Writers in the Storm

An opinion on successful editor-author relationships

by David Lombardino

I hear the stories all the time: authors jaded by a traumatic experience with an editor and editors frustrated by authors who won’t listen to them. The authors lose confidence in themselves or, worse, abandon the desire to pursue their writing dreams. The editors lose work and reputation. Isn’t there a better way? Aren’t there editor–author relationships where both get what they want?

If you are an author, how do you get this kind of relationship? If you are an editor, how do you get it?

FIRST, FOR AUTHORS

Nothing is more enriching or empowering as an author than having an editor who supports and encourages you and provides valuable insight and guidance in the pursuit of your vision. Behind all the world’s most successful authors, no matter how you define “successful,” is one or more editor who has performed this role.

But how do you find such an editor or develop such a relationship with one?

Different Editors Have Different Skillsets and Personalities

In the same way different editors have different personalities, different editors possess different skillsets. An editor who is great with evaluation and development of a story or manuscript may not be a great copyeditor with an eye for syntax or phrasing, or a great proofreader who can catch every missed comma.

So the first question is: What type of editor do I need?

How to Find a Great Proofreader

If you need a proofreader, you want someone who has a keen eye for detail and knows grammar and punctuation, as well as any style guide requirements. You want someone who can find and correct every error with a high degree of accuracy. You want someone who will be right and knows they are right.

Such an editor makes for a great proofreader and should be the type of editor you consider for a proofreading role. But someone who is used to being right all the time, and expects that authors view them that way as well, may not make a great developmental editor or copyeditor.

How to Find a Great Developmental Editor

A great developmental editor has, perhaps, the opposite personality of a great proofreader. A great developmental editor starts with listening to the author and asking questions. What are your goals for your book? Do you wish to sell as many books as possible, and are you willing to make any changes to the story to achieve that? Or are there certain changes you wouldn’t be willing to make, say to a character or a particular plot point? The best developmental editors will listen to your goals and give you recommendations and guidance within that perspective.

So when looking for a developmental editor, start by meeting with them and having a conversation. Pay attention during it. Do they listen to you? Can they tailor their suggestions and advice according to your particular goals for your book while respecting what you’re willing and not willing to change about the story? Do they accept your feedback regarding what type of help you would find most valuable? Can they be a reliable partner?

How to Find a Great Copyeditor/Line Editor

A great copyeditor/line editor falls between a proofreader and a developmental editor in terms of both skillset and desired personality. Since a copyeditor’s role includes correcting errors in syntax, grammar and punctuation, you want them to have the proofreader’s mindset I described above. But since their role also includes changes to wording or phrasing that could affect tone, voice and writing style, you also want them to have the developmental editor’s mindset.

The question is: Can you find both in the same person?

Signs You Have the Wrong Editor

Depending on the editor’s role, you can identify some signs before hiring the wrong editor. If you need proofreading done, and the editor you are considering has a personality more like that of a developmental editor, one who wishes to build a relationship with you before starting the work, this may indicate they are not as skilled in proofreading as you would want. They may not provide the quality of work you should expect from a proofreader.

And the opposite is true. If you need developmental editing, and the editor thinks they can just jump right in without getting to know you and your goals for your book first, you will likely find the experience to be an unfulfilling, frustrating and misdirected one. How can they give the right advice if they haven’t taken the time to get to know you and your goals?

For copyeditors/line editors, take an approach in between. Do they exhibit a strong understanding of grammar and punctuation while being approachable to talk to? Are they well-versed in the relevant style guide while remaining flexible to align their approach with your goals?

NOW, FOR EDITORS

Don’t worry. I’ve been there. I’ve seen changes that would strengthen my client’s writing, but they still don’t want to accept my recommendations. What do you do?

The comparison I like to give is it’s like if you were a doctor. Someone comes to you with a stomachache and asks what they can do to resolve it. With all your training and experience, you see right away what is causing the pain and write a prescription for a medication you know will take care of it. You give the prescription to the patient, and the patient leaves your office.

At this point, you have done your job and done it well. It is up to the patient to decide whether to have that prescription filled and to take it according to your instructions.

Tips by Editor Type

If you are a proofreader, you make all the corrections you see need to be made. You do so with tracked changes, and the writer has the responsibility to accept them.

If you are a developmental editor, none of the necessary improvements you recommend will bring any value to the author if you have not taken the time to ensure your advice is the type they want to receive. Like addressing the patient with the stomachache, who may also have a scratch on their leg that needs attention, start by telling them about what would cure their stomachache. You can ask them about the scratch, too, but avoid simply telling them how to fix it without treating their primary need first.

As odd it may seem, they may be completely fine with the scratch on their leg. Jumping in to tell them about it without addressing their main concern will likely cause them to get defensive and think you haven’t listened to what they want.

