First Time Author Examiner

Home Examiners News Politics Entertainment Sports Business Health

classifieds autos jobs real estate

List All Categories

- Writing (24)
- Author (23)
- Novel (22)
- Creativity (15)
- Authorship (8)
- Self-Editing (7)
- Elmore Leonard (4)
- Stages of Creativity (4)
- Control (3)
- All I Need to Know (2)

First Time Author Examiner
Showing entries for Category: Writing

Working With Editors: A Necessary Evil

POSTED June 30, 12:04 PM

J. Jonah Jameson (Editor to Spider-Man)

Ok, to be fair, editors as a group are not evil. But their influence can feel oppressive to writers who've just poured their hearts and souls into their work.

So first thing to keep in mind when someone has just eviscerated your manuscript is that you and your editor often have very different goals in mind.

Yes, you're both working towards the common goal of preparing your manuscript for publication, but that road is often torturous and full of pitfalls.

Editors, generally speaking, want to cut as much "fat" out of your writing as possible. In the world of writing, writers are the artists and editors are the engineers. I.e. You want your sentence structure to flow lyrically and paint vivid images. They want it clean, precise and as short as possible.

Basically, they want it written like this.

This is partly because the publishers want to spend as little money as possible publishing your book, so they can make a whole lot more. So don't be surprised if you hear "Well, trim 10,000 words out and you'll be ready to go."

Your job as the author is to work with the editor to the best of your ability without sacrificing the key pieces of your writing that you feel are essential. It can be easy to think, "Well, this person is a professional. And if I don't do what they tell me, they might decide not to publish my book after all."

Remember, if you've gotten far enough to have someone in the field professionally edit your work, someone you're not personally paying, then you've done something right. They wouldn't be wasting their time if there wasn't something really worthwhile in what you've written. This also means that to at least some degree you know what you're doing.

Take criticism when offered, and often you'll find that the suggestions your editors make will serve to enhance your work. But don't be afraid to stick up for yourself, or for your characters. You created these people, and in this world, you're their only advocate.

This doesn't mean that you should be combative, but explain why you didn't make a change. Perhaps your editor doesn't know the grand picture the way you do. Perhaps you're holding some important plot piece back for a later time.

I found several instances of that last one in my novel over the last year. I realized that, while releasing such information when I wanted to, it would make a much bigger splash. But I also risked confusing and alienating my reader before they could ever reach the point i was trying to make. So I fixed it.

The upside is that nothing happens really fast in this business, so no matter what you decide, you'll have a reasonable amount of time to think, rethink and reconsider.

Categories: Writing , Author , Novel , Authorship , Control , Creativity , Publishing , Editors

1 Comment: Add | Read

Rss Feed

Link

So You Think Your Kid Can Write?

POSTED June 24, 11:09 AM

Probably second only to "Have you been published?", the most frequent comment is receive is "My child seems to be interested in making up stories/writing fairytales etc. How do I encourage this?"Well, first thing's first. Talk to... Read More

1 Comment: Add | Read

Writing Rule #8: The World is Your Oyster

POSTED June 17, 6:23 PM

8. Write everything. Start with what you’re good at, and what you really enjoy. Learn your medium and hone your abilities. But once you become confident, branch out. Experiment with different formats. Some ideas work better... Read More

0 Comments: Add

Writing Rule #7: The Writing Cycle

POSTED June 17, 6:09 PM

7. Writing, like any creative process, is a wheel; in order for it to keep turning, you have to have both intake and outtake. When you’re out of things to say, try reading, listening to music, or watching movies. Don’t... Read More

0 Comments: Add

Getting Published: Know Your Options

POSTED June 10, 3:48 PM

It's the first question asked when you tell someone you're a writer. "Have you been published?"Because let's face it, the moment you say "no" you get that look that says "Oh, you're not a REAL writer then, you just do it for... Read More

2 Comments: Add | Read

Hermione Granger Joins Biker Gang

POSTED June 3, 2:23 PM

...Ok, so that never happened. But if it had, imagine how wrong it would feel. Characters know who they are, even though sometimes we're not completely sure, or comfortable with what that means.This is a subject that I imagine most, if not all, authors... Read More

0 Comments: Add

Elmore Leonard's Rules For Writing: Rules #8-10

POSTED May 29, 3:04 PM

So here are the last three of Elmore Leonard's Rules for Writers. I absolutely promise 100% that this is the last rule-oriented post I'm going to do. I don't relish being told how to do my job, just as I imagine the rest of you don't. But I do find it... Read More

0 Comments: Add

Elmore Leonard's Rules For Writing: Rules #5-7

POSTED May 28, 5:22 PM

The next three "rules" help keep your writing clean and effective. I'm not a fan of using the word "never" when talking about an artistic craft, because it assumes that there's no possible way to do something.5. Keep your exclamation... Read More

0 Comments: Add

Elmore Leonard's Rules For Writing: Rules #2-4

POSTED May 21, 2:49 PM

2. Avoid prologues.Prologues have generally gone out of fashion. They're still here and there in Fantasy and Science Fiction as a means of giving a quick insight into the past, but otherwise they can slow you down.3. Never use a verb other than “said”... Read More

0 Comments: Add

Elmore Leonard's Rules For Writing: Rule #1

POSTED May 20, 6:36 PM

So I'll be the first to admit that I am not even a blip on Elmore Leonard's radar. That being said, I also wrote about 11 novels before forcing myself to get one published, and I've been doing this for 15 years. Now, probably 10 of the 11 novels I wrote... Read More

0 Comments: Add

More Entries (14)

Guy Incognito
Got a manuscript? So does Guy - a great one, or so say his editors. Follow along as he shares the experience of writing and publishing a book with you from manuscript to book tours and, hopefully, sequels.