Hello, and thank you for choosing to read my newsletter. A special hello to all my new subscribers - lots of you just recently, so thanks for being here. My posts are a little sporadic, like my writing process, but I’m always open to questions if you want to ask anything about writing - craft, editing, getting the damn thing finished (more on this below) or about my books.
Yesterday I typed those simultaneously momentous and also deceptively simple words again: The End
My next book is ‘finished’, I have completed the story, written 35 chapters and banged out just under 45,000 words. Phew.
Buuuut of course it’s nowhere near the actual end. It’s simply another beginning. The beginning of edits.
I’m often asked how best to go about self-editing. Because it’s necessary, and it’s hard. I’d go as far as to say that at some level it’s impossible. In a very real sense, I’m feeling that now.
The usual advice is to leave the MS for as long as you can. Put it in the metaphorical drawer and forget it for a while … 2 weeks seems to be a good punt at a bare minimum. Guess how long I left the thing alone? 2 hours.
But here’s the thing about me and first-pass edits … it doesn’t matter if I leave it for 2 years (or indeed 6 years*) because no matter how much time passes, I still know the story inside out. I still recognise the characters as people I know, and know well. I still can’t see the trees for all the bloody wood. And I know this to be true because I recently dug out the first book I finished *(six years ago), reread it, and remembered every single thing. I had the intention of editing it, which I did (a bit) but mostly I just read it and knew exactly what was coming. My brain filled in the gaps, and any hope I had of having ‘fresh eyes’ on the thing was gone.
So, with this one, I’m doing something different.
I have walked away from the MS … so far, so good. But I haven’t left it alone, not really. I’m thinking about it - all the time. Having a cup of tea, drifting off to sleep, cooking the dinner - my characters drift in and settle themselves in a scene. I let it play out, I let them express themselves in a way that has nothing to do with the plot. And every now and then I have A Thought. Such as, what if that character had done X before the book started; maybe character A isn’t the one who reveals that thing. What if it’s character B? Or, actually, that denouement feels rushed, doesn’t it? What if there’s a hiccup on the way to the end? And I don’t try to resolve any of these Thoughts, rather, in a meditative kind of way, I let them come, I acknowledge them (by writing them down in my notes app) and I let them go again.
It isn’t distance, and it isn’t fresh eyes, but what I’m finding is that it’s a way to allow the subconscious to do some of the work - I’m a firm believer that if the subconscious could have a crack at the book it would do a far better job at editing. Of course, it can’t usually get a word in edgeways as the conscious brain is always shouting ‘Ooh, pick me, I know!’ over the top of it.
What it reminds me of are those lovely moments right at the start of writing, when I do something similar - when the ideas are fresh and I can fire off ‘what if?’ questions constantly, making notes, feeling the vibe, brainstorming. It’s nice.
Eventually, I’ll have to put fingers to keys and actually effect some changes, but so far, I’m liking this more mindful process. I’ll let you know how it goes (and how much my agent and editor tear it all to pieces despite my subconscious’s best efforts!)
By the way, the book in question hasn’t been announced yet, so it remains under wraps although it’s probably okay to say that all being well it’ll be released next year (2025). Perhaps a topic for another discussion but it is so weird that when you’re in the thick of writing a new book you can’t talk about it, and by the time you can talk about it, you’ll probably be in the thick of writing something else.
Another solid editing tip, and one that never fails me (even when it’s too late to do anything about it) is to read your MS in a different format to the one you wrote it in. If you handwrite your first draft, as you transfer to type, you can edit quite effectively. If you type (no, I’m not going to suggest you attempt the inverse and write it all out by hand!) transfer it to a different device. I do all my developmental edit reading on a Kindle, and I also do my final pass copy edits for my own books there.
I know it works because every time I have joyfully received a print copy of one of my books, I have immediately spotted something I wish I’d changed.
If you’re editing, or about to edit, I wish you all the luck and stamina, and freshest of eyes. I’m looking forward to helping some folks out with this in June’s Writers’ Day in Bristol, with Storytale Festival’s Storytale Futures. Early bird tickets are on sale now
And, if you’ve read this far and you’d like to support this author/editor, you can buy my books anywhere books are sold; here’s a handy link to my Bookshop UK page:https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/emmaread . Leaving a review on Amazon is always super helpful to your favourite authors too, even if you haven’t bought the book there. It does magical things to the visibility algorithm and puts our books in front of fresh eyes. And, if you didn’t know, borrowing the book from your local library helps authors too, via the Public Lending Right scheme - yep we get paid per book borrowed, so go ahead and take out all your fave authors books!
See you all soon, with more news, and editing/writing tips, bye!
I do love the wonderful subconscious for editing and writing. It always seems to know best!
Well done on making it this far!