The Case for Multiple Views

I opened up chapter 23 of the fifth book of Before the Blood on my phone last night, and within the first few lines I realized the chapter is not quite edited.

I'm not talking about typos (although I did fine one) because I don't get too concerned about them early in the editing game.

I'm talking about flow, scene structure, beats, all which had flaws and made for a rocky reading.

It's too easy to think a piece is "finished" when it really is not.

The most dangerous time for such faulty thinking is shortly after it's written or edited.

Melissa brought her report to her bedroom, three-hole punched it, and threaded it into the purple folder her mother bought to display it. She leafed through it with satisfaction, admiring its layout. It really looked professional. 

“It will be the Pulitzer Prize next,” Steve teased her.

Read your work again. And again.

Open it on another screen. Your phone. Your desktop if you wrote it on a laptop or your laptop if you wrote it on your desktop.

Wait a few hours. And then a few days.

Read it from the bottom up.

It's done when you enjoy the reading for reading's sake, when you can forget you've written it.

At that point, it's ready for your editor.

And when he/she's done with it, you can repeat the process.

This morning, I'm soooooo tempted to open up chapter 23.

But I have an especially busy work Monday. 

And the chapter and some space.

(Grumble).

Illustration by Matt Coundiff for "Visage." Follow him at www.facebook.com/artbymattcoundiff

Editing, Defined

Often when writers talk about "editing," they really mean, "proofreading" or catching and correcting typos and minor errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

In actuallity, proofreading is the last step, after all the editing is complete. The process of editing has several components. They are:

Manuscript assessment: Okay, so maybe an assessment is not a the same as editing. But an assessment gives  an author a good first glimpse of how much editing - including self-editing - may be required. An assessment also provides a wide critique of the manuscript's strengths and weaknesses, along with overall suggestions for improvement.

Developmental editing: This type of editing targets content and structure: plot, pacing, dialogue, characterization, inconsistences, wordiness, and over-writing.

Line editing: the The editor literally examines the manuscript line by line. Paragraphs may be rearanged, and sentences may be rewritten to ensure smooth transitions and prose.

Copy editing: Corrects word choices, spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

And finally, proofreading.

For authors that choose to self-publish, I cannot stress enough the importance of editing, and that should be where authors spend the most money.

Yes, self-editing is important. Self-editing involves setting the completed manuscript aside for a month or two and then moving through the above steps. That, too, is a process.

Rigorous self-editing will cut down your editing expense. But authors are too close to their works to be the final eyes.

By "too close," I don't mean "emotionally attached."

You see, when one constructs an entire manuscript word by word, it becomes impossible to notice every flaw. The brain simply cannot see them anymore. A pair of fresh expert eyes notices them instantly.