Image ID: A White woman a stack of hats piled on her head.
As writers, we wear multiple hats. Author, editor, proofreader, marketer … some of those sit easier on our heads than others.
After I wrote the very first draft of my very first manuscript, I thought two things. First, wow, I did it. Then … what do I do next?
I knew it needed work, but what kind of work?
Determined to discover just that, I went to my first writer’s conference, where I met with a developmental editor. I told her about my project and asked about working together.
She asked, “What’s the genre, and how many words is it?”
I explained it was a one hundred and twenty thousand word mystery.
She said, “Cut fifty thousand words and we can work together.”
It became a much better book. It was tighter and had fewer extraneous elements that slowed the story down. She didn’t even have to read it to know the first step I could tackle in my rewriting process.
I also learned the first lesson in how to assess my own work as a fiction writer: understanding the conventions and “rules” of the genre I’m writing in and addressing anywhere I’ve broken them.
This does not mean I can’t break rules or conventions, but it does mean I need to understand them and justify to myself why I’ve made the choice to do so. Now I can approach a first draft and know simply by the word count if I need to cut or add.
Private Eye at 75K? I’m good—time to dig into deeper issues. Suspense at 85K? That works—time to assess the story structure. A mystery at 60K? Too thin for a police procedural—time to add in more action, character development, or both.
Anything at 120K, time to wield the scissors. Cut, cut, cut.
That’s often one way I rate my own first draft. If I hit an appropriate word count and legitimately write “The End,” I have a first draft. If I write “The End” but am way over or under, it’s time to go back in and reread and see where I can add or cut. And I don’t call it a first draft until it fits into a solid range.
Once I know I’m in the right ballpark for word count and I have a basic beginning, middle, and end, it’s time to put on the editor hat.
One of the earliest rewrites I do is to assess if there are any plot holes. I may be able to hold the entire story in my head, but that doesn’t mean I successfully got it on the page. By reading critically—as a reader, not a writer—I can usually identify places where I go from A to B to F. I make notes about what’s missing, then go back with my writer hat on and write C, D, and E.
Then I put the editor hat back on and confirm that I’ve filled the holes.
How do I know if I’m wearing a writer hat or an editor hat? If my eye is critical, the hat is for editing. If my eye is focused on creativity and tapping into story, it’s for writing.
Obviously, there are times when I might have both hats on simultaneously, but for the most part, I turn off the critical voice when I’m writing, and I turn off the “gee, let’s see what rabbit hole I can go down” voice when I’m editing.
I can always switch back when I need to.
After I have a full and complete plot, it’s time to do another round. I can choose from a number of intentions to self-assess my manuscript. Character development and whether there are clear super-objectives, big obstacles, and high stakes are all important.
With each rewrite, the manuscript gets better until there is nothing left for me to address. That’s when I bring in beta readers. An outside eye can always find problems that are invisible from the inside.
Then it’s time to put on my hardhat—so I can handle comments about what isn’t working and make the piece better, one rewrite at a time.
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 Master of Education with an emphasis in teaching theatre, and a BA in Mass Media Communications and Theatre Arts. 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.
