Editing a Completed Novel by Sally Clements

Completing a novel is just the first goal in a novelist’s journey, and when I write I turn off my inner editor and just write. Once I have a first draft, I check plotline, structure, conflicts, character, voice etc, and finesse into the second draft. The third draft is a detailed addressing of all the things I know I do wrong, such as using phrases that muddy the writing like ‘he was going to have to…’ constructions, which are changed to ‘he would have to…’ and checking that I haven’t ended sentences with a preposition.

I also pay attention to adverb usage, and action tags, and check for overused words.I live in Ireland, but write in American English as the majority of my readers prefer it. I make sure that my spelling is correct, and that I have used the correct words and phrases. I work with an American editor to catch any strays that slip through. When I have completed these steps, I read the entire novel aloud which really helps to identify
any dialogue that doesn’t sound right, and sentences that aren’t correct.

Then the book is off to my editor, Cindy Davis. RUNAWAY GROOM is the sixth book we’ve worked on together. We do three rounds of edits and work using Track Changes in Microsoft Word.

Here are some edits that we did with RUNAWAY GROOM.

ADVERBS

Before:
There was even a stand holding all of her threads, sequins and beads, carefully placed in the perfect position so she could grab them quickly and easily.

After:
There was even a stand holding all of her threads, sequins and beads, carefully placed in the perfect position so she could grab them in a flash.

CLARIFYING TEXT:

Before:
June grinned. “Not with these directions. That’s got to be the longest text  I’ve ever seen in my life. Your fingertips must have melted.”

After:
June grinned. “Not with these directions. That was the longest text  I’ve ever seen in my life. Your fingertips must have melted.”

According to  Chicago Manual of Style, no semi-colons in dialogue.
This was a bad one, I had multiple occurrences!

Before:
“You’ll be fine. You’re always so well organized. Look at you; you’ve already made all the dresses! How many designers are showing a collection?”

After:
“You’ll be fine. You’re always so well organized. Look at you, you’ve already made all the dresses! How many designers are showing a collection?”


REPETITION: 
Instances of this were pruned:

Before: 

“About Matthew?” June’s smile held a hint of sadness. “Yes, I told him before he proposed. There’s no way of keeping a secret in Brookbridge. I reckoned someone would tell him at some stage, and it might as well be me.”

After:
“About Matthew?” June’s smile held a hint of sadness. “Yes, I told him before he proposed. I reckoned someone would tell him at some stage, and it might as well be me.”


Before:
“We should have stuck to beer,” she muttered under her breath.

My editor pointed out that muttering, by definition, is under the breath, so this line was changed to:

After:
“We should have stuck to beer,” she muttered.

The first edits I ever did with an editor taught me a great deal. Every book  I’ve written and edited since has sharpened my skill. However, there are always problems in a manuscript and these problems can be impossible to spot by the author, so I consider editing with a professional a vital part of the process!

Sally Clements is a hybrid author in that she has been published by traditional publishers and also self-publishes. She’s been published by The Wild Rose Press, and has a book coming out at the end of 2013 with Entangled Publishing. She lives in Ireland, and between the constant rain, spends way too much time driving ‘Mum’s taxi.’ You can contact her through her blogs,  Love and Chocolate and The Minxes of Romance and of course through Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter.


RUNAWAY GROOM

Seven years ago, Matthew Logan ran out on his wedding to June Leigh. Life is good for fledgling dress-designer April Leigh. She couldn’t be happier that her sister has found a new love, and is excited about her veryfirst commission, June’s wedding dress.
On learning June has invited runaway groom Matthew Logan to the wedding, April has to intervene. Matthew’s presence will ruin everything – her father hates him, and just the sight of him in the church might give her mother a heart attack.

Matthew Logan has no intention of going to June’s wedding, but intriguing April’s arrival on his doorstep sparks his interest and he can’t resist getting to know her better. When a disaster forces them together neither can denythe passion that combusts into a red-hot affair. Discovering the truth about the past shifts April’s feelings from lust to love, but bitter experience has taught Matthew to guard his heart.

When it looks as though Matthew will lose her forever, will he fight or flee?

Get it here:  Amazon  Amazon UK

Dreaded Edits by Carla Caruso

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could whip up a manuscript in one go and never have to revisit it to tweak it?

Unfortunately – writing geniuses aside – manuscripts usually require three edits. Sorry.

The first draft I find the most fun – and the most creative. You’re getting down your thoughts, the characters are sparring beautifully, and in your mind the story is a masterpiece.

I usually write out each scene, then do a read-through and tweak before starting on the next one. I also carry around a mini notepad which I put changes and extra lines dreamt up in whenever they come to me (usually when I’m doing something scintillating like the vacuuming). And the next time I park my derriere at the computer, I make those changes, so it’s a continual refining process.

Now comes the painful second edit. This (for me) is a lot less fun. There will be scenes that don’t work, plot threads that have been dropped, clunky dialogue, and incidents that just don’t gel with your characters. Maybe you also have to add or chop words to make a certain word count. Unfortunately, the story probably doesn’t (yet) read like a masterpiece either. But by the time, you’ve got to the end of this edit, you’ll be inching a lot closer.

By the third edit, I’m usually flying, though I may be a little sick of my story at this point – some scenes will still take me by surprise, though. “Oh, I forgot that happened – how nifty!” are words that will chime in the back of my head.

Then… ahhh… there’s nothing sweeter than getting to “the end” of that speedy third edit, when you can pat yourself on the back for a job well done and send your “baby” out into the world – be that an agent or publisher. (Maybe you’ve used a critique partner throughout too.)

I think, personally, doing any edits beyond this is overkill, because no agent or publisher expects a manuscript to be 100 per cent perfect. It’s usually just time-wasting – nit-picking, procrastinating, whatever you want to call it! – when you could be working on your next piece. After all, you know what they’ll usually require when they give your manuscript the big tick of approval? More edits! They’ll pick up the niggly bits you totally overlooked.

So then you’ll have a FOURTH chance to go through your manuscript and refine it some more, winding up with a story that’s a breeze to read. Of course, no one has to know just how many painstaking hours of work it took to craft!

Carla Caruso is the author of Second Chance and Cityglitter, available through www.destinyromance.com. Visit her at www.carlacaruso.com.au