Yes, yes – I’m editing, editing, editing. So the below video is timely in terms of turning points and plot devices and other things that should be seen and not heard.
But if you’re of a writerly inclination you’ve got to see this. I howled. (Thanks, Novel Woman for the link!)
Plot Device from Red Giant on Vimeo.
I hadn’t planned on a post today as I’m deep into edits, but I know there are some aspiring writers out there who follow this blog, many of whom follow Kim Harrison’s as well. As I mentioned yesterday, we happen to be in the same place right now regarding our respective works-in-progress. We’re both doing editorial rewrites, and though we have vastly different approaches in getting to this point (another post entirely) I thought it worth pointing out some similarities as well.
See, we share an editor, which is neat for a couple of reasons. One, she’s a fantastic editor. I can’t tell you how happy I was to sign with her again for my new series. Second, Kim and I are able to huddle close and occasionally compare notes.
“How many pages was your edit letter?” (eyes bugging)
“How long did it take you to rewrite that?”
“How the heck do you even approach that?”
So when I saw Kim’s post today about her edit letter, I found it interesting in only the way an obsessively geeked out writer could. How does that compare with my own experiences? How would I approach the page given those notes? How am I doing it now? And how might I do it better? IOW, it’s another change to learn and grow as a writer.
So for those of you who are also obsessively geeky writers, here’s her post in full, but this is what caught my attention:
Taking that 3-7 pages of editor suggestions and distilling it to an attack plan is often the hardest part. You have to learn how to translate editor speak into author action. ”End the conflict with more tension and drama” sounds great, but how do you do that? My favorite is “expand on this” or “isn’t translating well as written” or “needs more work” or “develop this idea throughout the book more.”
See, contrary to what some believe, the editor doesn’t say ‘Change this word/line/phrase/paragraph. Replace with X.’ Aside from line edits, augmented by a copywriter’s pass, the details are left alone and the big picture is what’s given focus. IMHO, the above is what comprises a good editorial letter. After all, if the editor were to go through and dictate exactly what changes to make, it wouldn’t be the author’s own work, would it? And nobody knows the world better than the author, so while the editor’s instincts for the overall story arc and plotline development is constructive and necessary and oh-so-appreciated (apply forest-for-trees analogy here), one line from Diana can send my mind spinning in five different directions, and only I know what is going to best strengthen the story.
Also, each of those suggestions and small phrases forces a consideration of the entire draft. Frex, one of the comments from my edit letter: We need more of this character – give her more agency, let us see more of her own voice, show us the steel beneath the polish.
First thought: Gee, thanks. I’ll get right on that.
(This is why you don’t talk to your editor for about two days after receiving 3-7 pps of this. Talk to your spouse, call your best friend, rail at the world’s overall unfairness with your agent, but don’t call your editor. Because two days later, I kid you not, you’ll see she’s right. It’s so annoying.)
Second thought: How do I approach this?
Personally, I have to approach it in layers. I print out my outline, which I’ve been revising throughout the writing of the book and I make sure it corresponds to the draft I sent my editor. Then I use highlighters to flag all and only scenes featuring that character/issue, and continue flagging places I think can be punched up and reworked. IOW, I have to see it sprawled out before me like a map.
Then I type those prospective changes directly into the outline – noting via a different font that they have yet to be made – and then move on to the next big issue, doing the same with a different highlighter, adding dialogue as it comes to me, moving things around in the outline well before I touch the actual ms. (I tend to get lost in all the words once I see that, and this is how I chunk it down.)
After all these layers have been added, I take the new outline and start re-working the ms chapter by chapter from beginning to end. That’s what I hope to start this afternoon, but first – two more passes with the outline – one to make sure this final thread is tucked away and answered satisfactorily, and another to read the whole outline like a book, making sure all the new stuff makes sense.
Make sense?
So what was the hardest note for me on this rewrite?
Integrate the supernatural aspects of the story more clearly with the noir/mystery storyline.
This one had me stymied for a couple of weeks, but I’ve done it now and guess what? Diana was right again – the story is now stronger overall, and now that it’s in the outline, ie. conceived, the heavy lifting is done, and all that’s left is the work. Big deal. I know how to work.
Was that a ramble, or at all constructive?
Off to it.
I swear, I’ve been traveling like I’m an IMF Chief on the run.
