Writing 101: Learning from freelance editors

September 30, 10:35 AMWriting ExaminerTiffany Colter

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  Good editing is about more than simply cutting and pasting words.

     In this series of articles on working with editors, we will look at some of the common problems that writers have when they are developing their craft and learning to work with others in publishing. Today we will focus on working with editors, primarily freelance editors.

     Writing is a highly personal and emotional pursuit, and as such, it costs a great deal emotionally to accomplish. Many writers view their work as they would their children and are therefore highly defensive when another person seems to criticize their work. As a writer, however, we must get in the habit of accepting and considering CONSTRUCTIVE criticism. The nature of writing requires it because writers at every level and in every stage will have editing, critiquing and feedback. A writer who seeks to be the “wisest person in the room” will quickly find themselves unemployed.

     Here are three tips to working with a freelance editor so that you can improve the marketability of your craft while maintaining the integrity of your story.

1.    Listen

While this may seem obvious one thing I deal with continually as a freelance editor is writers who pay me to do content edits and who then spend a great deal of time trying to tell me why they did a particular thing. While it is useful to explain your goal [I was trying to create tension in this scene] so that the editor can possibly brainstorm to help you accomplish that goal, being argumentative will not help your story, or your publishability.

2.    Know the goal of your story

If you aren’t clear about the reason you are writing your story you will tend to wander and lose your reader. When you are working with an editor you should have a clear story line that can be summed up in a few sentences. This helps the editor show you areas to build tension or sensory details. When I work with a client it is imperative that I know where they are going with a scene so that I can help them hold the reader. If a writer cannot tell me their story then how can I help them make it the best it can be?

3.    Be true to your story

A good editor will help you bring out the story that you created, like shining up a tarnished silver platter. They should help you clear away anything that hides your story without changing it. In the end, all edits are up to you because it is your story. You need to know when to let go of something [Does your hero’s sister really need to be named “Cindy”?] and when to hold on to it [the primary motivation of your heroine].

     Remember, working with an editor is not a confrontation or a tug-of-war. It is more like a knife being sharpened on a stone. As long as you trust your editor and you know where you are going, then the freelance editor can mean the difference between a good story and a published one.