5 Writing Tips I Learnt From My Editors
Fun fact: Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald shared the same editor, a man named Maxwell Perkins. You’ve most likely never heard of him but it’s probably true to say that without him, famous works such as The Great Gatsby, may not have become as iconic as they did.
A good editor can make a great writer.
The author / editor relationship is a delicate one and I’ve been lucky enough to have fantastic editors for my novels. With each round of edits, from first draft to the final read-through, the writing tips I learnt from my editors have been invaluable. I’ve always learnt something new and become a better writer in the process.
The first time I worked with an editor, I was amazed at the writing advice they provided - their understanding of the English language is second to none. That new perspective is so important because when it's your own work and you've spent so much time on it, it can be hard to edit your own creative writing.
Editing is a big part of the writing process and as a result, different editors work on the same manuscript but focus on different areas.
For example, a developmental editor will look at a manuscript from content and structure, offering a second opinion on theme, tone, and plot holes. They review the entire thing from a big picture perspective.
In contrast, a copy editor reviews every single word for broken grammar rules, punctuation, elements of style, and spelling.
This would apply to not just fiction, but non-fiction books, and children's books too.
There could be many rounds of edits and traditional publishing usually offers this as part of a book deal.
However, if you plan to self-publish I would recommend investing in professional editors rather than just relying on a family member, trusted friend or spell check on your laptop. Even the best writers miss obvious mistakes!
If you’re lucky enough to have critique partners, use them as beta readers, rather than editorial support.
So in this post, I’m sharing five pieces of editorial advice I received during the editing of The Good Mother, The Home, and The Perfect Lie, and how to implement it. I hope it's useful for your own writing to help you produce your best work.
1. Develop your characters’ internal journeys
In my first novel, The Good Mother, the character arc of the protagonist, Alison, went from confident child to nervous first year university student, from excited teenager in love to confused victim, before finally becoming completely broken.
To show this, I needed to help the reader understand the effects of what was happening to Alison by drawing her character arc more clearly. The overall thinking is the more an author can get underneath the skin of all the main characters, the more invested readers will be in the ultimate outcome.
Action point: map out the arcs of your main characters and ask yourself: are the actions and motivations in line with their internal journey?
2. Ensure your story is credible
Any story has to be credible but it’s easy to get lost in our work and forget about the reader, especially as a beginner writer.
As writers, we have to be extra careful not to test the reader's suspension of disbelief. If you break the spell by stopping readers in their tracks to question something, then the magic of reading the book and trying to figure it out gets broken too.
Action point: when writing a scene, question whether the actions and reactions of each character are convincing before moving on to the next scene. If you have doubts, your reader will too.
3. Write strong chapter openings and endings
It’s easy to lose readers, especially if they are reading on a device rather than a good old-fashioned book. As a result, the writing skills of hooking the reader into each chapter and luring them to the next one has never been so important.
The easiest ways are through impactful sentence structure and avoiding awkward phrasing. Consider avoiding the passive voice and focus on the active voice to make your writing more dynamic.
Action point: review each chapter in turn paying attention to the opening and closing lines. Do they make you want to continue reading?
4. Develop secondary characters fully
While the focus is usually on the protagonist, it’s also important to create well-rounded and authentic secondary characters.
All the characters must feel three-dimensional to the reader otherwise they’re marked out too early as plot devices which will leave the reader feeling cheated.
Action point: create character profile sheets for secondary characters and do specific writing exercises to help develop them further.
5. Build the tension
Even if you’re not writing a thriller, successful writers create tension in their manuscript and it’s a valuable tool in your writer’s kit to keep the reader engaged.
With ever-decreasing attention spans, it’s important to build in more tension in your work, to keep the reader turning the pages and lead them to a powerful climax.
Action point: map out your story onto the narrative arc making sure key plot points build to a peak with a good pace. The best writing includes high stakes so think about using character-led conflict, a ticking time bomb, foreshadowing, or characters with opposing goals. I teach a lot of this in my writing courses as it can often be the most challenging part of the creative process for a new writer.
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