Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working with my in-house editor on revisions for my debut novel.
You may be wondering what it’s been like.
Allow me to tell you a quick story.
After I gave birth to my son, my family came to meet our baby and asked Ryan, “How was it?”
He turned to them, looking more than a little shell-shocked, and said, “Intense.”
That’s exactly how I’d describe this. Intense.
As I’ve worked through the issues in my book, I feel like I’ve lived more inside my story than I have outside of it. I’ll come up for air and see my husband standing there and think, “Oh, right. You’re here.”
Before I signed my contract, I always loved when authors would share their experience with in-house edits, like Jody Hedlund does here. I enjoyed getting a sneak peak inside her life. To dream and anticipate when that day would come for me. So now that it is my turn (crazy, crazy), I thought I’d return the favor.
Other than intense, what exactly has my in-house editing experience looked like?
Keep in mind, every publishing house is different. And I’m sure, even within the same publishing house, authors have differing experiences. I can only share mine.
First, my editor and an outside reader read my book. Before she combined the feedback into an editorial letter, or revision memo, we discussed the major areas of concern via telephone.
It was a very casual conversation. Basically, she wanted to ask me some questions and run some ideas by me. I absolutely loved being included in the process.
After our conversation, I had some time to think about her suggestions. There was only one that I felt uncertain about, so I called my agent and she helped me process my thoughts and offered her own. One of the many, many reasons a good agent is invaluable.
A few days later, I received the revision memo.
I’d be lying if I said my heart didn’t start pounding just a wee bit faster. It turned out to be nine pages, single-spaced. A very typical length, I think. My editor started with encouragement, a lovely way to start, assuring me that she loved and believed in my story.
Then she moved on to the tough stuff. Things that needed improved.
One of the things I had going for me was a tightly written plot, which meant the overall structure of the book was solid. I attribute that to my psychotic habit of outlining.
There were, however, two big issues that needed attention:
-My main character’s arc
-The romance between my hero and heroine
I think most of you know this, but in case not, I write romance. It’s a huge part of my books. So to find out that the romance between my hero and heroine wasn’t working….
Let’s just say it wasn’t the easiest thing to swallow.
My natural inclination was to respond, “But, but….look at all this juicy tension I created. I can’t mess with that. What would Donald Maass say?”
After taking a deep breath and reading through the rest of the memo, I soon realized that:
1. She was right. Tension is good. But if that’s all there is, it makes for a shallow romance.
2. It wasn’t a lost cause.
She offered several solutions that would fix the problem without diffusing the tension, which made me excited. I could already see how much better my novel would be if I could rise to the occasion and fix what needed fixing.
So, there I was. Revision memo in my possession. All kinds of questions zipping through my head.
Which leads to our second phone call. My editor called me again and we talked for over an hour. She answered my questions, helped me brainstorm, and clarified the confusing spots.
But, that’s not all.
This is where I believe I’m incredibly lucky. This is where I sort of get this feeling of awe for my editor. She doesn’t just stop with a revision memo. She sent me my entire manuscript, with in-text notes.
I cannot tell you how incredibly valuable this has been for me as I work through my revisions. I’ve told my husband several times, “I don’t know what I’d do without these notes!” They’ve acted as a road map. Not to mention, many of the comments are downright funny.
Now here I am, two weeks later, finished (I think) with the major revisions.
So how did I do it?
Here are three tips for surviving a content edit:
Solicit the help of your family.
I asked my husband, my dad, my mom, and my aunt for help. The thing I’ve learned about revisions such as these, is it’s hard to jump in and out of the story. I needed to dive into the story and have large chunks of time to stay in the story. So my dad watched Brogan for an entire day, my aunt and grandma took him several evenings, and my husband took a father-son weekend trip to see his cousins in Wisconsin.
Tackle one issue at a time.
I focused first on their relationship. I went through with the deliberate intention of giving them points of connection. Once I got that out of the way, I switched my focus to my main character and looked for ways to make her more likable, more consistent. I continued until I crossed all the major concerns off my list.
Leave the simple stuff for the end.
