Indie Life - It's All About The Editing

I'm very excited to be part of The Indelibles Indie Life series. These posts run on the second Wednesday of every month and include ideas and articles from a wide variety of indie authors. Check out the links below to learn more about INDIE LIFE.

When people say editing, I know many writers who groan. I used to be one of them, but the more projects I work on...the more books I write, I realize that I actually love editing. It's now become my favourite phase.

Maybe it's because I've learned to refine the process, to figure out a way that works well for me. I thought I'd share the way I work in the hopes of helping some and maybe getting tips and advice from others.

Okay - so I suffer from First Draft Blues Syndrome. When I'm writing my first draft, it sucks. My book is crap. No one will like it. However, once it's done, once I can step back and take a breath, I start to see that there is potential in my work.

A few months ago, I read a really excellent book written by Rachel Aaron.
2k to 10k: Writing Faster, Writing Better, and Writing More of What You Love. The reason I loved it so much is because she works in a very similar way to me. We both thoroughly plan, then write, then edit. Our processes are efficient. One tip I picked up from her that I found so spectacular was the idea of Story Mapping.

Once my first draft is down, I go through the manuscript - just skimming - and jot down what's happening in each chapter. Just bullet points. I then add any notes. For example in Ch 1 of my current project, I've noted down that I need to make the mother's reaction stronger to the situation she finds her daughter in. Chapter 2, I've made the comment that the guy the MC has a crush on drives a Jeep not a car and that I need to ask my California friends for a specific location to set the next scene in. Further down in the story I need to add a scene and I've also figured out that shifting one scene from Ch 13 down to Ch 17 will have a bigger impact and show my character's growth in a more realistic way.

Tomorrow I am going to start going through each chapter and following through on my notes. Once that's done, I will do a full read through to check on flow before sending it off to my 5 critique readers who will tell me what works and what doesn't. 

Once I get their feedback, I go through with my rewrites and changes then start the tweaking edits. You know the read through where you refine your writing, changing little words here and there for greater impact. One thing I'm planning on doing this time as well, is reading through Self-Editing For Fiction Writers by Browne and King. I've read it a couple of times already. I have a paperback copy that is looking well loved. It's so brilliant and I want to have it fresh in my brain before I tackle my book for the tweaking round. 

Once I've finished that, I will then send it on to my copy editor. A professional who will hopefully find very little wrong with the manuscript :D

So what's your editing process like? 

How do you go about making your manuscript worthy of reading?

Editing - Is It Money Well Spent?

YA writers and bloggers unite each week to share their thoughts on what it's like going indie in today's publishing world.

When I published my first book in 2011, I didn't have any money. My cover designer let me pay her off over a year as I started earning money for sales and I did everything else myself...including my own editing. 

Now that I have a little cash in the bank and I have learned a few hard lessons, I can safely say, that I think you should always use an editor. I have recently paid for my first book, Golden Blood, to be proof-read by a professional. It has felt so good to republish the book without all those mistakes in it. Black Blood and Pure Blood are also being re-edited and will be re-published very soon.

I think a lack of quality editing can really tarnish a book. 

First and foremost, you need a structural edit. I use my critique readers for this - fellow authors who know what they're talking about. They really help me find all the holes in my story and ask me thought provoking questions that make my work better.

Secondly, you need a line edit. I pay a professional for this service. I have used a couple of different people and I'm not opposed to using a little variety here. Sometimes it's good to get a fresh perspective from a different set of eyes for your different projects. The lady who is working on my Elements Trilogy (Laurie Boris) is brilliant and I love working with her. She has really lifted my writing by pointing out errors and sentence structures that don't work. 

Thirdly, you need a decent proof-reader. Until recently (with my Time Spirit Trilogy), I have never paid for this service, but I think I'm going to start. I am still horrified how many mistakes get missed in spite of the fact I've read my work multiple times, plus had others read it for me. Having someone who is awesome at proofing your work can only be a good thing.

Now, I know editing is a pricey business, but I figure if I'm aiming to produce quality, I should be putting my money into the thing that will help make my work quality. In my opinion, your budget should be spent on editing, cover design and a little paid advertising. So far, those financial outlays have given me the best results.

What is your take on editing?
Have you had good or bad experiences with your work and different editors?


Check out what the other YA Indie Carnival members think on their sites, which are listed below.

You can also check out the YA Author Club for the latest updates and news on what we're all up to.

1.	Laura A. H. Elliott	2.	Bryna Butler, author Midnight Guardian series
3.	T. R. Graves, Author of The Warrior Series	4.	Suzy Turner, author of The Raven Saga
5.	Rachel Coles, author of Into The Ruins, geek mom blog	6.	K. C. Blake, author of Vampires Rule and Crushed
7.	Gwenn Wright, author of Filter	8.	Liz Long | Just another writer on the loose.
9.	Ella James	10.	Maureen Murrish
11.	YA Sci Fi Author's Ramblings	12.	A Little Bit of R&R
13.	Melissa Pearl	14.	Terah Edun - YA Fantasy
15.	Heather Sutherlin - YA Fantasy

Editing

You often hear a collective moan when the E word is mentioned around writers.

Editing.

Groan.

Yes, editing. It can be a very hard task and it can be one of those tasks you never ever finish... especially those of us who strive for perfection with our manuscripts. I don't know many writers who don't.

That's why there are these spectacular people called editors that help us writers out. What would we do without them.

I have now finished my first draft of Betwixt and I'm getting it ready to send to an editor. Before I send it though, I obviously want to do some revisions and this time around, I decided to read a helpful book before getting started.

Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King.

It was awesome. It's a really practical book with suggestions and tips that are easy to execute. At the end of each chapter is a checklist to help you focus on particular areas as you go.

I would highly recommend this book to any writer who is in the throes of editing.

My goal is to send my manuscript off to my editor and for her to reply that only minimal changes are needed. Whether or not I can do this, remains to be seen, but I'm going to give it my best shot.

Thank you Rennie Browne and Dave King for writing the kind of book that might just help me get there.