How to Do a Substantive Edit

Okay, so when are we doing a substantive edit?

In the middle of the writing
As I am writing
When the first draft is finished

Gold star if you picked (c). Your reward is to continue reading. For you others, remedial reading of Should I Edit as I Go? and Copy Editing and Substantive.

Okay, so now we get into the guts or DNA of your novel.

Steps to doing a substantive edit

Step 1. Read the novel from start to finish.

Do not make any corrections/changes while reading. I know this is killing but remember you are doing a substantive edit, not copyediting.
Do read it as close to continuously as you can to get the full sweep of the story.

Step 2. Write down what you observed

Some questions which might help:

Does the novel move at the pace I want? Are there any places where it slows down too much? Or where I skipped over something which needs more elaboration?
Does your protagonist change and grow? This is not about him doing a lot of different things; this is about him learning and changing emotionally as a result. In an upcoming post, I’ll go into more detail on this one.
Does the ending feel satisfying? If it doesn’t to you, it probably won’t to your reader. ‘Satisfying’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘happy.’ Satisfying means that the ending flows in an emotionally logical (is that an oxymoron?) way from the story.
Is the theme represented strongly enough? You may have a theme in mind but the novel needs to show more than a couple of indications of it.

Step 3. Decide what needs to be changed

Make a list. Strengthen Dylan’s motivation for the stabbing; cut down the number of chase scenes; reinforce the theme with scenes which illustrate it; reshape the ending so it links better to the story.
Focus on what the novel needs, not whether or not you know how to make the fix.
Sometimes, just wrestling with a particular scene will help you find a way forward.
It can come down to craft —I don’t know how to show his determination; I want the ending but I don’t know how to make the prior events flow inevitably to it. If so, then go to writing blogs (like mine—ADV), work with a writing teacher, or ask fellow writers. Craft is learnable and teachable.

Don’t get discouraged

Step 3 may well generate a long list. It might feel daunting or as if you didn’t do it right the first time. Nothing can be further from the truth. Editing of all kinds is the lot of good writers. Don’t compare the present state of your manuscript with your favorite author’s completed novel. It’s apples and oranges. Your author’s work has undoubtedly gone through the same process as advocated here. That’s why it reads so well and flows so beautifully. And yours can, too.

May 15, 2020April 9, 2020

How Copyediting Helps Your Writing Quality

You do copyediting after you’ve finished a piece. No, there’s no problem if you add the occasional word or take one out if you are rereading the piece. But the picky, close scrutiny of the words is best left to after the piece is complete. Otherwise, it will run the risk of derailing your creative process as discussed in another post.

But copyediting can help your writing be tighter, more focused and even more interesting. In this post (which is a little longer than usual), I want to show how copyediting can help the quality of your writing.

Original piece

This is the passage I originally wrote for a scene in my novel Scam!

Now that they are around the dinner table, Eleanor is tempted to let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Steve finally cuts the tension. “Well, quite the scene.”

“It’s just like him—” Patsy begins.

“That’s enough,” says Eleanor sharply. “We have a guest—we don’t air our dirty laundry in front of guests.”

“What, Kim?” Steve asks. “She’s not a guest. She’s practically family.”

Eleanor shakes her head. “Nevertheless. I want everyone to keep a civil tongue in their heads. Patsy, will you help me bring in the coffee?”

Eleanor and Patsy work in silence in the kitchen. But she remembers where everything is and in short order the cups and cream are on a tray.

“You take that in and I’ll bring the coffee in when it’s done,” Eleanor directs Patsy.

So not that awful, don’t you think? This is 133 words.

Finished piece

Now compare the previous piece with how it ended up.

Around the dinner table, Eleanor is tempted to let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Steve finally cuts the tension. “Well, quite the scene.”

“It’s just like him—” Patsy begins.

“That’s enough,” says Eleanor sharply. “We have a guest—we don’t air our dirty laundry.”

“What, Kim?” Steve asks. “She’s practically family.”

“Nevertheless. I want everyone to keep a civil tongue. Patsy, will you help me bring in the coffee?”

They work in silence in the kitchen. But she remembers where everything is and in short order the cups and cream are on a tray.

“You take that in and I’ll bring the coffee,” Eleanor directs Patsy.

This version, now 108 words, reads a little more smoothly and more importantly, is more focused on the action. You might think that the changes don’t make an earth-shattering difference and you would be right. But over the course of the novel, this kind of cleaning up and focusing can make the plot move forward faster and more effortlessly.

