Let’s talk about edit letters.
Most of us have had them. Whether they’re letters from your editor, revisions for your agent, or crits from a CP, criticism is part of being a writer, and an even more important part is knowing what to do with that criticism.
I’m currently working through my first round of edits with my editor, and have had plenty agent and CP edits, and I think I’ve finally (finally!) got a system down.
STEP 1. See email arrive in inbox. Realize it's not from Groupon, or Priceline, or Crate and Barrel, but actually from the person who was just reading your book. Faint a little, then read through all the notes way too fast to actually absorb any of it.
STEP 2. Okay, now that that’s out of the way, take a deep breath, go somewhere quiet, and really read the notes. Jot down anything that really jumps out at you, or any ideas you have (do this all throughout the process!) but for the most part, just get a general idea of what your reader is saying.
STEP 3. Put it away for a bit. Seriously. Could be a day, could be a week, could be an hour. Just let your subconscious mind play with what you’ve read for a little bit.
***I promise, these steps have a point. Your mind is already working on all the problems, and what's more, by doing it this way, you get to gauge your own reactions, because knowing which suggestions you're going to take to heart and which you aren't is an important part of this process.
So during Steps 2 and 3, make sure you have a good idea of your own vision. Evaluate what resonates with you and what doesn’t, and think about why (especially for the comments you automatically want to dismiss!). If you feel defensive about a comment (What! I'm never taking out my fire-breathing unicorn army!), or if you find yourself thinking any variation of, "She just doesn't understand that character, or she wouldn't be telling me to change this!" really dig deep and think about what that means, especially if it's a comment you've heard more than once. Could the thing you're defensive about be a darling that needs to be killed/changed? Sorry, but it happens. And if you ever feel like readers don't understand something in your book...well, that's a red flag, too. What can you change to help them understand?
STEP 4. Get out a notebook and pen, and get down to the real work. Read through the notes again, but this time, jot down everything you think is important. At this stage, I start separating out themes. For instance, if you see quite a few notes that center around your MC’s relationship with her mom, maybe group them together. Write down whichever of your reader’s notes resonate with you, and any ideas you have off the top of your head to fix them.
STEP 5. Organize. I like to make a checklist, grouped by the themes I’ve found in step 4. I try to get specific. For me, this might look something like:
*Mom Relationship
-Show strained relationship in chapter 2
-Flashback to XYZ incident later
-Add more thoughts about mom in second half of book
*Character A
-Add interaction earlier
-MC thinks about Character A and the iced mocha incident at Place Z
*Reveal B
-Move up info Q to the Coffeehouse Scene
-Sprinkle more clues through first half of book
As you can see, some of my notes are more specific than others. If I have ideas on how to fix things right away, I write them down. If I just know I need to change something, I write that down so I’ll remember to come back to it.
STEP 6. Figure out all the “remember to come back to it” stuff from Step 5, and write it down. Essentially, make sure I have a complete revision outline. (Example: Under Add more thoughts about mom, actually think about and write down what the thoughts are, and where exactly to add them.) For a relative pantser like me, this feels like a whole lotta planning, but I find when doing big revisions, it’s easier to know exactly what you’re doing before you start writing. If it conflicts with something else, it’s easier to change at this point than once you’ve already written it all
STEP 7. Write it in! Easy-peasy, right? (hahahahahaha) Okay, this step can take a while, but trust me. If you've done steps 1-6, it's going to be much, much easier than if you'd just gone into it blind. (And, if you’re like me, you get an incredibly inflated sense of accomplishment when you can put a checkmark beside each outline item!)
STEP 8. Read the book. Make sure everything fits together, and that you’ve accomplished all the goals set out in your outline and that your book still matches your vision.
And congratulations! You’re ready to send it off to CPs, or your agent, or your editor, and…start the whole process over again?! Wait a minute. What have I signed up for here? I think I’ve been tricked…
So, this is the system that seems to work for me, but your mileage may vary. What’s your editing process? Do you do anything really differently? I'd love to hear!
(Yes, this is the super abbreviated version. Each of these steps could be a post all its own. But it's a start!)
(Also, yes, the picture up there is my desk during edits. Don't judge my mess too much, okay?)