As I write this post (Saturday evening), I just finished the last of the big stuff. But I’m not done. I still have to read through the manuscript, do some fine-tuning, make some secondary characters less caricature-like, add some more details to the setting, and make sure my prose don’t get too purple. But this stuff feels much less daunting than the big stuff. Which is why I saved it for last.
When I finish, I’ll submit the story to my editor and wait anxiously to see if it needs additional revisions, or if I’ve turned in an acceptable manuscript. I’ll make sure to update you as soon as I find out!
For more information on the editorial process, check out these informative posts by my agent, Rachelle Gardner: Do Publishers Edit Books Anymore (to which I can answer a resounding YES!) and The Editorial Letter.
Let’s Talk: What, if anything, surprised you about the revision process? If you’ve gone through it, what was your experience like? Do you have any questions for me about my experience? If so, feel free to ask them in the comment section. I’ll either respond directly, or perhaps turn your question into its own blog post.
Wow, what a process! But like you, I would prefer a very thorough editor who finds tons of ways to improve my manuscript. And how nice that your editor gave you your manuscript with in-text notes! That would definitely be a huge help – and save lots of back-and-forth on the phone and email.
And thanks so much for commenting on my blog this evening! It's great to see you there! And yes, it looks like we were on the same wavelength, both writing about our editing experiences! 🙂
Wow, Katie — thank you for these incredibly helpful (albeit a little scary) insights into the content editing process! Hopefully I will get there someday…in the meantime, I'm routing for you!
I love that you shared this. It sounds difficult and painful, but do-able. Gives me hope!
Katie,
I was excited about my revision letter too. After reading my ms, my agent sent me a revision letter. She started out with praise & what was working. Then she tackled both the little things and some more major things that weren't working.
I had a similar process as yours–but I reworked the minor issues first while I mulled over the major ones. Once those were cleaned up, I focused on the larger edits.
What a wonderfully informative and insightful post, Katie. Thank you very much for taking time to write this, even though you’ve been in heads-down mode with your edits.
I’ve only gone through this process with nonfiction and truly appreciate this glimpse of what it might be like for me one day with my first YA novel. Again, congratulations!
Michelle
What a wonderfully informative and insightful post, Katie. Thank you very much for taking time to write this, even though you’ve been in heads-down mode with your edits.
I’ve only gone through this process with nonfiction and truly appreciate this glimpse of what it might be like for me one day with my first YA novel. Again, congratulations!
Michelle
Love this post, Katie. I have friends who write in different genres, and some editors barely send a paragraph of vague revision suggestions (which can be unhelpful) while others send a dozen pages (which gives a writer great feedback but can seem overwhelming). It depends on the publishing house.
I'm so glad you shared this because unless a writer knows revision letters are NORMAL, they can get depressed when a detailed letter arrives. Editors just want the best possible book. End of story!
Congrats on getting through the revisions. Give your family a big hug!!
Great post! I am awaiting edits for my debut novel from my editor and have no idea what to expect. This helps a lot. Thanks for sharing!
Katie, I can't imagine doing what you're doing with a toddler in the house! You are SO fortunate to have a supportive family! From what I know of you, I think your strong work ethic has really carried you through this. You could have freaked out and got all flustered and flounced around wondering why your editor just 'didn't get it', but instead you handled it all with professional aplomb, buckled down and got her done. I remember feeling just a little overwhelmed when I received my first set of editing suggestions from Rachelle way back when. I definitely wanted to freak out, but, like you, I tried to see the big picture and the end goal, and once I got stuck in I realized how right she was, and how much better the story was going to be once those changes were made! As long as we're still having fun, it's all good! I hope your editor will tell you 'fantastic job, we're good to go!!'
Way to go on working through your content edits, Katie. You done good! I love hearing how supportive your family is. What a gift. =)
I always love inside peeks, so thanks for sharing yours, Katie! I want to say, "Oh my goodness, you're all grown up now!" But, um, you're like 6 inches taller than me, so…there goes that. 🙂
I love, love, love to hear about your experiences. I think what would be a must for me would be tackling the big issues first. Putting them off would probably make me procrastinate! 😉
Wow, so cool to see what your experience has been like! There are some similarities to my editor/revision experience, and some differences.
