A thousand reasons to get the editing right

[John Dean]

I have been editing the working draft of the latest Jack Harris crime novel before sending it off to my publishers The Book Folks at the end of the month.

For me, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, this is the most intense and most enjoyable stage of the writing process and it’s worth recapping why all writers need to give the process due care and attention, whether they enjoy or not.

Personally, I love the focus involved in going through every page, every line, every word, to make sure that the manuscript I submit to my publisher is as near to perfection as it can be.

Editing may not have the free-wheeling exhileration of starting with a blank page and filling it with story but, for me, it’s just as important.

So, what does editing entail? Part of it is about the big stuff – does the plot work, are there story lines that need better explanation, does everything make sense? Is the timeline right? Is the pace right?

Also, has the reader got the information they need to understand the story or have you given them far too much detail, much of which does not really need to be there? Do any of the characters mysteriously change their name half-way through? Have you got the grammar right? Have you corrected any wrong spellings and pieces of rogue punctuation?

It's also about questioning every word. Is it doing a useful job? Is it really needed, is it a case of overwriting to keep the word count up, is it in the right place, would a different word work better? Are the spellings right, is the grammar clunky? Does the dialogue sound like real people speaking?

For me, the final edits will see make at least a thousand changes to the manuscript, everything from removing whole sections and maybe writing new ones to taking out single words.

However, whether you enjoy it or not, it will reward the effort and allow you to send the publisher something that is the best it can be before it is handed to the editors.