How Deep Editing Changes Everything by Maggie Jaimeson

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How Deep Editing Changes Everything

When I get to the end of my first draft of a book I’m filled with a combination of amazement at how the story worked, and trepidation as to if it really holds together. I know there are some amazing scenes that were truly inspired, and some pretty stupid, awful scenes where I was reaching for anything just to get to the next part in the story. That combination makes me wonder if it is going to make it in the market of hundreds of thousands of new books every year.

I always put the book aside for at least a week before starting the editing process. Many beginning writers, and many readers, believe that the editing process is one that corrects grammar, punctuation, misspellings, and uses the thesaurus a lot to find better words. That is a part of the process. For my first two books (which have never been and will never be published) that’s what I thought the editing process was all about and primarily what my critique partners, at that time, did for me. However, if that is the only editing a writer does, it is highly unlikely the book will be even half as good as it can be. It’s also unlikely the book will find enough readers to fall in love with it.

With each subsequent novel, and numerous craft workshops and readings, I learned there is much more to editing. In fact, I have a list of over 100 items in 12 broad categories I now keep in mind while writing, and go back to check if they are missing.

1. Dialog (including cues, body language, emotion, and beats)
2. Interior monologues
3. Description
4. Point-of-View
5. Scene and Sequel
6. Structure (including Show and Tell)
7. Character Arcs
8. Tension
9. Proportion
10. Emotion
11. Theme
12. Turning Points (including black moment)

Notice, not one of these twelve categories is labeled grammar, sentence structure, or anything close to the traditional concept of editing. Also, not one of the twelve categories is labeled “plot.” Good writing, basic grammar and sentence-by-sentence prose is expected of all writers. With editors available, even to self-publishers, there is not a good excuse for having poor basic sentence-by-sentence structure or a plot that hangs together. The difference between one book and the next, and the readers experience of the character’s journey, is really based in deep editing beyond the basics.

When I began to learn about these broad categories of editing I thought I might as well give up writing. There is no way I could keep all of it in my head. That meant it would take at least twelve passes—more likely twenty or thirty passes—to check that all these things were working together. The good news is, with each subsequent book, more of these items became automatic. They appeared on their own in the first draft or it was easy to pick up and enhance the story on my daily re-reads before taking on the next chapter. Do I still do multiple passes? Yes, I average around five editing passes before it goes to an actual editor. Do I ever get all of them in? Usually, in some form. Do I ever get all of them perfect? Never. But it gets better with each pass and with each book. Also, certain types of books lend themselves to the use of certain types of deep editing techniques more than others.

Most important, these deep editing changes make a huge difference in the way a reader is engaged. The decisions an author makes regarding when to add a visceral response, instead of telling how the protagonist feels, cues the emotional importance of the scene. The structure the author provides from one scene to the next—whether it’s building the tension or providing some relief—manipulates the readers experience just as it manipulates the protagonist’s perception of events and their importance to the plot or the character arc. The more time an author spends in a particular scene cues the reader that this is important. If the author chooses the wrong scenes to spend time in (example, 10 pages to drive five miles to get to the hospital where a major character is dying) then the reader loses trust that the author knows what is engaging and what the reader wants to see next.

If you are a writer, there are many books on these deep-editing opportunities. Also both online and in person workshops are available from many writer’s groups and individuals. One of my personal favorites is Margie Lawson’s EDITS system. Taking her Master Class solidified a lot of this for me and made a major difference in my writing. I don’t follow every single technique she suggests, but knowing they even exist and why they work on a psychological level was a huge “ah ha” moment for me.

If you are a reader, you may not be able to articulate why one character speaks to you more than another; or why you are rooting for someone that in real life you would never even associate with. If you take a close look, you may find some of these clues in deep editing. Is there a purpose to having the protagonist walking down the street at night instead of dawn or dusk? Probably. Does the use of certain words at the end of a sentence instead of the beginning make a difference? Yes, it puts the power of the word where it will impact you most. Is there a reason the author brought me to the brink where I was crying my eyes out and then cut to a scene that had me laughing? Probably. Probably keeping me wound up too tight would be exhausting and I would have to put the book down to recover. Authors prefer you never put the book down until the last page. It is all designed to put you in the head of a particular character and to experience the story world through that character’s eyes in every way. An author who can do that is one who understands deep editing and it’s importance to story. An author who can do that is an author who not only deeply respects the reader, but most importantly trusts the reader.

About the Author: Maggie Jaimeson writes romantic women’s fiction and romantic suspense with a near future twist. She describes herself as a wife, a step-mother, a sister, a daughter, a teacher and an IT administrator. By day she is “geek girl” – helping colleges to keep up with 21st century technology and provide distance learning options for students in rural areas. By night Maggie turns her thoughts to worlds she can control – worlds where bad guys get their comeuppance, women triumph over tragedy, and love can conquer all.

HEALING NOTES is the second book in the Sweetwater Canyon Series of four books. The final two books will be available in 2013.

Find Maggie online at

Website: http://maggiejaimeson.com
Blog: http://maggiemeandering.blogspot.com
Facebook: ://www.facebook.com/pages/Maggie-Jaimeson/118916694787820
Twitter: @maggiejaimeson

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