Report by Sarah Noon
Jill used to be an English teacher, has been a freelance editor for fifteen years, and is here to talk to us tonight about the joy of editing. She is a member of the Chartered Institute for Editing and Proofreading. She is frequently asked about her role, and works with many debut authors. As well as talking about her experiences as an editor, she will also be giving us information about self-editing.
Jill begins by explaining the several different forms of editing. The ones that Jill generally undertakes are developmental editing, copyediting and proofreading – “Not all editors do all of those”. She shows us an example of some editing she has done – a piece of typed text with handwritten words and symbols over it. She asks us to consider which one of the three types of editing it is.
The first type of editing which is usually carried out, Jill tells us, is developmental editing (or “structural editing” if the manuscript is non-fiction). This is done early in the writing process. She explains it as big picture editing and focuses on what we might expect to see for the genre, the expectations in terms of word count etc. Developmental editing also concentrates on the themes of the piece. Here, she gives us an example of a manuscript she edited where there were fifty-eight pages, but the theme and its conventions was forgotten during the story. She reminds us that the theme has to run all the way through, but that authors sometimes lose track of them – not seeing the wood for the trees. A beta reader or an editor can help with this Jill advises, however, she does not recommend using a relative or close friend to assist with developmental editing as they are unlikely to be truly honest and objective.
Developmental editing also concentrates on plot. For example, Jill explains, there should be a clear character transformation within a romance genre. This gives the reader the “happy ever after” that they would expect. Additionally, with characterisation, the writer should show that the hero or heroine has flaws. We are reminded that a successful protagonist requires growth. A developmental edit would also identify whether there is there too much information (“info dumping”) as this can effect pace. Dialogue and dialect also forms part of the developmental edit. Jill explains that editors need to check for consistency as well as a balance between the dialect and phonetics, and ease of reading. There is also a danger, Jill warns us, of over-use of dialect becoming offensive. She tells us that “…delicate conversations have to be had.”
Jill advises that any writer paying for an editor needs to be clear what to expect in terms of feedback. For Jill, once she has completed a developmental edit on a manuscript, she usually follows up with Zoom call, telephone conversation, or written report for the writer (“the deliverables”). There is often “…a lot of tact involved,” She says. Using Tracked Changes in Word has become invaluable to many editors, (“These days we don’t do much on hard copies”). An editor may need to train the writer with this. However, once this is done, Jill points out, the collaborative process becomes easier. There are things that should be negotiated before hand – such as double spacing. Does the writer want each inconsistency or error pointed out, or is the writer happy for the editor to simply correct them as necessary. The author and editor will often have an agreed, bespoke style sheet, agreeing such things as OK / ok / okay, or which form of English (US or UK?). The style sheet is continually updated throughout the process. Jill tells us how much she enjoys this, telling us that “This is the sort of thing that writers could embrace.”
Jill talks about how some writers love editing (she gives Claire Fuller as an example). However, whether they like it or not, all writers have to edit and self-edit. She recommends that writers look at editing training or read about editing, even if they are not planning to become an editor, as this can help writers with their self-editing skills. The Publishing Training Centre offers several courses. Aces – US editing society is also worth exploring, especially non-fiction.
Copy editing, Jill tells us, is often the main type of editing that writers want done. It often allows the writer to get on with the more creative processes. This comes once the developmental or structural edit is out of the way. It includes spelling, punctuation, grammar, style etc. Conscious language use, she explains, is “…much more of a thing now.” Writers may use terms that are no longer appropriate for modern readerships. This can be a particular issue if writing a historical novel – the editor will work with the writer to ensure that words used would not offend a modern audience. Other copy-editing tasks may include chopping down long sentences, pointing out over-use of words or certain types of punctuation (Jill advises using the find and replace feature in Word to help identify this issue). Finding things like this is “…like finding a fossil on a beach,” to Jill. As well as correcting errors, copy editors will also query character traits, plot holes, weak arguments etc.
The final stage of editing is usually proofreading. Gill reminds us that “…with writing comes proofreading.” She tells us that – “some writers love proofreading, others don’t.” Traditionally, copyediting is marked up in blue pen and proofreading is marked up in red pen. With proofreading “…you are looking for all the things that are left.” There should be only a few changes to be made by this point as it is near the end of the editing process. Proofreading should be a direct comparison between what author has written and what the typesetter has supplied. Jill tells us that despite this, there is a lot of variation these days and there are times when proofreading is really more of a copy edit. This is especially the case with the introduction of self-publishing. With proofreading, the editor should be seeing for the first time, what the reader will see. These will include such things as widows and orphans (when there may be large spaces on a page).
Reflecting back on the last 15 years, Jill says she has edited over 2 million words a year for dozens of authors. She tells us that writers are a lovely group of people to work with and she enjoys working with them. They are, she says, a group of people who want to develop their craft and want to better themselves.
She shows us a quote from Ursula Le Guin, which demonstrates this:
“A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way towards truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight. By using words well they strengthen their souls. Storytellers and poets spend their lives learning that skill and art of using words well and their words make the souls of their their readers stronger, brighter, deeper.”
Jill says that “…if I can help get their words out there and get their novels out there, it really is a joy…”
She enjoys collaborating with authors and meeting with other editors. She attends conferences, which she admits she did not used to enjoy in her previous careers, but does so now. Groups and organisations of which she is a member include the AIP, Society of Authors, and the CIEP. Membership of these enables Jill to “…network with like-minded people” and participate in CPD (Continuing Professional Development) opportunities, such as proofreading and copyediting courses. The conferences, Jill says, have led to many discussions. For example “…endless…” ones about AI and whether it has taken the place of editors. How much of a threat is AI? Have we been taken over? (“We haven’t yet, which is great.”)
One of the guest speakers at a recent conference was writer and comedian Robin Ince who stated “…you can never have too many books.” Something that Jill tells us she was “…delighted…” to hear. He also advised that rather than getting distracted with such things as Wordle in the morning, we should take five minutes to read a book instead. He argued that authors have put a great deal of thought and care into the words they have chosen and that five minutes reading them is much better than “…looking at another cat with goggles on…”
Jill goes on to discuss self-editing, recommending several books that might help the self-editor. One, by Richard Bradburn – Self-Editing for Self-Publishers and another; The Art of Editing in the Age of Convergence” by Brooks and Pinson. This is now quite old, but highly recommended by Jill. She recommends several other books as well.
So, where do we find an editor? There are many available and they all have different areas of interest. Jill shows us a slide with various directories we can access – all from the organisations she mentioned earlier. She urges us to use them and tells us that the people listed take editing very seriously.
Jill leaves us with her email address, and I know many of us will want to follow up on the invaluable information she has given us this evening.