Editing and Writing Services
It is a lot of work to write a book, and authors and editor’s everywhere can never, no matter how hard they try, be perfect. It is a fool’s errand to consider perfection the goal. What ultimately matters is the story shines through in clear …
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about faltering and stuttering in dialogue and dash usage. It can get pretty confusing which to use when. It all comes down to what industry you’re writing in, but you should be checking a style guide right for …
It is a lot of work to write a book, and authors and editor’s everywhere can never, no matter how hard they try, be perfect. It is a fool’s errand to consider perfection the goal. What ultimately matters is that the story shines through in …
Write Your Manuscript to the End Without a manuscript completed, it is impractical to begin the publishing journey. But, you’re eager to get the book to readers. That’s understandable. Creativity spirals out from you, encouraging you to craft your art and reach across the noise …
Using the passive voice in your novel is not the end of the world. It isn’t grammatically incorrect, and, it is quite common. There are times when a passive voice is necessary, or, as a writer’s convention or style choice. However, your manuscript’s magic may be lost as readers try to fumble through a passive voice to connect with your characters or content.
If you’re post-secondary educated, passive voice has been drilled into you in the strive for objectivity. If you’re female, you may be more likely to use passive phrasing as a result of social norms. If you’re a politician, well, you use the passive voice all the time.
Using an active voice in your novel or non-fiction means greater clarity for your readers, and, a solid immersive experience for them too. Below I’ve summaries the pros and cons of using the active versus using the passive voice in your manuscript (this applies to most non-fiction and fiction work).
Active voice character(s) (subject) performs an action.
Passive voice character(s) (subject) have something happen to them indirectly.
Writers often fall into the passive when using flashbacks or shallow point of view, or, when there is fear or uncertainty about what is being written.
Prepositions indicate a relationship between the subject (noun/pronoun/character) and the rest of the sentence, phrase, or clause. i.e. Zoe and the rest of the dragons – “and” and ‘of’ are prepositions. See Oxford Dictionaries for a brief overview. A list of prepositions can be found here.
Want to know more or want Catherine on your team (she’s an editor/Alpha/Beta Reader too!)? Contact her.
People have funny ideas about what it means to be a writer. Here are some common ones I’ve heard from fellow authors, publishers, editors, and professionals in the field. 1) You must be rich if you published a book The chance to make money and …
Authors seeking an editor can find themselves in a world of possibilities to bring magic to their manuscripts. The difficulty lies in knowing what type of editing is needed when and for what manuscript. It’s important to clarify the type of editing you require and …
Writer’s Digest(WD) is a great resource for authors, editors, and writers at any stage in their journey. I see WD advice and articles Tweeted, posted on social media, and referred to across writing and editing blogs. It’s one of my favorite go-to places when I need more information about the writing or editing industry.
I have stumbled upon a number of Brian Klems articles which have provided accurate and invaluable information for authors. But the other day I came across 10 Things Your Freelance Editor Might Not Tell You—But Should. Overall Brian hits the nail on the head again, but one piece of his advice really stood out to me: “avoid the temptation to hire someone to edit your first draft”.
As an editor, coach, and author, this edict has solid logic behind it, but it just doesn’t sit well with me.
An editor’s job is to make your writing piece as good as it possibly can be. In my experience, starting early, say after a first draft, offers that much more time for the author to get there.
While I am not saying an author should provide that rough draft to an editor right away without looking at it, I think developmental editing goes a long way. A developmental editor is a team member behind your manuscript who can help get you unstuck through constructive criticism about what you currently have by looking at structure, content, flow and can even begin before the manuscript is created.
A developmental editor may even help you flesh out your outline, point you in the direction or at least point out where more research may be needed, or help you with constructing characters for your work. Developmental editors are like communications consultants for your specific writing project – and often they are heard of more in the non-fiction or business industries. They might recommend appropriate formats to communicate in, they can assist with rewrites, and they can copy edit too. They are particularly helpful in identifying content gaps.
In fact, developmental editing is one of my favorite types of services I offer. Why? Because I get to really connect with the author of a work, understand what they are trying to do, and help them get there. Both editor and author benefit with this shared exchange. Some of the most satisfying results come out of first-draft developmental editor-author collaborations, both in my own writing and as an editor for others.
On a side note here, I have an amazing editor who does 2-3 passes through each of my novels/novellas, as well as, Beta-Readers who do one pass. At every stage there is some developmental editing that goes on. However, as soon as I’ve done a rough draft and it has been read through lightly once to make sure those times I fell asleep on the keyboard aren’t messing with flow, structure, and word count, then it gets turned into my ‘first draft’. That’s when I usually send it to my editor who waves her magic wand (I mean hours and hours of squinting at my manuscript) and offers insightful and valuable recommendations.
As many eyes as you can get on the project will help you get better faster. It’s very difficult after you’ve written anything to remove yourself from the work. Your brain automatically fills in what should be there or what you think you mean or missing words – you stop seeing the work as it is and see it as it should be. Preliminary developmental edits can offer sobering perspectives that make you see the work anew. As does second, third, and Beta-Reader edits.
It is rare that a writer’s work is ever ‘done’, it is often just published due to deadline or just because it has reached the point. You could forever change and shift a manuscript into something better, something different, and it could become a cyclical snare if you strive for perfection as an author or as an editor. But just because it isn’t perfect, doesn’t mean it can’t be the best it possible can be.
This is why I believe that not hiring someone to edit your first draft isn’t always the soundest advice. Yes, sit with it, look the draft over, make some notes and changes, but you don’t always have to do that alone. A developmental editor can offer expertise, perspective, and sober, helpful criticism to make your work that much better. They’ll help you see in ways that your hours of work that left your mind fuzzy can’t. And, you’ll get to a more cohesive, reader-friendly version quicker. When it comes time to publish that work be it a blog post or a novel, you’ll at least feel that it is the best it can possibly be because you started early with a great team member – your editor.
So on this one, Brian Klems, I’m going to have to disagree with you – I think denying developmental editing can be a serious gap in a manuscript’s workflow.
P.S. If you are interested in working with me as your editor, Alpha/ Beta Reader, check out some of the services I offer here or email me directly and tell me a bit about your work, your goals, and your audience.
Take care and I wish all of you writers’ success.
Juggling multiple jobs, family life, and additional responsibilities (school, charity, elder-care, etc) on top of being self-employed as an author, editor, and consultant means a regular balancing act. I am no expert, but I have achieved a working peace with the Work-Life balance I have in …