After both an exhausting and exhilarating week in New York for the RWA conference, I raced back home – Dallas, Vegas, Dallas – fell ill for the next 17 hours by self-poisoning via eye drops (didn’t know that could be done, didja?) before racing off for a long-planned vacation week with extended family. I have three days in Vegas just to make sure my bills are paid and my shorts are clean before returning to Dallas where I can hunker down and finish the editorial rewrite on THE TAKEN, due in … oh, about 10 days.
And despite all that, I’m fairly well rested. I got a lot of the business stuff out of the way in New York, freeing up my mind for creative space, and though vacationing with a fistful of kids is certainly busy, when that’s all you’re focused on it’s also highly entertaining. And now I’m at my desk working as I’d hoped to be working before New York. I couldn’t see forest for trees then, but now it’s clear and I’ve fallen into my rewrite patterns and rhythm. Maybe all those crazy kids who say you should take a couple of weeks off entirely from the work are actually right.
Hunh.
In any case, I’m not the only one hunkered down at the desk doing rewrites. Kim Harrison is doing the exact same thing – incidentally via notes from the exact same editor – and there’s comfort in that for a couple of reasons. 1) I’m not alone, and that knowledge always feels good. 2) I admire the hell out of Kim, so I can do worse that to be doing what she’s doing as well.
She’s also doing something I’m not today, and it’s pretty exciting. BLOOD WORK, her first graphic novel is out today and it is written entirely from Ivy’s POV.
Doesn’t it look amazing? Kim is also doing a blog tour to give away signed first-edition copies of this baby. Go here for a list of all the places she’ll be, and be sure to look for the graphic novel on shelves today. I know it’s been a real labor of love for her, and Kim happens to be a great person to boot, so you’ll be supporting pure awesomeness while getting some good entertainment for your buck.
Okay, off to rework this character’s motivational thread …
‘m still in NY. I feel like I’ve been here for a year, and I’m utterly disconnected from the world outside the Marriott Marquis. (Seriously, you should hear the frantic voice mails from my mother. Sorry, mom!) I finally have a moment to breathe this morning, though, and I wanted to share with you some of the fun I’ve been having on this trip. It’s a photo heavy post (though I never take as many photos as I should).
But first, here is a video made by the uber-energetic Tann Starr, whom I just had the pleasure of meeting at this conference, though I’ve seen her pixels before on my Twitter stream. This is one of the reasons social networking is so valuable. You can know someone before you truly know them, and that’s, well, magic. She’s created this wonderful video of the conference in a nutshell, and you can catch the awesome Kim Harrison in action, as well as me being a goof at the end of the video. If you’ve ever wondered what one of these big writer cons looks like, this is pretty accurate (note all the bar shots. 
)
Next up, some of the photos I’ve taken, starting with the Harper/Avon party at the famous Boathouse in Central Park. Mother nature must have gotten the party memo because she stole the show. It was a beautiful night.
And, finally, we have a photo of me with my erstwhile roomie, Jeaniene Frost. I loved her before this trip and that’s been doubled. If you’re a Frost fan, know that you’re not only supporting a great writer, but a great person.
I’ve also had the great pleasure to spend some good time with Pamela Palmer. I was lucky enough to sign next to her at the Avon signing yesterday, and my respect and awe for this woman/author grows every time we meet. (See a common thread here yet? Good. Peeps.)
And I had to add this photo I took of new author (and friend) Karina Cooper. I think you’re going to be hearing a lot of good things about her in the future, but for now, how divine does she look in her hot chapeau? Just lovely.
And at the Avon signing yesterday I finally got to meet a writer I’ve long admired, Larissa Ione. We kinda fangirled out over each other and it was great fun. I can’t wait to see her again.
I don’t have any photos of the tapas restaurant my editor and I went to last night for dinner, or of what has to be the most intense theatrical experience I’ve ever had, SLEEP NO MORE. If you’re in New York, this is a limited engagement. A modern retelling of MACBETH, though that description doesn’t remotely do it justice. It was tremendous.
Looking forward, I have lunch with my fabulous agent this afternoon, followed by the Irene Goodman agency party where I’ll meet some of my “sister” agency authors. I can’t wait to discuss with her some of the exciting things my editor and Harper has in store for the new series, and once I have all the details, I’ll be sharing them with you here as well.
For now, I’ve a one week internet-free family vacation starting this weekend, so if I don’t get any additional pictures up, there will be some radio silence. I hope these photos and the accompanying #rwa11 twitter feed will sate you until I’m back. And again, I’d like to say thank you to all of my wonderful readers. I wouldn’t be having these amazing New York experiences were it not for your support and enthusiasm of my books.
Off to brush my hair…
