complained out loud. My husband didn’t look up from his
paper, but snickered, “Now you know how your authors feel.”
Brenda and her husband are gypsies at heart having
lived in six states and two countries. Recently, they moved to prairie country
in Arizona and are enjoying the wide-open spaces while tending fruit trees and
veggie gardens. They share their home with their dog, Rusty. When Brenda isn’t
at her laptop writing, she enjoys hiking, motorcycle riding and the company of
good friends.
The Morning After, blurb:
Can
there really be love at first sight?
Abigail
Martin doesn’t think so. Unless the sexy redheaded stranger she wakes up with
the morning after her best friend’s wedding is telling the truth.
Bobby
Stockwood fell cowboy-hat-over-boot-heels for the brown-haired beauty, and
married her in an impromptu wedding ceremony.
Now he just has to convince his new bride that the morning after can be
the first day of the rest of their lives.
But
just when Abigail starts believing the fairy-tale is real, she finds out
exactly who Bobby is, and the walls of make-believe start crumbling down.
Some
buy links:
Other
books by Brenda:
Tattoos,
Leather and Studs released from Melange Books in 2011
Honey
On White Bread released from Melange Books in 2011
Sleeping
with the Lights On released from The Wild Rose Press in 2010
Visit
Brenda at www.brendawhiteside.com.
Or
on FaceBook: www.facebook.com/BrendaWhitesideAuthor
Occasionally
on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/@brendawhitesid2
She
blogs on the 9th and 24th of every month at http://rosesofprose.blogspot.com
She
blogs about life on the prairie at http://brendawhiteside.blogspot.com/
Posts
25 comments:
Great post, Brenda! I absolutely agree! I've worked with three editors so far at The Wild Rose Press. But the one I've worked with the most in the American Rose line has taught me so much. My writing has definitely improved, but she'll still catch things I just don't see. A good editor is invaluable to any writer.
I've also had three editors at The Wild Rose Press, and I've learned from each one of them. When I put all that combined wisdon to work, my writing is definitely stronger. And I agree, over time, you learn to work with your inner editor. Great post!
I'm in a couple of critique groups [essential] and their insight, not to say eyes, is invaluable. 'We' are always able to spot other people's errors, so why is it so hard to see our own?
Susan - how true. I continue to learn from my editors each time.
You're absolutely right. Nobody can see their own mistakes. You see what you expect to be there.
So true, Jannine. Thanks.
Hi Maddy. I would never even have gotten a manuscript to an editors desk if it wasn't for my critique partners. Love them!
Hi Jenny - I guess we all agree!
Amen! Next to good critique partners are a great editor. The Morning After was a fun and quick read. I love 'Red!'
So true, Brenda. Each word hit home since I looked through my first edits last night on a new sale. As an editor I feel the pain of those faceless writers I am one of again. But as an editor I can view my edits from both sides objectively- or at least I hope I'm objective about it as I start edits today. I have to add that Stacy is awesome!
Jody - thanks lady!! Looking forward to your new release Florida Heat.
You are so right, Calisa, Stacy is an eagle eye editor.
Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that while I look at those red bubbles as exciting opportunities to learn and improve my craft, the editor's abilities ultimately determine my opinion of the process. Let's face it, not all editors are created equally. A good one makes all the difference.
And Beyond grammar and punctuation, I wonder if similar writing styles between author and editor make for a smoother finished product. Like readers, editors can't help gravitating toward one style over another and when working with one that isn't their favorite, I would think they are fighting their own instincts. I'm not an editor, but when reading the work of others, I occassionally think, hmmm, I would have gone at that differently.
Not sure what point I'm trying to make here, except maybe, if an author doesn't remain true to their own voice, the editor's abilities won't matter. Neither will be happy with the process or the finished product.
Just saying.
Mac, you bring up a very good point. Sorry, Brenda, don't mean to interfere here... It's just that from an editorial perspective, I think Mac is right. Sometimes it's really hard editing stories where the author's voice is very different from what the editor (as a reader OR editor) typically enjoys. But this is another aspect of editing that can sometimes make the job so challenging. Knowing when to fix those grammatical issues while at the same time paying close attention to maintaining the author's voice. It's definitely a fine line to tread -- and depends a lot on the author/editor relationship, the level of trust, and whether or not the author is willing to listen to her editor's advice. The flip side of this is as editors, we gotta learn to "butt out" sometimes and that's not always easy. Especially when we feel our suggestion would improve the story.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I enjoyed this post and think it's a great testimony to how hard our editors work. And to leave a quote I recently saw from Stephen King.
"To write is human, to edit devine." :-)
Brenda, when you can write a post that opens a dialog, I think that's fantastic. Few editors are as tough as my agent. We go through 2 rounds of hard edits before she begins "shopping out" my book. She can zero in on my many weaknesses like I can on a bar of chocolate. Thus my books need fewer edits. But my novellas, or "shorts", are a different story. She doesn't represent short stories, so I must be extra viligent regarding my known weaknesses. I've learned a lot from her and from every editor I've had along my short writing journey. The learning curve of a good writer is continual, I think.
Again, awesome post. The Morning After is next on my TBR list as soon as I finish JM Stewart's book. Can't wait to read it!!!
Hi Brenda, congrats on the awesome review. Way to go. When my TWRP editor left to concentrate on her own writing, my heart broke...fortunately there's another wonderful one now for me. Can't wait to delve deep into your story and the series!
Mackenzie, you make a good point. I've been lucky enough to have a couple of editors that left my voice alone and actually listened if I disagreed with a suggestion. And that's what story changes should be are suggestions. The rest is cut and dry to a publisher's system. I also had one editor who made so few suggestions that I think the book was not as good for it. A good editor has to be able to edit and leave the voice alone. Not an easy task.
Love the quote, AJ. Editing is hard, hard work. You make some good points.
Vonnie, you may or may not be lucky to have such an agent. I've heard authors prefer it both ways. Some agents don't touch editing, others are very hands on. Sounds like you prefer hands on.
I lost a good one too at TWRP. And like you say, there are other great ones. Stacy was one of the other great ones for me on this book.
So far I've only had a couple of editors but know just how much they have encouraged and pushed me to make a much better final copy! Great post ladies!
Thanks, Nancy!
This was a great post, Brenda. It's wonderful to have an editor you trust. One who enjoys your work but also has enough distance to be honest when something not's working. I feel very fortunate in the editors I've worked with.
Absolutely, hats off to our editors, and to our copy editors, too!
I worry about the self-publishing rush if editors aren't involved.
Great insight into the Editor. As a contest judge I can always tell who used an reader/editor and who hasn't. If you don't take that step, you won't get the expertise of the actual Editor. As a writer, we are too close to our stories to see the inconsistencies and general mistakes. Turning it loose to someone else is part of the process and can not be skipped. Whether it's a reader/ editor or your publisher editor - you can't do this without one or both.
Looking forward to reading your book.
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