One of the most painful lessons to learn
throughout the publishing of The Gaze: there's no such thing as
self-editing. However, stubborn as always, I gave it an honest effort and
had the audacity to feel satisfied with the end result.
Until...
I came across a
reader who proclaimed Gaze had "countless errors."
After spending an
entire night looking at page after page, I ran into a couple of words that
weren't spaced, one that was misspelled (form instead of from),
and one or two comma issues.
I replied to the
reader to apologize for the errors, genuinely mortified.
The reader
surprised me by pointing out my potential as a writer and suggested I needed a
good copy editor. Of course I needed a copy editor, but at over 255,000
words, the fee was... well, exorbitant. (I told one editing firm that I
was looking to edit my novel, not put their children through college.)
She then
offered to help me edit the piece. My pride and ego conspired against my
common sense and challenged her with a "What do I need you for? I'm
getting some good reviews."
Heather Jacquemin then simply showed me the error of my
ways. After correcting a few pages, I changed my tune and profusely
apologized.
To use a
cliché―I'm positive will make Heather cringe―it marked the beginning of a
beautiful friendship.
Throughout
her editing of The Gaze, I learned more than I could have anticipated.
She pointed out my tendencies, redundancies, word overuse, and plot
inconsistencies. At one point, I bit my lip and let my head drop on the
desk. Talk about a wake up call...
Her
comments were direct and to the point; at times in the form of textual slaps I
sorely needed to improve.
So what makes
an editor? Some of my author friends may agree with my own image of a
malevolent, heartless grouch, wielding a red pen, eager to make our heart bleed
with each slash, cutting our book along with our dreams to ribbons. Just
like she would slash that last sentence.
A bit
melodramatic perhaps, but I do have some experience with a certain English
professor who loved to rip my essays right before my eyes if she wasn’t pleased
with my work. That’s how I viewed editors.
My Sheri is
not an editor, but she is a reader cursed (or blessed depending on the situation) with linear thinking, but that’s
exactly what makes her a better candidate to be an editor rather than a
writer. With tears in my eyes, I’ve handed her pieces of writing that she
found lacking, which left me sullen for hours before going back to the page. (Hell yeah, I sulked.)
It’s not easy to swallow those, but I began asking
myself: Do I want to see this type of critique from a dozen reviewers?
The answer was no. I’d rather hear it from someone I know and
trust.
An editor
is an important ally every writer needs. But, did you know there are
different types of editing? I didn't. And if you think about all
the work that goes into staring at a manuscript, looking for grammatical
errors, typos, inconsistencies, and general flaws one paragraph at a
time, then you'd ask yourself, why would anyone in their right mind want to be an editor?
Why
not ask mine?
What made you want to
edit?
I’ve always loved the
beauty of the perfect word, sought refuge in books, and excelled in
writing. I started my career as a high school English teacher. Two years
in, an administrator asked me to teach journalism because she thought my
“creativity” made me the perfect candidate. Following my inaugural year as
newspaper adviser, I jumped into advising competitive yearbook at the national
level. I recognized my skill for coaching writing, and I loved the idea of
creating a book integrating writing, photography, and design. Years later, in
the thick of indie-publishing, I read and reviewed some novels that prompted me
to offer my professional help to writers. I began freelance copyediting because
I wanted to use my skills to help authors. I enjoy copyediting, but I’m
also good at it.
And I can attest to your
skills. The finalized version of The Gaze is smoother, much more concise,
and several pages lighter. What makes editing worthwhile?
Editing is worthwhile
because I get to play an integral role in a lengthy creative process. I enjoy
visualizing a goal, planning its success, and following through until the end.
Helping others materialize their visions also thrills me
because I have the opportunity to watch their creative vision morph into a
sellable product. Editing is worthwhile because it can elevate a decent
manuscript into a great one; editing won’t turn a total failure into
excellence, but it will certainly improve every manuscript significantly.
It's clear you have a
passion for editing. You don't look at it like a chore as most of us,
authors would. What's the editing process?
I skim the manuscript
before I begin working with a client to make sure it doesn’t require more or
less editing than the author believes. After we agree on the level of editing,
I begin. For a copyedit or substantive edit, I read through the manuscript once
to get a feel for the general story. I begin the style sheet and make notes
that I will later use to detail the manuscript’s strengths and weaknesses.
