The book writing process is a beautiful dance of creativity and structure – it requires exploration, imagination, story-telling, and discipline. There is one step that may seem a bit daunting: editing. After you’ve poured out your heart and soul in the form of words, the feeling of handing it over to someone with a red pen and an ax can seem a bit unnerving. Ok, saying they have an ax might be a little bit melodramatic…but after all, this is your baby!
Can I let you in on a little secret?
The editing process is friend, not foe! I think it is safe to say, whenever we create something, we want it to be good. In writing, it’s the editing that makes your book the best it can be! Having a great team to help you refine your book not only helps ensure accuracy but it can also help you enrich the content of your manuscript and develop more engaging characters, scenarios, and stories. The bonus is, while you tighten up your manuscript, your skills as an author are improving as well!
Here are 5 reasons you want to invite a good editing team to help with your book.
- Improved Clarity
Many times when we get to writing, we think a certain passage makes perfect sense. An editor, or even a beta reader can help point out sections that either don’t make sense or aren’t necessary for the flow of the story. This helps to eliminate confusing or unclear passages and make the message of the book more concise and understandable. - Stronger Storytelling
Well written stories have the power to engage, guide, and entertain the reader. Editing can help an author refine their storytelling techniques by identifying areas where additional description or character development is needed. This is necessary for the stories told to highlight a point in non-fiction books as well as the full storyline of a novel. - Consistency
Uniformity in tone, style, and language is something that goes unnoticed when done correctly; but is a huge distraction when there is a Editing can help ensure consistency in tone, style, and language throughout the book, which can enhance the reader’s understanding and enjoyment of the material. - Better Manuscript Organization
In the writing process, writers are encouraged to “just write” the first draft. The reality is, once it is all out there, it may not seem as logical as originally planned. The editing process can help the author to organize the book’s content into a coherent structure that flows smoothly from beginning to end. - Quality
Typos happen. However, grammatical errors and other mistakes make your book look “not-so-professional” and can detract from the reader’s experience. The editing process will help erase those mistakes from your manuscript. (Please note: it can often take more than one pass through the manuscript to catch these suckers!)
Most new authors are concerned about their manuscript not being good enough. Keep in mind, the first draft is only the start of the writing process. Once it is written down, the manuscript will be looked at by various people, and go through several rounds of changes – it is all part of the writing process.
Editing is important because it brings clarity, consistency, organization and proofing to your written work. It’s also a process that will improve both your manuscript as well as your writing skills. So, embrace the editing process, even if it’s painful at times. And remember, everyone needs an editor – even the best writers in the world.
