Writing is difficult enough, but having and editor mar those pages with red marks and even *gasp!* cut out parts, can be really torturous.
Yet it's an essential part of producing a quality product.
It's going to be painful either way, but in this video (and in the video notes below) I outline a few ways to ease the pain.
I want to talk today with authors who have done the work, written the book, who are chin-deep in the editing process, and finding it hard. Painful. Torturous.
I need to tell you three things about why it's hard, and how to ease the pain.
First, know that you are doing awesome. Seriously - don't just breeze past this paragraph. It's vital to remember that you've come a long way. I'll bet you feel a tiny bit of relief even just stopping and doing that. (I did!) You completed a book! That's no small feat, so let yourself enjoy that. Often.
Taking a moment to remember how far you've come will help you get through the tough times.
Secondly, the reason editing is so difficult is because it's entirely different from writing. Entirely.
It's a bit like rock climbing compared to walking. Both use the same body parts, involve moving, and include a similar goal of moving forward. But for all their similarities, they are completely different in movement, goal, and intensity. So it is with writing and editing.
Here's the main difference, and what frustrates countless authors. Writing was about you. All the effort was aimed at expressing your feelings, your experiences, your perspective.
Editing however, has nothing to do with you. It doesn't.
It is about your reader.
And that's a hard mindset change to make.
You've lived and breathed this manuscript, so it's hard to look at it from the reader's perspective. For example, you can write, "I went to the gym" and know exactly what you mean. To you, this evelopes your existing knowledge about the gym - the layout, the people who frequent there, the types of equipment, and the whole culture of the place.
Your reader though, has no idea of any of that. If you don't help them understand what you mean, they will insert their own experience and perception into that void, which is not what you're trying to do as a writer.
This is the importance of viewing the script from your reader's perspective.
What will they see and understand?
3. A major key to getting this perspective is to distance yourself from the manuscript. It's highly emotional to dig deep and pour all that onto a page. Give those emotions time to fade. Take a break from your manuscript, use that time to shift your thoughts to the reader. Thinking and reading on marketing should help kick your business head into gear.
And, as you work the editing process, know that printers and others who stand to benefit financially from your book may push you to hurry. If the printer is telling you there are only a few weeks to get your project in for example, just know it's not true. They're a printer. They'll be there whenever you decide to show up. There's no need to let them demand your time that way. (Dare I say, even editors can't boss you around about your schedule)
I mention that because it's hugely important in this fast-food, instant messaging culture of ours to remember to give yourself time. Because this process is a process. This. takes. time.
I hope that helps with your editing process.
For more helpful tips, check out some of my other articles
How to Receive a Critique
Are You About To Receive an Edit? You Need to Read This!
How Much Does Proofreading Cost? A Price Comparison
The Editing Process: What Happens Afterward?
So again, congrats on coming this far! You can do this.
You really can.
Cheers.
I need to tell you three things about why it's hard, and how to ease the pain.
First, know that you are doing awesome. Seriously - don't just breeze past this paragraph. It's vital to remember that you've come a long way. I'll bet you feel a tiny bit of relief even just stopping and doing that. (I did!) You completed a book! That's no small feat, so let yourself enjoy that. Often.
Taking a moment to remember how far you've come will help you get through the tough times.
Secondly, the reason editing is so difficult is because it's entirely different from writing. Entirely.
It's a bit like rock climbing compared to walking. Both use the same body parts, involve moving, and include a similar goal of moving forward. But for all their similarities, they are completely different in movement, goal, and intensity. So it is with writing and editing.
Here's the main difference, and what frustrates countless authors. Writing was about you. All the effort was aimed at expressing your feelings, your experiences, your perspective.
Editing however, has nothing to do with you. It doesn't.
It is about your reader.
And that's a hard mindset change to make.
You've lived and breathed this manuscript, so it's hard to look at it from the reader's perspective. For example, you can write, "I went to the gym" and know exactly what you mean. To you, this evelopes your existing knowledge about the gym - the layout, the people who frequent there, the types of equipment, and the whole culture of the place.
Your reader though, has no idea of any of that. If you don't help them understand what you mean, they will insert their own experience and perception into that void, which is not what you're trying to do as a writer.
This is the importance of viewing the script from your reader's perspective.
What will they see and understand?
3. A major key to getting this perspective is to distance yourself from the manuscript. It's highly emotional to dig deep and pour all that onto a page. Give those emotions time to fade. Take a break from your manuscript, use that time to shift your thoughts to the reader. Thinking and reading on marketing should help kick your business head into gear.
And, as you work the editing process, know that printers and others who stand to benefit financially from your book may push you to hurry. If the printer is telling you there are only a few weeks to get your project in for example, just know it's not true. They're a printer. They'll be there whenever you decide to show up. There's no need to let them demand your time that way. (Dare I say, even editors can't boss you around about your schedule)
I mention that because it's hugely important in this fast-food, instant messaging culture of ours to remember to give yourself time. Because this process is a process. This. takes. time.
I hope that helps with your editing process.
For more helpful tips, check out some of my other articles
How to Receive a Critique
Are You About To Receive an Edit? You Need to Read This!
How Much Does Proofreading Cost? A Price Comparison
The Editing Process: What Happens Afterward?
So again, congrats on coming this far! You can do this.
You really can.
Cheers.