Then, I use Microsoft’s Track Changes feature to copyedit line-by-line. Authors
can either accept or reject the changes I’ve made, but I encourage them to
dialogue with me about any possible objections before making their final
decisions. I offer professional, individualized service, and my thorough input
accommodates each author’s style.
It's an awful lot of
work. What is the toughest part of editing?
Criticizing another
person’s work and communicating its problems is never an easy task, even when
spurred by good intentions. The toughest part of editing is not the editing,
but in approaching the piece of writing and its author with fragility yet
conviction, assertiveness yet gentleness. It can also be tough to balance the
big picture with the details, and know when to focus on which issue, especially
when the piece of writing is, well, a mess. Unfortunately, fragile egos,
uncertainty in changing times, and bad experiences with other editors often
taint a client’s perspective, so I find myself fighting against negative
stereotypes of editors and prejudiced ideas about editing in general,
especially during this foundational shift of the publishing industry toward
self-publishing. But like all good relationships, professional relationships
take time, good communication, compromise, and strength, all of which I
willingly invest.
That about sums up our initial
meeting, but I'm glad I didn't listen to my ego or what was left of my pride
after your review... more on that later. Do you have to care about the
story? In other words, do you have to like the story before you decide to edit
it?
A good story is a good
story, regardless of genre. Stories should be well-paced and have active verbs,
tension on every page, believable dialogue, and consistent and authentic
narration. Of course, I prefer reading a story I love because
I’m a reader at heart, but no, I don’t have to like the story
to edit it. My editing laser beam does not have an OFF switch, so I don’t have
to worry that potential disinterest will blind me.
I've always wondered
about that. So in other words, you take a very clinical approach to editing,
which is an advantage for the author. What's the extent of your
responsibility as a contributor for the success of the piece?
My level of
responsibility for the success of a piece depends on how much input I’ve given.
If I helped develop the piece of writing, I feel more
responsible for its success than if I only proofread it. Ultimately, the
manuscript’s success depends on the general market and its readers, the
author’s skill, the quality of the advertising, the competency of the editor,
and the effectiveness of the cover design. Oh – and a little luck and hard work
never hurt, either.
I used to think (and I
wasn't the only one) that English majors and grammar zealots would eventually
turn a novel into a text book. How do you conserve your author's voice?
Diction creates tone,
and tone creates voice. To conserve that voice, I remain conscientious of the
author’s tone and I never haphazardly choose or remove words. I also zoom in on
each character’s voice and personality, checking for consistency and
authenticity. Cutting out unnecessary words does not alter the
author’s voice; instead, it removes the muzzle that muffles the clarity of that
voice.
That's what impressed me
the most when you got done with The Gaze. The tone was actually
clearer. Here's a question I'll probably regret. What are your
editing pet peeves?
Lazy writing irks me; I
will kill every cliché, every arbitrary repetition, every instance of an
unreliable narrator, every unnecessary word, and every weak use of there
is, there are, stuff, thing, very, many,
and beautiful. I also feel frustrated when authors don’t
believe they need copyeditors, or when authors don’t invest 100% effort into
their manuscript before requesting my advice and opinion. I
prefer working with authors who strive for excellence because it is mutually
beneficial when both partners work hard and work well.
I can't help feeling
every one of those pet peeves applies to me. Completely accurate of where
I was when we crossed paths. There are so many things I thought were so
beautiful, and I thought I wrote a lot of very interesting stuff, good as gold, and right as rain... Okay, I'll stop. I'm glad you showed me how wrong I was. Or at least I was after I
stopped kicking the doors and cowering in a corner like an abused puppy. (couldn't help it) When the writing is
terrible, how do you go about addressing the issues to your author?
If the writing is
terrible, I inform the author honestly and directly. I am paid to provide my
honest, professional opinion, even if that opinion scalds. Sometimes, I may
have to renegotiate our agreement if excessive revisions will necessitate
extensive time. But I will always communicate and assume the author wants to
devote time to improving the manuscript. I am a problem-solver, so I value
constructive criticism and use it as a gauge of my usefulness; the more
constructive criticism I offer, the more value I have.