If you are a copyeditor/line editor, look to strike a balance between the above. Know what rules in writing cannot be broken, and with the rest, allow yourself to be flexible within the author’s goals for their book.

And even with rules that cannot be broken, be open to the possibility that, in the right circumstances, they can.

About David

David Lombardino started his career in 2001 as an editor for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) headquarters in Paris, France, while pursuing his passion for writing fiction, publishing short stories in literary journals The Helix, Sonora Review and Soundings East. He returned to the U.S. in 2008 to found a premier editing and proofreading company, and thus began DLA Editors & Proofers.

Chosen for their collaborative mindset and genuine desire to see each of their authors succeed, DLA’s book editors’ expertise spans a wide range of fiction and nonfiction genres. DLA clients are equally diverse, from novice to seasoned writers, from self-published writers to best-selling authors, and everything in between.

DLA’s book editing services include manuscript evaluation, developmental editing, copyediting and proofreading.

When he’s not busy championing the successes of DLA’s editors and authors, David enjoys photography, volunteering at the Houston Food Bank and spending time with his wife and daughter.

Top image purchased from Depositphotos.

by Sarah Sally Hamer

We all want to know our characters better, to make them ‘jump off the page’ or be ‘less like cardboard.’ But it’s not as easy as it sounds. After all, our characters ‘talk’ to US. How is it possible they don’t also come alive for our readers?

More than skin deep

Of course, we want to describe the physical appearance of our characters, although that’s a different article. But that’s not the crux of what we writers need to do. We need to make our characters REAL, so that our stories will resonate with the reader.

From the main protagonist all the way to the walk-on server in a restaurant, each of our characters has a story. Just like people, a character isn’t ‘born’ the moment they walk into our books. They have goals and conflicts and motivations and flaws and virtues. Think about some of your favorite books/movies.

Are you interested in the plot? Or are you enamored with the character? Jamie Frasier in Outlander. Or Claire, for that matter. Katniss in The Hunger Games. Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. All of these characters SEEM real, even though they’re not. How did the authors build those characters? By spending time with them, by describing their needs and wants and loves and hates. And by connecting those things to the reader through deep point of view. We feel that we KNOW them, and we want to wrap ourselves in their world as we read the book.

 We can’t put all of their backgrounds into the story or we’d have a horrible, confusing mish-mash, but we need to know a lot about every main character. If you, as the writer, don’t know what your characters want, why they want it and why they can’t have it, neither will the reader.

One of the best ways I know to get your character to talk to you is through a Character Interview. 

How to inverview a character

Character interviews often take place with two people, one pretending to be their character, the other pretending to be a television or newspaper interviewer. The character side will answer all questions with “I” or “me”, only speaking from the character’s viewpoint.

The interviewer ‘talks’ to the character and asks questions based on the character traits you’ve created for your character. Think a TV reporter or Johnny Carson/Jay Leno/Jimmy Kimmel asking questions. Carson became renowned for his ability to go off script and ask questions based on the guest's responses.

There are lots of good websites to find questions to ask—put Character Interview Questions into Google and pick one or two. Or make up your own questions, based on your knowledge of your character. 

It’s also all right to do this without another person present. I turn on my computer and pretend I’m speaking to my character and typing what he or she says. So I might ask my female protagonist why she’s afraid to commit to a relationship. She might ‘tell’ me that her heart was broken when she was in high school and she can’t trust men.

The next question—following that lead—might be why she thinks love and trust mean the same thing. One question leads to another, each answer giving you more information. By delving deeper and deeper into ‘her’ personality, I may actually discover that she’s terrified of making another mistake, because her father left her mother when she was a child.

Keep digging!

Do you see? Of course, this isn’t a perfect example, but the more I ask, the more I dig, the more information I’ll get. Then, I can create that character on the page with a depth of feeling that makes her ‘real.’ One of the best questions that isn't on every list is relatively simple and, if your character will answer honestly, something wonderful can come up: "What are you afraid of?" That often stops a writer in their tracks as they try to figure it out. And the answer to that question can start an entire new conversation. It's great!

Maybe your character cheated on a spouse, which would bring up some interesting questions! Or someone he loved very much died. One of my friends discovered that her heroine’s ‘aunt’ was really her mother, which completely changed the dynamics of her book. She felt amazed and delighted at the same time, and after finishing it, the book sold very quickly.

Another tip is to try to make sure your character answers questions ‘in character.’ If he is an old man, he’s going to speak differently than a young woman will, for instance. 

Remember, we’re really NOT too interested in what these characters LOOK like. We want to know what makes them tick.

Try it! The more you can work with this process, the more I think you’ll find it helps to develop your characters and make them real.

I’d love to hear about your interviews—tell me the secrets your characters tell you!

