Make Enemies for Editors

I think this one goes without saying, but I do want to touch on the topic and really drive home the importance of editing. When it comes to writing, next to getting started, the single hardest thing is editing a work. Certainly a writer should read and reread his own work to ensure that there are no errors, but what I'm discussing goes far beyond just grammar and spelling checks. A novel is a representation of the writer, it is how he or she interacts with the world. Just as in the business world, there are people who come in to work dressed professionally, and there are those that show up wearing whatever they crashed in on Sunday night. In the realm of writing, there are those that take time to be exacting in their work, and there are those that simply slap text on a page and call it good. Now, the latter in many cases can have excellent ideas and fantastic dialogue, but which one do you think gets read end to end? Hint: it's not the guy who's been in the same job for ten years.

Now, I'm not recommending you hire a professional editor, and I'm not saying I agree with the practice of "beta readers," by which a book is sent to ten, twenty, or even fifty people to be read and reviewed before publishing. Professional editors can cost a pretty penny, and (to me) beta reading is similar to the practice carried out in the movie industry of using test audiences, which have on more than one occasion ruined a perfectly good film. What I am saying is that you need to get your work in front of people who will be honest and offer constructive feedback that improves your narrative, pushing you further than you would normally be able to go.

Grandma is not going to tell you your book sucks. Neither is your friend who laughs at all your jokes. You need to put your text in front of acquaintances that will be critical, with instructions to comment on even the smallest detail they did not understand, or did not think worked in the story. Beyond that, you need to be ready and willing to accept said criticism without taking it personally. Everyone has the potential to write a great novel, but it comes through the help of others, and through being wise enough to recognize when someone rightfully points out a hole in your plot that you could fly the starship Enterprise through. Editing takes time and patience, and it especially takes a willingness to go back and rewrite portions of your book. This is a good thing. Your work is fluid, and it exists (hopefully) in a digital medium. You can change it and test it, then change it back if it doesn't work. Do not be afraid to experiment.

A personal anecdote: my first novel is currently going through the editing phase, and it's a slow process. The people that are editing it are doing so as a favor, so they do need to be hit with the cattle prod now and again to keep up the momentum. I gave my novel to three people in particular, because I wanted a good spread of feedback. One was a colleague of mine who has similar taste in media; I expect him to be familiar with the genre and to give me pointers on things I can do to satisfy that market. I also gave a copy to my wife, who reads stories, but certainly not science fiction. I expect an opportunity to get feedback on how I can draw in readers to my book, even if they don't necessarily read cyberpunk novels about a dude who never takes his techno-goggles off. Lastly, I gave my story to a friend of mine who doesn't read novels at all. Now, again, friends are dangerous because they tend to want to support you; but this friend I know for certain will give me solid feedback, as I have worked with him before. I find him the most significant and interesting challenge, because of the fact that he does not enjoy reading novels in the slightest. If I can win him over, I know I've got a solid book on my hands.

So, in a nutshell, make sure you do yourself the favor of making your novel go before a jury, and that they are equipped to really dig up the truth, and that they don't let you off easy when you get to the chapter you wrote just because you couldn't figure out how to transition to the next scene. It was terrible, believe me.