Playtime Editing

“Alright, Mel. You have a book.” (Big content sigh and a pat on the shoulder. How sweet.) 

Ugh. Nope. 

I had a first draft, but didn’t get it then. I naively thought I could do this on my own, but fortunately I’m big on research. The number one tip I found in every “How to publish your work” article was, ‘You NEED an editor. Just trust me. Your book draft is crap!’ 

I stared at the zygote of a “book” manuscript and my eyes narrowed as I re-read it for the hundredth time with fresh perspective. All the storyline gaps became blazingly apparent. I also discovered that I know zero about comma placement. I know enough to place a comma, but WHY does the comma go there? No clue. I was busy passing notes with my best friend in tenth grade English class. I suddenly wished I had paid more attention in school.

The search was on. I interviewed a few editors. They were nice, but a bit stilted and serious. Well, that won’t work. I’m a quirky Fraggle with the temper of a grizzly bear fresh out of hibernation. I needed someone with a sense of humor and a backbone. The hunt continued. I came across a website and there was a picture of a guy that looked like he knew how to laugh. Kind eyes, seemed approachable, and that may work. He was willing to have a phone consultation and the rest was history. We had solid working potential as partners in my writing dream.

My editor has worked his tail off, (with good humor), to wrap his mind around my oddities. All artists are weird, let's be honest. Why are we weird? Because, you can’t have a traditional state of mind to immerse in this bizarre craft. I believe it doesn’t matter what type of artist one is: Choreographers, dancers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, writers, painters,comedians, sculptors. Yup. All of them that I know are delightfully weird. We live in worlds of imagination. We make rather strange leaps and connections that more linear thinkers often find bizarre. Publishable books require structure. THAT is why we have editors.

So, I’m weird, but lucky for me, my editor is very perceptive. He started with traditional requests and business-like approaches that flared my insecurities because I’m a jittery ball of four-year-old self-doubt and anxiety. (In a charming way, I promise.) I froze like a deer in headlights, overwhelmed by his list of areas I was lacking. Instead of giving up on me, he figured out that I do very well when I wrap my mind around one learning aspect at a time. Nothing he requested was unreasonable, and I have a background in teaching which helps, but let me tell you, this grammatical business is no joke. Tenses, commas, word structure, old English versus modern novel English. There’s A LOT to learn.

My editor tried a fresh approach, turning my learning process into a series of fun games. Fictional books need well developed characters. Lucky for me, I showed up to the table with that quality almost in my pocket. Ohhhhhh how I enjoyed his compliments about my skills with character and voice. (Preening, girly shoulder shrugs and pretty pink blushes that are SO UNLIKE me prevailed. I loved that I got something right from the jump and it gave me confidence.)

With the compliments out of the way, he got down to a lesson on how storylines work and what an audience is looking for. Rule number one, readers want their lives to be calm, but they want their stories to be exciting. Fraught with danger and scandal is a necessity, because people live vicariously through the pages of thriller books. Reading is very personal, and readers need detail in order to immerse in a story. Like a dad hiding peas in his toddlers mac n’ cheese, he made the task into a fun game. I LOVE games. He took my inner-child’s hand and challenged me with things like, “How many sights, smells, textures, sensations can you add?” Now THAT I can get down with. Fueled with my never-ending imagination, I raced into that challenge with my tail on fire. Honestly, I didn’t even realize I was doing serious work because it was packaged in fun. I loved the process. I got a handle on the descriptive task, and more of those compliments followed. (Preen, giggle.)

Next, he added a need for structure. Our book series is complicated. There are moments of being in Melanie’s thoughts, mind-to-mind speech, and traditional speech. We have to offer clarity that is inherently understood by readers without a need for them to overthink that pulls them out of the story. We worked hard and created a solid dynamic. Again though, it was packaged in fun.

He’s handed me a lot of tasks using this playtime approach, but the latest one? Sigh. My worst nightmare. Now that I have the commas down, the length right, the excitement, the voice. . . Yeah. . . I get to restructure how I write dialogue in initial drafts. He spends a great deal of time reorganizing my sentences. I have serious work to do shifting how I talk in books because it differs greatly from my approach in real life. What reads on the page is vastly different than how we speak. Everything that has been published, my editor has made right, but the goal is for dialogue structure to be right before it reaches him. It’ll save time and a serious slog. 

It’s my goal as a writer to learn every chance I get. I want to excel and exceed. My editor is dedicated to not only editing, but also teaching me this craft. I’m beyond fortunate, because his creative approach and willingness to share his knowledge is a rare and valuable gift.

For writers who get overwhelmed, I strongly encourage you to find an editor who is patient and works to move you through the process in a way that doesn’t overwhelm you. Unless you come from an editing background, you NEED an editor. Even if you’re an editor by trade, I recommend that you hire one. As writers, we get so close to our work that we don’t see the issues clearly. It’s okay to learn in stages. It’s okay to learn thoroughly without anxiety.  My number one tip though, is to LEARN. There’s always something new to learn, whether you’re a novice or an expert in this craft. Set ego aside and dig deep in your way. It’ll be worth the challenge. With that said, commas are still the Devil!