Editing Tips with Katherine Hastings
Writing a novel is hard. Editing a novel makes writing a novel look like child’s play. Tearing apart your own creation and piecing it back together like a literary Frankenstein can cause even the most seasoned pros to crumple up into fetal position. I’m in the editing stage of my novel, In the Assassin’s Arms, and I can attest to the difficulty of this monumental task. So how does one go about editing their novel and making it shine?
Invest in ProWriting Aid
I wish someone had told me about this handy little program sooner. It will tear apart your novel looking for countless errors including passive voice, overused words, adverbs, dialogue tags, and sticky sentences to name just a few. The list of things it scours for is impressive. After completing the first draft, the ugly dumping of ideas onto the page, I take each chapter one by one into ProWriting Aid. I run each report and do my second draft in this program, making changes it points out as well as reworking sentences to make my story pop. I can’t stress enough how helpful this program is. Being someone who doesn’t have an eye for small details, ProWriting Aid highlights things I would look over a dozen times without notice. It also acts as a grammar coach, teaching me what repetitive mistakes I make so I can avoid them in the future.
Be Brutal
The first draft is about getting it done… sprinting across the finish line and collapsing on the ground in a panting heap. Do not stop. Do not take the scenic route. Do not stare at the scenery and take in the beauty around you. Run like hell, crash through obstacles, and do whatever is necessary to reach that finish line. The wreckage left behind from your uninhibited sprint will need repair after you’ve had time to catch your breath. This is where the editing happens.
Go back and walk each step you ran. Now is the time to stop and look at the scenery and take in the world around you. Pick up the messes left behind and reconstruct them into beautiful sculptures dotted along the race course you just ran. But when doing so, be brutal. If it doesn’t move the story along, sweep it into the garbage. Shorten when you can. Cut those flowery sentences and axe the adverbs. Check for plot holes. Look for lulls in the manuscript and either cut them out or find a way to make them interesting. Be brutal when you edit.
Hire a Pro
That’s right, I said it. Hire a pro. If you aren’t a grammar wizard or a natural editor, hire someone who is. Like a parent who can’t see that their own children are the naughty ones, sometimes a writer can’t see their own mistakes. Having an impartial editor can take your writing to a whole new level. I did this with In the Assassin’s Arms. Even though I spent countless hours editing it, the errors the editor caught were astounding.
It was a wonderful learning tool for me to see those errors highlighted in track changes. I consider it money well spent on my writing education. It has improved my writing immensely and I highly recommend having a pro take a hard look at your work before sending it out.
There are places such as Upwork where you can get a great editor for a nominal fee. These freelancers can go through your work and help you identify any issues with your writing that may be stopping you from getting that publishing deal. Now that I have an editor with Fiery Seas, I’m still learning with each revision. I’m burning those corrections into my mind so when I write my next novel, I won’t make them in the first place. Having a true professional to guide you, whether it’s through your publisher or through a freelancer, is one of the best things you can do if you are serious about being a writer.
In the Assassin's Arms
By Katherine Hastings
Series: Dagger of Desire
Fiery Seas Everlasting
2018
Historical Romance
John Douglas may be a well-trained political assassin, but he has met his match in the woman he once called a friend. When his childhood playmate reenters his life, she's not looking to rekindle their friendship...she's out for blood.
With a vendetta to settle, Charlotte Cornewalle isn't stopping until she finds the man who killed her father. All signs point to Robert Douglas, the leader of the opposing faction of assassins...and John's father. To get her revenge, no one will stand in her way...not even the boy she once adored.
Fate forces them together as they fight to prove their innocence and right the wrongs they have suffered. Sparks fly from more than just their swords, but will they be able to put the past behind them? Will they be able to find the truth before it destroys them both?
About the Author:
Katherine Hastings loves love. It’s why she writes romance novels. Getting lost writing a romantic adventure is one of her favorite past times. When she’s s not on an adventure in her mind with her characters, she can be found at her home in Wisconsin snuggling her husband, two Boston Terriers, and the world’s naughtiest cat. Two things make Katherine want to leave her happy home these days...going for rides on her dressage pony or floating at the beach in her big inflatable raft. Writing her novels while floating in the lake is one of her ultimate pleasures...that and Fried Wisconsin Cheese Curds, of course.
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