It’s possible to edit a manuscript and provide detailed, honest, sensible feedback in a kind and supportive way. Does kind editing mean going easy on your manuscript? Absolutely not!

Writing a book can be an exceptionally personal experience. Maybe some of the scenes you have written have been drawn from personal experience, from events that you have found traumatic, terrifying or highly emotional. You don’t want someone to take your precious manuscript and give you blunt, harsh feedback.

It may be that your manuscript is the result of months or years of hard work. And handing it over to an editor can be a scary thing. It may be that your editor is the first person (other than you) to see your manuscript.

Maybe you are a member of a writing society, or have taken writing courses, and feel confident in your writing. Or it may be that you are someone who just felt like writing a book, someone who believes they have a story to tell.

However you’ve arrived at the point where you are looking for an editor, it’s great that you recognise the need for one.

My speciality lies in providing feedback that will make you feel better about your writing. I will help you see how to improve it, in a constructive, supportive space.

How is my editing kind?

I’ve made the editing process more supportive, and more encouraging, with the following steps.

Pre-edit Questionnaire

Once you’ve commissioned my services, the first thing I do is send you a pre-edit questionnaire. This asks questions about your writing background, your target audience and what you are hoping to do with your manuscript when it’s been edited. Your answers help me to tailor your feedback appropriately, and help to ensure that you end up with the result you were hoping for.

Understanding your writing background means that I can explain things to you at a suitable level. Simply crossing something out and telling you it’s a comma splice is fine if you’ve taken a writing course and know what a comma splice is! Telling you that you need to reduce the narrative distance is perfect if you’ve attended a seminar explaining how to do that. But if you are new to writing then you will need to know what a comma splice is, and how to reduce the narrative distance. If I know you are a novice writer, I will take care to make sure you fully understand the descriptions and the words that I am using.

Editorial Report

For all manuscripts over 60,000 words, I include a detailed editorial report which outlines your strengths and any areas that could maybe be developed. Within this editorial report, I use examples from your text to illustrate exactly what I mean, and I provide lists of resources – including further reading, and suggested group memberships.

This means that if there is anything within the edited file that might need further explanation (for example, the narrative distance point I made above), then there is space within the editorial report to properly expand on this, using examples from your own text.

Two Versions

Once I have completed the editing process, and your manuscript is ready to be returned to you, I always send you two files. The first file shows each and every suggested amendment that I’ve made to your text (using MS Word Track Changes). I’m aware that for some authors, seeing your lovely manuscript covered in red pen can be a little overwhelming! Many of us had a teacher in school who made us feel inadequate with their “could try harder” comments. The last thing I want to do is rekindle that feeling of insecurity! For this reason, I also return a copy of the file with all my changes already approved. This means that you can see exactly how good your manuscript would be, if you accepted all my suggestions.

You may be an author who prefers to see each and every detail and understand each and every suggested change. And this is fine too. For more details about the differences between these two files, please see my separate blog post here: Kind Fiction Editing | MandaWaller | Editing can be kind AND honest

Non-Judgemental

When I first became an editor, my friends confessed to me that they were terrified of sending me messages, emails or letters. They thought I would be seeing their unintended spelling mistakes and judging them for their inability to spell, or for their poor grammar, or for their improper use of punctuation.

I explained to them that yes, of course I can see the errors. But no, I would never call them out on it. And no, I certainly am not judging them. Many of my friends have abilities that I can’t begin to match. I respect them for who they are, and do not consider their ability to spell to be an important factor in our friendship.

The same applies when I work with authors. You have the talent and ability (commitment and dedication!) to write a novel. I respect you for that. You are asking an editor to help you make sure there are no errors. I respect you for that.

Just because I’m an editor, please don’t assume that I am judging you.

Instead, I am here to provide you with a safe, supportive space where you can see your manuscript come to life with careful, considerate feedback and encouragement.

Does this mean I go easy on manuscripts?

I’m easy on the author, but not easy on their manuscript. Being kind to an author also involves providing them with the service that they are expecting, and that they have paid for. My editing is not half-hearted. My editing is detailed, thorough and comprehensive. I do not cut corners, and never rush my work. This means that you can be confident in your manuscript being the very best it can be.