I've had to work on my characterization too. LOL My heroine comes off as annoying to about half the people who read her (including my editor).
Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for this interesting peek. I was surprised that the editors had such a long list of revisions. But it's cool that they worked with you to make your story even more amazing.
Wow – thanks for sharing these details. It's so nice to be given a sneak peek into what happens on the other side of the publishing fence. I'm like you were, Katie – burning with curiosity! I love your honesty. This sounds intense but also exciting.
Good description I think the romance is by far the most difficult part of the storyline to write, if an author is trying to make it realistic and deep. Anyone can write about physical attraction–and many do–but showing real love is hard!
So excited for you Katie! Content edits from a publisher – sigh. I can only dream.
I have had content edits from my agent and my response is usually (internally) defensive – What? My characters are unlikeable? My eleventh hour reveal is cliche? – but after I let it settle for a couple of days I always know what I've heard is spot on.
Wishing you all the best on this leg of your journey and can't wait to read the book 🙂
Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you take the edits to heart and I can imagine it makes for an easier job with the editor when you listen to suggestions. I found it interesting that you called your agent to talk it out, so you don't have just one person in the industry telling you how your story should work.
Great job on being so focused to get your edits completed.
I think of revisions like working out. They're painful and difficult…but afterward, you're always SO glad you did it!
So, SO excited for you and proud of you for working so hard to get it just right!
Want to know what leaves me in awe? The fact that someone else can look at my story and see something in it that I didn't see- something that can make it so much greater! It's amazing!!
Can't wait until I have this experience myself! Congrats, friend! 🙂
Way to go, Katie! It's kind of incredible that you can get through that much revision in such a short time! Inspiring really. And the chunks of time? I think I might work best like that. So I should quit reading blogs and go spend a healthy chunk in my own WIP. Thanks!
So interesting. Thanks for the glimpse.
I absolutely love the editing process. It feels like an intensive one-on-one course with a teacher who knows your work inside out and gives amazing direction on how to make it even better.
More than once I'd send back a round of edits with, "I think I've got it!" as the message. My editor would kindly respond that I was closer but not there yet. SO thankful for this honesty that pushed me to go deeper.
I absolutely love the editing process. It feels like an intensive one-on-one course with a teacher who knows your work inside out and gives amazing direction on how to make it even better.
More than once I'd send back a round of edits with, "I think I've got it!" as the message. My editor would kindly respond that I was closer but not there yet. SO thankful for this honesty that pushed me to go deeper.
wow. LOTS of information to absorb. thanks for this 🙂
THIS is why fiction writers are HEROIC in my book. My non-fiction edits are soooooo easy/simple compared to this. I admire you like crazy. Way to go!
Yay for finishing content edits! Congratulations!
I agree about needing great whacking blocks of uninterrupted time to work on edits. Often it's a story you haven't even thought about for months because you've been working on other things, and you need the time to get back into the story and remember who the characters are and what you were trying to say.
I tend to do the simple stuff first because it makes me feel like I've made more progress. But that's just me. I need the psychological boost!
Katie, I love these posts. It always helps me when I think about "what will happen when…"
I love how you organize your posts. Easy to follow and understand. I've said that before, but it's true.
I think it's great to have family support like that. You should bake them a cake. 😉 or something…
Having yet to experience my first set of edits, THANK YOU for your informative, helpful post. It has given me insight into an unknown (and perhaps slightly nerve racking) process. Keep us posted about your manuscript! Blessings!
Thank you for this post, Katie. How great to let us "walk" the path with you as you tackle revisions. I'm so excited about your novel and can't wait to read it!
First of all, can I just say that this: My natural inclination was to respond, "But, but….look at all this juicy tension I've created. I can't take that out. What would Donald Maass say?" made me laugh out loud. Hopefully I didn't just wake up the rest of the family that are still sleeping! 😉
Thank you for sharing your experience. For those of us not quite where you are yet, this kind of information is so helpful to see what lies ahead. And thanks as well for your honestly is discussing what some of the issues were. It sounds like you have a wonderful editor and, together, you've worked the manuscript into a really great place. Can't wait to read it!
I think anything would be exciting that I know would improve my manuscript. Have fun with it!