In today’s post, I’m continuing my talk about working with an editor. Today is about interpreting and not losing it over your own Editorial Letter.
I actually find them exciting (NOW, I do) and yes, they ARE serious work sometimes depending on what’s in them but since I’ve had a few, I’m able to see how beneficial they are. So if your editor isn’t providing you with one, you should definitely ask about this for your next project.
First let’s define Editorial Letter – this definition is for your book, your work that you will have a freelance editor look at and check one of three things 1. Developmental (overall story) 2. Lines (grammar/punctuation) and/or 3. Copy Editing
Editors are commenting on things like:
- Plot holes in the manuscript
- Writing, word choice/usage and etc.
- Cohesion and flow, little things that take the reader out of your story
- Making sense, redundancy
- Character development and a host of things I won’t take the time to list here
This is NOT a letter to the editor of a newspaper or other kind of publication, to air your lamentations about coverage on the issues although I have written a few and they are fun when they get published . This is a response to your work of fiction and nonfiction.
Sometimes when you work with editors that you hire, some will be a bit more detailed than others and it will be up to you if you like that style. The longer editors are, sometimes the more I love that, the added details and some even add suggestions on fixing issues they outline, really resonates with me when talking about my book. So be open, if you don’t have that or are not getting that (sometimes you can tell their style often via the back and forth you have over e-mail, but don’t let that be a single indicator) kind of feedback from them. Remember, you are striving for a long term relationship and that will take time, effort and honesty.
Last week I talked about working with my editor who I love and who I enjoy, once however, I worked with a different editor and they actually sent me an editorial letter and getting it from them was both petrifying and exciting all at the same time. The other thing is that I had more apprehension about the letter from someone I didn’t know but what my editor was doing was similar, it just lacked the official title and often came in the body of a bulleted email.
Below, I’m sharing my letter from that I received Manufixed, which was also wonderful to work with, reasonably priced and awesome turnaround.
What I’m sharing today is more about INTERPRETING your Editorial Letter and not freaking out about it when you receive.
DO THIS FIRST (and right away)
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READ THE ENTIRE LETTER – DO NOT shy away from reading it, it’s there to help you and to ask you, sometimes hard questions; plus be encouraged that the work has been FULLY read by someone that want’s to assist you and has a handle on what/how stories are supposed to be structured
THEN, DO THESE
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TAKE NOTHING PERSONALLY – If you’ve ever read or listened to interviews by me, you’ll know that at 23/24 I lacked maturity to view what I received from an editor as helpful feedback and it was just a bitter pill to swallow, this was only my second offering and to have it ripped was hard. That mini tantrum caused a bridge to be burned and it was just something that I would always think about throughout my career. As a mature professional, adult, every thing any editor brings up about my work reminds me NOW that they are trying to enhance it, that my writing is not perfect and that things can ALWAYS, ALWAYS be improved.
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DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK FOR CLARIFICATION – on whatever it was the editor had to say – you can’t assume that you both are on the same page, husbands and wives that have known each other since childhood aren’t even always on the same page, why would you and your editor be, unless she’s your sibling or something, and a twin? LOL Seek clarification, just as they said something in YOUR story didn’t sound quite right (they weren’t in your brain) and what did you mean, here, here and here, they also are writers and as such will have some issues around sharing what they meant and being clear within their own writing (yes of course, they likely don’t think they have any issues with their writing, either)
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FINALLY, COMPARTMENTALIZE PARTS OF THE LETTER into smaller, more palatable pieces – This is the most helpful to me, at least. Sometimes when you first read something about the work, your immediate tendency may be to rip the entire work, trash it and start over. I NEVER THINK THIS and I don’t really understand how people do abandon so much hard won effort for the trash bin. And I suppose it just comes with suffering rejection and ill comments about your very personal work and perhaps for me that stick-to-it muscle has been strengthened. BUT, I believe that everything is salvageable and PARTS may need rewriting AND some paragraphs deleted but not the entire thing. See each bullet point, contention point the editor raises as a separate caveat to consider. Not only will it be easier to work on the project in sections or compartments and isolate issues; but the task won’t seem so daunting and often if you fix one little part, that will affect and make better the rest of the story. The entire thing is NEVER done. This is also another reason why a second pair of eyes and Beta Readers prior to publication are such a good idea. They give you things to consider that you simply do not think about. When I really thought about the letter I received and I begin to marinate on the ideas and what I thought about those problems or plot holes the editor discussed, they begin to seem smaller and smaller and my brain also thought subconsciously (at times I was away from the work) about how I could fix them by changing elements of the story so the letter is no longer TEN problems staring me in the face, but 2 plot issues, a couple of recurring mistakes, a name error and some minor character development beefing up I could do. You MUST take each one, one by one and that’s the only way you’re going to be able to fix it so just take a step back read the entire thing because you want to be thinking about it as you go to eventually fixing it with ease