Copyediting the piece

This is the original passage with the edits.

Now that they are around the dinner table, Eleanor is tempted to let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Steve finally cuts the tension. “Well, quite the scene.”

“It’s just like him—” Patsy begins.

“That’s enough,” says Eleanor sharply. “We have a guest—we don’t air our dirty laundry in front of guests.”

“What, Kim?” Steve asks. “She’s not a guest. She’s practically family.”

Eleanor shakes her head. “Nevertheless. I want everyone to keep a civil tongue in their heads. Patsy, will you help me bring in the coffee?”

Eleanor and Patsy they work in silence in the kitchen. But she remembers where everything is and in short order the cups and cream are on a tray.

“You take that in and I’ll bring the coffee in when it’s done,” Eleanor directs Patsy.

It may be surprising that so many words were chopped out. But extraneous words and thoughts (when it’s done) just clog up the reading. Keep your reader focused on what you are really writing about.

So copyediting can and should be about punctuation, missed and extra words, misspellings, and other annoyances that might kick your reader out of your continuous dream. But it can also up the overall quality of the writing. And is worth doing.

May 8, 2020May 8, 2020

Copy Editing and Substantive

Okay, I’m not exactly saying that this will be a boring post but we do need to make sure we are using the terms in the same way. So grit your teeth and read on.

Definitions

There are various definitions of these terms, all very similar but with enough differences to murk things up. So here are my interpretations:

Copy editing: Fact checking, spell check, punctuation, grammar, tense consistency, missing words, etc. It is the more mechanical of the two but still valuable to avoid kicking your reader out of the continuous dream. I don’t want to be caught up short in my reading by affect? Shouldn’t that be effect?

Substantive editing: looks at the whole sweep of the novel. Themes, character growth, forward action, plausibility, even missed opportunities. All the big things which make your novel unique.

Copy editing example

This is pretty easy although time consuming. Here’s the original piece, followed by the copy editing in BOLD.

I turned quickly. “What are you doing here?” I ask.

She shrugs. “You know I compliment you, Tom.“

“Helen, being with you is like living on top of an earthquake.”

Copy edit

I turned [rest of passage in present tense] quickly. “What are you doing here?” ~~I ask.~~

She shrugs. “You know I compliment [complement or complete] you, Tom.”

“Helen [wasn’t her name Jennifer?], being with you is like living on top of an earthquake [volcano].”

You might think that getting the name wrong of the love (sic) interest wouldn’t happen but it can if half-way though you decide to change her name and don’t catch all the switches.

See, useful and necessary.

Substantive editing example

As the whole novel is covered in a substantive edit, you’ll need to take my word for it that the comments make sense.

Original passage

“No, I won’t do it!” Bryan brought his fist down on the table.

“Hon, you’ve got to! Please, for my sake.” Hannah said.

“Not even for you, Hannah. No.”

Editor’s comments

We have seen this argument a couple of times before. I think Bryan’s intransigence has already been established. Is anything going to change? If so, it is an opportunity for Bryan’s growth as a character. If not, then somebody needs to do something to move the action forward. It might be realistic in real life for couples to be stuck in repetitive fighting but in a novel, some resolution or movement is necessary to keep the reader reading.

A substantive edit is focused on making the novel the best it can be. Its intent should not be to change its direction or theme (unless of course, you are doing your own editing, in which case, go for it).

When to edit

This is probably the most important bit. As I discussed in the previous post on editing as you go, I think it helps the quality of your writing and makes it less likely that you will be stalled or taken off track to do all editing after you have finished a first draft.

Naturally, I’m not saying you should continue down a path you’re convinced isn’t working, but if it is just a suspicion or worry, I’d stick with the course you’re on and see how you feel once you read the whole thing.

So, hope you’re still awake. Now onto the event more exciting: How copywriting can help the quality of your writing. Stick with this—you do actually need to know this stuff.

April 24, 2020April 2, 2020

Should I Edit As I Go?

As I’ve already covered that I think really it’s a bad idea, mostly for your creative flow. This post will try to convince you that editing in the midst of creating a narrative can actually be harmful to the storyline.

Yes, yes, I know some famous authors are well-known for polishing every word until it shines before they go onto the next. Alistair MacLeod, of No Great Mischief, was one.

If you are focused primarily on the beauty of the language you use, then pausing and reflecting over every word may serve you well. But if your intent is primarily to tell a good story, editing as you go can almost literally stop you in your tracks.

Why shouldn’t I edit as I’m writing?