And finally…

….Remember that your manuscript belongs to YOU. I can advise and suggest, but ultimately it’s up to you to decide whether to agree to my recommendations. If you choose to ignore my thoughts, then that’s absolutely fine too.

No judgement. Just thorough, detailed editing.

For more about how editing can be kind see part two in this three-part series: Kind Fiction Editing – adapted to suit you

The post Kind Fiction Editing – part 1: What is it? appeared first on MandaWaller.

I believe that editing can be kind as well as honest, and in this second blog about Kinder Fiction Editing, I explain how I have adapted my editing process to suit the differing needs of the authors I work with. Also see part one of Kind Fiction Editing – Is My Writing Good Enough?

An author has probably nurtured their manuscript for months, if not years.

When I have finished editing a manuscript, and I’m returning it to the author, I always send it twice. Or rather, I send two versions of the same file.

The first version I send has all my marks on it – this includes:

• all the suggested changes that I have made directly to the text (the more definitive corrections to spelling, grammar and punctuation which I’m confident should be seriously considered by the author and don’t really need clarification). These are made using MS Word’s Track Changes.
• all my comments (any suggested changes which may either need further explanation, or have multiple possible solutions, or that may be more a matter of opinion rather than a matter of fact). These comments are contained within the comments balloons.

I’m aware that an author has often nurtured their manuscript for months, and probably for years. This is particularly true where a manuscript is in excess of 60,000 words – as is the case with most of the manuscripts that I work on. It can be hard to hand over your nurtured manuscript. I am careful to make sure that the authors I work with know my editing style.

Editing should be based on ENCOURAGEMENT and SUPPORT

My editing style is based on support and encouragement, on educating and building you up. It’s not based on judgement, or on unconstructive criticism. I also understand that my voice is NOT your voice. And that this manuscript is YOUR baby, not mine.

For this reason, I also send back a version of the manuscript that has all my suggested changes already approved. By this, I don’t mean the more subjective comments – these are in the comments balloons, and they are the same across both files. I’m talking about the red pen amendments that have been made directly to the text using MS Word Track Changes.

Why do I return two versions of the same manuscript?

Seeing your lovely, nurtured manuscript covered in red pen can be triggering for some authors. Many of us have traumatic memories of a teacher at school who didn’t provide support and encouragement, who made us feel judged or inadequate and who knocked our confidence.

For other people, although they may not have unhappy memories of their school years, they may feel uncomfortable or react badly at the thought that someone is “correcting” their manuscript.

That they’ve handed their manuscript over to an editor indicates they want help. And the second, clean version of their manuscript shows them just how good their manuscript can be. Reading through this clean file shows them how their writing, and their words, can be tweaked – sometimes only very slightly – to produce a more flowing, more accessible, more polished novel. But they can also see that the changes have not removed their voice, changed their style, or changed the meaning or impact of any of the sentences.

A bright and sparkly manuscript

The first file – what I’m calling the red-pen version – is a very, very useful tool for anyone who wants to learn from my editing. To see each and every suggested change, review it, accept it or refuse it. And that’s great – it means that an author is fully immersed in the editing process, and is engaged and open to learning.

However, many writers don’t want (or need) to know all the minutiae of the editing process, and would rather just hand their manuscript over to an editor and have it come back all bright and sparkly.

I know that different authors have different approaches, different levels of confidence, and different levels of interest in learning about spelling, grammar and punctuation. Some authors know that spelling just isn’t their thing, but they are confident in their writing, knowing that an editor down the line will help them sort it out. These authors don’t need to see the details. For these authors, the clean file is the perfect file to work on.

Reduce Editing Costs

Other authors want to reduce their editing costs for future projects, so want to learn the ins and outs of every detail of every suggested change. They want to apply their learning to future books so that the time spent on editing can be reduced (and therefore the cost will be reduced too). For these authors, the red-pen file is just perfect.

I hope that, by providing both versions, I’m catering for everyone!

To repeat, the idea is to provide you with the service that you need to make your book the best it can be, whilst retaining your voice, your message and your style.

I’m just here to help.

For more information about how editing can be kind, see Kind Fiction Editing (part 1) – What is kind fiction editing? and Kind Fiction Editing (part 3) – Is my writing good enough?

The post Kind Fiction Editing – part 2: Editing adapted to suit you. appeared first on MandaWaller.