Is it a bird? Is it a plane? no, it's supereditor. No-one likes being challenged. Even though the Jeremy Paxmans of the world go in for the fight, really they'd like nothing better than for us all to roll over and accept them as master and ruler. Our whole society now operates within the conceit that your ''personal, individual' comfort is the be all and end all. The consequences of which are 1. bruised faces and hobbled knees on the tube as the person behind decides their need to get some place is greater than yours 2. men of all ages securing their bus/train/tube seat at the expense of the elderly, pregnant and injured. 3. members of the public feeling they are entitled to throw public tantrums and shout obscenities at other people just trying to do their jobs. And now this conceit is creeping into the writing community. Forget Zola's writer's garret or Woolf's room of one's own, no these days wannabe writers demand a parlour and the facility to televise themselves straight from their living-room's skype upon publication of their self-published kindle darling. But the gap between what we want and what we need can be a sheer drop if we aren't sensible. And into this breach - for Writers, anyway - steps the Editor. That's right, you have your own personal stock of human beings dedicated solely to ensuring your work reaches the audience you intended in the way you intended. And this is where writers get a little swaggery [I permit myself one made-up word of the day]. 'Who is so-and-so to comment/pass judgement on/ challenge my work?' the writer demands. 'They - or, more precisely, their function - doesn't exist without me!' And that's true. The editor does not exist without you - the Writer. But their raison d'etre is not You. Let's not fool ourselves here. In its purest form, their raison d'etre is to ensure your opus is everything it can be, stretching you in ways you never saw coming. Into every discipline, be that dance (the choreographer) or film (the director), there is someone to step in and help you harness your vision. For you, that person is your Editor. As analogy goes, consider yourself a talented singer engaging with a musical arranger of the highest calibre. Make no mistake, you must choose wisely. But more on that next week. But for now, can you accept that the Editor is a gift to the Author? Not god's gift (never trust an editor who has such a conceit), simply a gift. So, you can opt to view the editor as an obstruction, bypass them and plough ahead. But woe betide anyone who tries to read you. You can perceive them as a necessary evil, and block them repeatedly until they hold up their hands in surrender. You may have won the fight, but you've already lost the war. You can place your opus wholesale in their hands trusting them entirely. And leave with their book, not yours. Or you can listen, question, challenge in equal measure. A good editor understands their role is to prompt you. It is not to weaken you. Nor is it to stroke your ego. So, which are you? Which will you be? A pampered parlour writer? A self-flagellating garret god? A writer who doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth? Or a writer in search of an equal? Signing Off, Nicola (Editorial Manager)
If you require the services of a professional editor, Nicola Perry can be found at The Story Studios. She primarily works with intermediate writers.
Scott, you don't need cash to throw at an agent or publisher. They will edit your work ( providing it's good enough and you don't create to much work for them ) if they think it is good enough. Obviously you will do as many edits of your work as you feel necessary, before submitting it to them. For example, three sample chapters of your work with a synopsis. I have already made a list of agents and publishers which I have taken from the Writers and Artists Yearbook. I highly reccomend you get a copy. It is an excellent guide to how aspiring authors should proceed. Once you read it, I'm sure you will have a new found confidence.
The problem with aspiring writers is that we are all different.
Has the writer got compassion? Is He or She sincere or shallow? Are they happy to publish pulp for monetary gain or do they want to produce the best work they are capable of? If the answer is yes to my last question, then you will need an editor.
There are natural gifted writers out there, and there are writers with talent that need guidance who are capable of producing fine work. Unfortunately, there are also the deluded who think they can write. The last group are the one's most attracted to self-publishing. They stubbornly refuse to believe there work lacks a good plot or storyline, or other good aspects that make up a good novel.
There are many aspects to a good novel. It is hard to remember every aspect, as you put your thoughts and feelings into words.However, with practice, you will develop a good style of writing, combining most, and if you are extremely talented, all the aspects. But, even if you are a genius, you will still make mistakes. At times, you will fail to recognise weaknesses. Whether it is out of tiredness or not having put enough thought into a section or chapter. This is where an editor's constructive critique is crucial to the future quality of your work.
I am never happy with anything I write, because I want to produce the best work I am capable of. I would be lost without my editor, tutor. He has helped me enormously. With his guidance, my writing has improved beyond all recognition to what it was before I employed him.
My manuscript which stands at a hundred and fifteen thousand words will be completed by the summer. Then the hard work begins. I will need my editor to ensure that we trim the word count down, so that every word left, earns it's keep. Only when He and I are are satisfied with the end product will i consider submitting my novel for publication.
My novel would not have the consistency it now has without the use of an editor.