So here’s the thing.

I am sure that you have found yourself in a creative fog, immersed in the story you’re creating. You may not be totally sure where you’re going but it’s exciting and you’re exploring its possibilities. Wonderful. But say you suddenly stop and ask yourself, “Is that the correct spelling? Is it the word I really need? You look it up.

I think you’ll find that when you’re sure that the word is correct, the fog has dissipated and excitement gone. You may continue writing but the spark has disappeared.

Makes sense. Here you are, all in your right brain, reveling in the creativity and suddenly the left brain kicks in with its analysis and, unfortunately, criticism. You need both hemispheres to operate to turn out a good piece of writing. Just not both at the same time.

Don’t edit as you go along

The problem is that the right brain seems more timid, more easily chased away than the left. The left is always ready to jump in to point out an extra word, a confusion in pronouns, or a clunky phrase. Think of it as a useful but bossy friend.

But what you really want when writing is your right brain in full flight (well, you know what I mean), ready to take you to exhilarating heights. You need to hold onto this state as long as you can when you are writing.

How do you not do it?

Yes, easier to advocate than to action.

First, remind yourself that the session on which you are embarking is for writing, not editing. Even so, especially if you are prone to allow the left brain to kick in, it will initially be hard to stop it.

So, second, do not look anything up. You are writing a grand saga, and you begin to obsess on whether the frockcoat of the hero should have three buttons or four. Doesn’t matter. Just stick in your best guess and move on.

Third, assuage your left brain by highlighting any questionable words or passages. You can and should come back to these when you are editing.

These seem pretty simple and even obvious steps but they can be terrifically difficult for anyone used to letting the left brain horn in on the right brain’s time. Give each kid his time, just not at the same time.

April 17, 2020April 17, 2020

Should I Be My Own Editor?

You’ve finished your magnum opus. Congratulations! Take a moment to savor but only a moment. You need to edit the manuscript so it flows as you would wish. And ask yourself whether you should be your own editor. As I’ve already mentioned, editing while you’re writing the story is a bad idea. But I think the question is not so much should you be your own editor as can you.

Can you be your own editor?

There are some obvious things you need. Being a good proof-reader, knowing what you are looking for, etc. But can you also do it psychically? Ask yourself:

Are you in love with your novel?

Of course, you can (and should) love it but are you in love with it? It’s hard to do a good edit if you are convinced that every word is a pearl, and any change would destroy the whole. You need to have enough perspective to edit effectively.

How do you react to criticism?

If your automatic reaction is Of course I welcome criticism, I’m talking to you. When others critique your work, do you consider or spend most of your time explaining why the comments are (a) wrong; or (b), if correct, irrelevant; or (c) if relevant, not useful.

A critical part of editing is stepping back to view the novel more objectively. If you don’t react well to others’ comments, it’s hard to imagine you’ll engage in effective self-critique.

Can you be fairly ruthless in editing?

Clint Eastwood directed Bridges of Madison County, starring himself and Meryl Streep.

They fall in love while dancing. Lovely. Then another dance sequence establishing the same thing. Also delightful. But then another and another and another. A total of five dancing-falling-in-love scenes.

Each scene established the intent and did it well. But five were not needed. It felt as if Eastwood was so in love with them, he couldn’t cut any.

Can you be ruthless and cut even excellent writing when it impedes the forward motion of the plot? A tough but necessary qualification.

If your answers to the questions above are largely positive, then upcoming posts will help you be your own editor. If the answers tend to the negative, you might consider

Using friends/writing as editors

Well, it’s possible but it can be a problematic route.

Honestly, unless you have exceptionally good friends/relatives or members of your writing group are willing to do a quid pro quo, I’d be disinclined to tap them for this somewhat onerous task.

I am assuming that you’re not paying them so the edit has to be on their time, in their style, and incurs a huge you-owe-me-one. This may not suit your sense of urgency.

If you are paying, you have to be sure they have the editing skills before you hand it over. Being a good and enthusiastic reader of your work doesn’t cut it. This is a technical job which needs technical skills.

Hiring an editor

This of course costs and you need to decide whether it’s a good investment. If you do, make sure that you have re-read, revised, and fixed up the manuscript first. You want the editor to come up with new insights, not pick up on things you should have caught yourself.

With all of its caveats, I have to say, I tend to prefer being my own editor (with some exceptions I’ll note in later posts). Yes, it’s a lot of work but it can also be fun and most importantly, you can take the novel in the direction you want. Next post: Should I Edit as I Go?