Just like you did when
pointing out how much you honestly hated one of my characters because...
No need to go into that. (ahem) What does it take to impress
you as a reader, as an editor?
As a reader, I’m
impressed with stories that linger in my heart or mind long after I’ve finished
reading them. I love stories that I have to digest before I can even consider gulping
down another story. I like when I can still feel the marks on my arm from the punch
a story has given me. As an editor, I’m impressed with purposeful, powerful
narratives complete with appropriate pacing, which is a feat for most writers
of fiction.
You've validated my goal
as a writer, to produce a memorable piece of writing. It's good to know
what an editor wants out of an author. Once you make a comment or
recommendation, how do expect your authors to react?
Editing requires
criticism and change, two large pills for authors to swallow. Side effects may
include feelings of worthlessness, headaches, levels of anger ranging from
frustration to rage, a physiological drive to fight or flee, a temporary
reduction in self-pride, and an obsessive need to rewrite. Over time, side
effects will subside, creating renewed hope, a motivating sense of
productivity, and abundant gratification and appreciation.
Yup, I used some
grapefruit juice and vodka to swallow those pills, and I went through every
side effect, particularly attaining renewed hope and motivation. What's
rewarding to you as an editor?
Watching a manuscript
undergo the editing process inspires me. Editing rewards my competitive
side, the one that thrives on successfully finishing challenges. Editing also
rewards my inner philanthropist because I know my skills ease authors’ pain and
maximize their productivity. Editing fulfills my need to create, my need to
produce an item of value, and my need to reach out and help other people.
Have you considered
writing your own material, and would you be the one to edit it?
Right now, I have no
intention of publishing in the near future. If I ever did choose to publish, I
would read my manuscript no fewer than forty times before sending it to a
copyeditor. In my hunt for a copyeditor with excellent communication skills and
a sharp eye, I would scour websites, peruse blogs, and ask for recommendations.
I wouldn’t enter a courtroom without a lawyer or a classroom without a teacher,
nor would I enter the publishing arena without an editor on my side.
You couldn't be more
right. Scammers are always on the prowl. Editor aside, what makes Heather, the person?
My sophomore year of
college, I gave birth to my first daughter on a Sunday. On Wednesday, I
returned to my English 102 class, cursing the wooden chairs for the entire
three hours. During my senior year of college, my water broke in the school
library during a research project in my Literary Genres class. I gave birth to
my second daughter that day, a Friday, and returned to class on Monday. My
Literary Genres professor has never forgotten me, that mommy-to-be who earned a
4.0 both semesters she brought her daughters into this world. I approach
editing with a similar technique to parenting; I am firm, consistent, fair,
strong, and effective. I have high expectations and I encourage and expect hard
work, pride, and 100% effort. I am not the heartless, foaming-at-the-mouth
editor who thrives on making authors cry with my criticisms. I am a mom, a
teacher, a vegetarian, and an aunt to seventeen nieces and nephews. But mostly,
I am a hard worker, an overachiever of sorts, and a teacher at heart.
Heather, I've told you
several times how grateful I am to have crossed paths with you. I
resisted the idea of introducing you this way because frankly, I didn't want to
share your skills with others.
I appreciate your
honesty, your strength as a person, and more than anything, your infinite
patience. Having you in my corner has strengthened the level of my writing far more
than I could have anticipated.
* * *
I used to think editors and authors lived a
similar relation to a judge and a lawyer or even a cop and a criminal. Heather may have wanted to keep
up that old adage, but she has a big heart. Which shocked me because I
honestly believed heartlessness was a prerequisite for editors. But really, editors are people too!
I wasn't
naive enough to believe I'd reach my goals by myself, but I have a hard time
trusting those who claim to be the best at anything. To elicit a frown from
Heather, she can talk the talk and walk the walk. She's been an
instrumental part in writing My Two Flags. Because of its premise, I'm
too emotionally close to the story, and I knew I'd run into a problem with
objectivity, but Heather was
able to give me the right perspective to make that novel a piece of writing
worth reading, and I can't wait to see what we can accomplish as a team in the future.
To learn more about Heather and her Editing Services visit:
