The Process of Working with an Editor

by C. Patrick Schulze

Listen to a PODCAST of this article.

Last week Ms. Erin Niumata of The New York Book Editor returned my edited manuscript. Over the days that followed, a number of people asked questions of the process and my thoughts as to the experience. With that in mind, I thought I'd pen an article on the subject in hopes it will enlighten those of us who still strive to get our novels published.

First, let me say Erin performed a marvelous and skilled edit of my manuscript. Her work is professional, her prices are competitive and she completed her work ahead of schedule. I'd requested a full editorial critique, which covers all aspects of the novel. Best, or worst, of all, Erin pegged the good, the bad and the ugly of my manuscript with unfailing accuracy. With her permission and my full confidence, I recommend you consider her the next time you need the services of an accomplished editor.

Now, with her well-earned commercial out of the way, let's take a look at the process, shall we?

Though I've worked with an editor in the past, I felt a second set of eyes might prove advantageous, so I started to search out other editors. I sought recommendations from friends, acquaintances and my social network. I also did some research over the Internet. Within a week or so, a number of qualified candidates rose to the top.

I then asked for sample edits of my first chapter from the few in whom I had the most interest. After I evaluated there sample edits, Erin's seemed to have the finest grasp of me and my story.

I did my best to keep from bothering her and about a month after I emailed my manuscript, she returned her recommendations in a twelve page summation.

She began with a general overview of my manuscript where she offered her thoughts as to the overall strengths and weaknesses in plot, characterization and dialogue.

She then delved into a thorough evaluation of my plot. She pointed out where it ran off course, what sections failed to enhance the plot and what aspects of it she thought worked well.

Next, she discussed the subplots. Again, she covered the strengths and weakness of each one.

Her next paragraphs focused on characterization with, in my case, the most attention paid to my antagonist, which needs more consideration.

The last nine pages included a line-by-line critique. Many of these notes covered such things as spelling or word choice and individual things she appreciated. She pointed out anything she needed to reread and even where I'd used a word twice in too short a span. She also inserted the occasional note to enhance things she'd discussed in the earlier parts of her evaluation.

She forwarded them with an invitation to call and discuss any questions I might have.

After I perused her notes, I came away with full knowledge of what I needed to do to enhance my chances of writing that well-received novel. You'll never convince me that alone isn't worth the price of admission.

Now, I can't say I'm happy with what I read in her summary. However, it's not because of what she said. It's because she needed to say it. All in all, this entire exercise proved worth every minute and penny spent.

So, my takeaway is this. I’m on the right path. It's just a much longer road than I'd envisioned. I'm also convinced Erin gave me the tools to place myself among her stable of best-selling authors. I've also come to realize I've still got some learning to do, I've still got some writing to do and I've still got a ton of editing to do. *Sigh*

The entire process isn't as oppressive as an aspiring author might think. However, it does take a thick skin and a burning desire to succeed.

My advice to you? Whenever you think you're ready to go out and enthrall the world with your brilliance, hire an editor. Then check your ego at the door and join me back here on ol' terra firma.

Until we speak again, know I wish for you only best-sellers.

C. Patrick Schulze

Author of the BACK-from-the-editors novel, "Born to be Brothers"

The Secret to Writing a Riveting Novel

by C. Patrick Schulze

To listen to a podcast of this article, click HERE.

How does a writer evolve from one who pens the first draft of a novel to one who attains the rarefied status of published author? Of course, there is no substitute to a strong and well-written story, powerful characterizations and effective, believable dialogue. However, as any experienced writer will tell you, you must also master the skill of editing. And within editing, one of the more powerful of tools available lies within the words you choose. That is, you should review every noun, verb and adjective to consider if you have used the most specific and compelling of words for them. The goal is to insure you paint the most stimulating word pictures for your reader.

Here’s an example of how I wrote a sentence in the first draft of my current manuscript and how it reads in my sixth version.

“They raced across the open ground.”

“The soldiers plunged into the maelstrom.”

Both sentences indicate the same event, men fighting in war. However, which holds the more potent setting, the more powerful image? In the first, we see people running over a field. We might have children playing for all this indicates. Whereas in the second, there is no question a battle is underway and men throw their bodies into the violence. The change is dramatic, yet all I did was choose more specific words.

Here’s another example as to how strong word choices can improve your writing.

“Jak woke first.”

“The sun burst over the horizon and wrenched Jak from his exhausted stupor.”

In this case, the verb, “wrenched,” is much stronger than, “woke.” If you imagine a character who just wakes up, you might see him stir from a pleasant night’s slumber. You can almost see him flutter his eyes as he brings the soft morning into view. In my story, however, this scene is not so pleasant. So, to create a better impression of what I wanted my reader to see, I had Jak yanked into consciousness. By comparison, this is a brutal action and a better description of what I wanted my character, and my reader, to experience. Though I enhanced the sentence, this change of a single word created a much more dramatic scene.

This same technique works for adverbs and nouns, too. To show how adverbs can also be improved, consider my working title for this article. At first, I titled this, “The Secret to Writing an Interesting Novel.” Can you see how the change from, “interesting” to “riveting” made for a better image?

If you take the time to consider each noun, verb and adverb in this way, I believe you’ll experience a leap forward in your writing skills. In the process, you just might increase your chances of publication, too.

Now that you know the power in this editing technique, I challenge you to do this with your manuscript and let us know how it improved your writing. I look forward to hearing from you.

Until we meet again, know I wish for you, only best-sellers.

C. Patrick Schulze

Author of the emerging novel "Born to be Brothers."

4 Steps to Character Development

We all realize one of the most critical components in the craft of writing any novel is its characters. Without effective characterization, the chance of penning a successful novel approaches zero. Therefore, I spend much of my writing time creating those people who will populate my manuscripts. Personally, I use a four-step process for developing my characters.

These four steps are:

1.     Summarize the type of character needed for the story

2.     Find a photo of that person

3.     Interview my main characters

4.     Review my character's reactions during the editing process

First, I jot down the basic characteristics I'll need for my hero, villain and any love interest. I focus more on their personality than physical characteristics and I try to envision how this person I'm creating will react to situations I already imagine will occur in the story.

I sort of feel this person out and makes notes as my mind wanders between the character and the story. Other writers fill in formal note cards or databases, many types of which you can find on the Internet. It matters not how you gather this information, but knowing my characters' personalities before I craft them helps me flesh them out as I write.

Next I locate, cut out and paste up photos of my characters. I physically mount their faces, and if necessary to the story, full body photos of my people. I pay very close attention to the look in their eyes, for I need specific personality types, and the eyes are the harbinger of this. I might take hours upon hours to find the perfect pictures, but when I have them, I paste these photos on a piece of poster board and keep it on my desk as I write. Early in the writing process, I refer to these photos often, especially when I write dialogue, which I think is one of the secrets to effective dialogue. As I become more familiar with the characters as individuals, I refer to their photos less and less, but still keep the mounting board on my desk as I write.  

Third, I interview my characters. Yes, it is a formal interview as if I'm speaking to someone for a magazine article. By now I've developed a basic storyline so I ask them questions that relate to my story. For example, in an early manuscript, my heroine learned her husband died in battle and she traveled to the field to find his remains. (It was common in the era in which I write.) So, I asked her, "Lorena, it's late at night and you've wandered over this horrid field with a lantern for hours. You've just found your husband, dead on the battlefield. How would you react to this?" I allow my instincts about this character to answer for me. If I don't get an answer that can translate into an effective scene, I consider altering the scene and/or characterization of this person. By the time I've reviewed most of my story's major plot points as they relate to my major characters, I've got a firm visualization of who my characters are and how I'll write about them in my manuscript.

Finally, as I edit my work I study how my characters reacted to the various situations in which I've placed them. Did they respond according to the  personality I've given them? Did they act as expected? If not, what has to change, the scene, the character or both? The situations in which my characters find themselves have often morphed into something quite different than I'd visualized in my first draft. I consider it imperative to insure my character's have adapted to these new situations in a fashion consistent with their personalities.

My manuscripts are character-driven and this four-step process insures those people I create mesh with my plot points and storyline without issue.

Are there other techniques or tips you use to create your characters? Let me know and I'll post them, with appropriate credit, of course.

Until then, I wish you only best-sellers.

C. Patrick Schulze

That Simplest of Ways to Improve Your Writing

When I completed writing my first manuscript, I sent my novel off to an editor so she could inform me just how many gracious platitudes I might receive from adoring novel lovers. As I’m certain you’ve already surmised, she utterly failed in her mission.

Though the manuscript contained more red ink that black when I received it, one specific note she made, and made, and made related to my use of the word, “that.” Beside the first such notation she indicated, and I paraphrase, the word can most often be eliminated from writing without losing any meaning or substance. Since then I’ve found we use the word so often in our everyday speaking it’s not even noticed. However, when I read it, that word jumps out to me these days.

I researched “Success with Words – A Guide to the American Language” for this blog post and, wow, did they go on and on about it. (And it published was by Readers’ Digest, of all people.) Regardless, for the sake of article length and purpose, suffice it to say the word is used as a pronoun, an adjective and a conjunctive.

Further, let’s stick with my editors’ suggestion, shall we? She offered a simple trick I still use to this day. She recommended I read the sentence aloud without the offending word and consider if it could be eliminated. If none of the meaning of the sentence is lost by this, it is unnecessary and I should cut it. Alas, I lost much of my word count during that exercise.

Let’s look at some examples.

“What’s the best way to get that accomplished?”

“What’s the best way to get accomplished?”

You see the sentence lacking the word loses something, doesn’t it? It doesn’t make sense. In this case, keep “that” in place. Another example follows.

“Organize your files so that you can find things with ease.”

“Organize your files so you can find things with ease.”

It’s obvious in this second example that the word is not necessary and may be eliminated, therefore, making the second sentence, and this one, of higher quality as it relates to writing.

The easiest method I’ve found is to perform this edit is to use the Find feature in your word processing program and go down the long list of things it spews forth. It won’t take as long as you think and once you’ve done this, it becomes second nature.

Now, there is a caveat I noted in “Success with Words” so I’ll pass it along. It said the word is often still acceptable in formal language. However, when was the last time you used formal language?

I personally tend to leave it in for certain characters in my novels’ dialogue. I now use it for the less educated of characters, whereas with my better educated ones I do not.

As you work through your edits, try this simple technique and I’ll bet you’ll be surprised just how well it improves your writing.

Until we meet again, I wish you only best-sellers.

C. Patrick Schulze