Image ID: A woman with light brown skin and dark hair, wearing a navy blouse with white polka dots sits before a laptop. Her fists are raised in celebration and her expression is ecstatic.
When I wrote my first novel, I was already a produced playwright, so I knew something about the writing process—but I knew nothing about being a novelist. Unsure what my next steps should be, I attended a writers conference in San Diego.
During the event, I met a freelance developmental editor. Through our discussions, I realized she was my next step. After a long conversation about my manuscript, she said, “Sounds great. Cut 50,000 words, then send it to me.”
As a playwright, I knew how many pages I needed for a full-length script. As a novelist, I was clueless about the appropriate length for a novel. But she knew instinctively, from years in the business, that what I had was too long. My draft was 120,000 words.
Mysteries, especially those written by first-time authors with a contemporary amateur sleuth, will likely do better in the 70,000-word range.
I went home and cut 50,000 words. I could see immediately how much better, tighter, and more engaging that draft was. We worked together on that manuscript, and I’m still using the things she taught me back then.
It also dawned on me that I wanted to understand the industry side of publishing. So I set out to do just that.
More than a decade later, I’m still learning—in part because the publishing industry is always changing. But through research, workshops, conferences, and experience, I have a strong background in understanding the query process and why and how to work with agents and editors.
There were other bumps in my writing road, including signing with the wrong agent before I signed with the right one, and even changing my name. But all that history allows me to help other writers, both to improve their craft and to help them avoid some of the pitfalls I fell into.
Image ID: Elena, a white woman with a dark blonde pixie cut is wearing a black jacket and looking into the camera. She is smiling with her chin resting on her fist.
Elena Hartwell Taylor is the Senior Editor & Director of Programming at Allegory Editing. In addition to working as a developmental editor and writing coach, Elena is a published author. Her most recent novel, All We Buried, appears under the name Elena Taylor. The Eddie Shoes Mystery Series appears under Elena Hartwell. Prior to writing novels, Elena worked extensively in the theater as a playwright, director, educator, and designer. She has taught writing and theatre courses at the college/university level for more than twenty years. She holds a PhD in dramatic theory and criticism, a Masters of Education with an emphasis in teaching theatre, and a BA in Mass Media Communications. For more information about Elena, you can visit her website and read her blog about authors, new books, and the writing process. You can contact her at elena@allegoryediting.com.
