You Need an Editor: Extraneous everythings

Hi everybody! Welcome back to Too Many Books to Count! I’m so glad you joined us today. All month long, we’ve been talking about editing, and discussing why it’s important to be edited—why you need an editor, whether you think you do or not. I’ve been discussing the reasons why your writing isn’t perfect, and telling you a little bit of what an editor will do, once they get their hands on your manuscript. And don’t worry; I’m being nice about it. I know how hard it can be, to let someone else work on your manuscript. I know how hard it can be, to let go.

You Need an Editor: Extraneous everythings

As a writer who writes really long books, I honestly have a really hard time with this one, myself. I like my scenes. I like everything I’ve included in my story. And by the time I get through my last round of editing, before my manuscript goes to my editor, I’m entirely happy with every scene I’ve included, and I don’t think anything should ever have to be cut. Ever. Which is why I wanted to talk about this, today. Because if you’re anything like me… you’ll have a hard time with this one, too.

You’ve written things that don’t need to be included in your manuscript. Worse still, you probably have no idea what those things are. If you’re anything like me, you love everything in your book and don’t want anyone to go around cutting scenes out of your beautiful story. But that’s just what you need to do.

See, editors have this uncanny ability to tell what scenes actually belong in a novel, and what scenes don’t. (interestingly, there are times when I only happen to have this ability while editing someone else’s work). We can read through a manuscript and know, without a second thought, what scenes are simply stagnant, neither moving the story forward nor holding it back, but are simply there, and don’t need to be.

Most writers have little to no ability to do that, especially within their own work.

You need an editor, because your editor will look through your manuscript and know what needs to be there and what doesn’t. They’ll look through your manuscript with that dreaded red pen and delete all the things that don’t need to be there—and don’t worry, they’ll also be able to explain to you, exactly why these things need to be cut. If ever I need to cut something out of a client’s work, I know why it needs to be cut, and I’m more than happy to tell you, to explain it to you, so you’re less likely to write extra scenes and unnecessary information, later on down the line.

My ultimate goal, really, is to make your manuscript better and to make you a better writer, in the long run. One of the best ways to do that, in my opinion, is to show you, my dear writer, what you’ve written that you didn’t need to write.

We’re working together, in a sense, when I start editing your manuscript. We’re working together, you and I, to make your manuscript into something amazing and wonderful. We’re working together, to better both your writing and the writing you’ve already done.

So I implore you once more, dear writer: get an editor. Your readers will thank you.

[love]

{Rani Divine}