Tips and Tools From the Editors

Some very insightful tidbits and advice were shared at an ‘editor’s panel’ at Inscribe’s 2016 Fall Conference. On the panel were the following expert editors:

Carol Schaefer, columns’ editor for Fellowscript Magazine; Nina Morey, editor in chief of Fellowscript Magazine; Dale Youngman, of Pagemaster Publishing; Susan King, editor of The Upper Room. 

Some key questions:

Why do I need an editor?

–        Carol Schafer used losing her keys as an example. She’d lost her keys and looked EVERYWHERE  for them with no success, until someone else came along and found them – in plain sight. I’m sure we’ve all had moments like this in our lives. The ‘obvious’ is not always obvious. Sometimes it takes another set of eyes. We all have blind spots. In the end we want the very best product we can manage and therefore good writers WANT to be edited. It makes them better.

What are some of the different kinds of editing?

–       Structural – This is an overall ‘big picture’ edit: (Are there holes? Is there flow? Show don’t tell rule etc.)

–       Copy editing – focuses details and rewriting.

–       Proofing – find all typos etc. (Some may call it line editing.)

      More takeaways:

– The best editing is invisible… it brings out the best of the author.

– Send the best copy you can to the editor. (So do some self editing first! Run it by your critique group first. Read it out loud.)

– Don’t trust the tools! Spell and grammar check can make mistakes. Be BETTER than your tools. Get out the grammar books and review! (It’s good medicine!)

– Put your work away for awhile. Come back to it with fresh eyes.

– Boil it down. Eliminate and tighten.

– Editors are looking for excellence, not perfection. (Know when to move on!)

– submit to guidelines and be organized if you are submitting to more than one place.

It’s okay to disagree with your editor, but make sure you are open to suggestions. Listen and learn. Your editor is not your adversary. Expect to be dismayed and challenged, but in the end, be pleased. Editors love TEACHABLE authors.

Suggested resources:

Telling Lies for Fun and Profit

Grammar Girl

grammarly.com

Chicago Manual of Style 16^th edition

Strunk and White’s Elements of Style

Monetizing Your Creativity (podcast)