About Sally

Sarah (Sally) Hamer, B.S., MLA, is a lover of books, a teacher of writers, and a believer in a good story. Most of all, she is eternally fascinated by people and how they 'tick'. She’s passionate about helping people tell their own stories, whether through fiction or through memoir. Writing in many genres - mystery, science fiction, fantasy, romance, medieval history, non-fiction – she has won awards at both local and national levels, including two Golden Heart finals.

A teacher of memoir, beginning and advanced creative fiction writing, and screenwriting at Louisiana State University in Shreveport for over twenty years, she also teaches online for Margie Lawson at www.margielawson.com and hosts symposiums at www.mindpotential.org. Find her at info@mindpotential.org.

Top photo modified in Canva by Writers in the Storm based on a vector from Depositphotos.

by Ellen Buikema

Finishing a novel-length manuscript is rewarding but, with short stories—since they are less than 8000 words—you can bask in that wonderful feeling of accomplishment much sooner!

Short stories are also a good means for taking risks with writing. Challenge yourself to try out a different point of view or a character that might not carry a novel-length story.

Writing short stories:

• Enhances writing skills.
• Augments portfolios.
• Provides more opportunities for submissions to editors and other professionals in the writing community.
• Helps in understanding genres and knowing your readers.
• Assists with name recognition. Get your name ‘in the public domain’ as a published author.

While slogging through the bazillionth draft of your novel, or even if still in the pondering-a-novel stage, consider these five reasons to pause for a bit, and start writing short stories.

1. Short stories enhance your skills.

In a short story, each word matters, especially if you are writing micro-fiction—stories of 300 words or less. Here are some prompts for micro, or flash fiction of you’d like to give this a try.

A short story has all the same elements as a novel—conflict, setting, interesting characters, and narrative—but you need to get to the action without extra words in the way.

Managing voice and pace

Due to an emphasis on keeping just what’s needed, short stories have fast pace and strong voice.

The writer must create scenes, dialogue, and description that move the narrative forward, removing extra prose.

Begin with action

A short story should start right in the middle of an emotional, spiritual, mental, or physical action.

Backstory, setting, relationships and character traits can be interwoven a bit at a time in the first few chapters. Hook the reader from the first line of the first chapter.

Creating multi-dimensional characters

There is no room for info-dumps to describe characters in a short story. Use dialogue, imagery, interactions, and reactions, as well as flashbacks to develop characters while moving through the narrative.

Short story writers also consider their characters’ necessity before committing to them. Each character must always be important to the narrative to be included. Build your story around a small number of well-constructed characters.

Learn to trim the fat

Self-edit like a boss.

A short story is … short. Think about what you really need.

Trimming the fat cuts out extraneous details, neatens the narrative, and stresses relationship details.

2. Short stories grow your portfolio.

A writing portfolio is a collection of polished, published work that a writer uses like a resume when submitting new work, or looking for a writing position. The longer your list of writing credits, the more you will stand out as a skilled writer.

It’s proof that you can deliver a finished product worthy of publication.

Even though writing a short story is challenging, it takes less time than writing a novel and will help your portfolio grow faster.

With the plethora of online and digital publishing available around the world, there are lots of possibilities. Getting a short story published is more accessible now. Here’s a recently updated article from Reedsy with 20 places accepting submissions for short stories.

Chances are good that someone will love your work. The challenge is to keep looking and not give up.

3. Short stories help you expand your prepublication experiences.

Your short story is written, critiqued, self- and beta edited—polished as shiny as possible. Next come submissions, rejections, and editors, oh my.

Submissions

Each publication has its own submission guidelines (absolute rules). You must follow these guidelines. So many publications are submitted that those submissions that do not follow the rules may be tossed. If the publisher or editor requires a PDF, send one, otherwise your wonderful work may not be read. Follow the guidelines, exactly.

Rejections

If you have received a rejection, rejoice! You’ve joined the ranks of many famous writers. Sometimes the agent, publisher, or editor, would love to work with you because they enjoy your writing, but they don’t have need of that particular story at this particular time. Receiving that rejection letter is good news! Your work has been liked and may be passed on to someone else in the publishing world.

Sometimes the writing needs more polishing. Make revisions and try again. Mentally prepare to have more rejections. It is part of the process.

Rejection, as painful as it can be, does not define you or your creative work, in whatever form your art takes. Let rejection make you stronger.

Editors

Publications provide editorial feedback if your short story is chosen for publication.

Editors provide constructive feedback from structural issues to line edits. They are invaluable resources. What you learn in the editing process will carry over into future projects. There is always more to learn. Go at this process with an open-mind. You’ll be able to better self-edit and strengthen your writing.

4. Short stories help you understand genres and know your readers.

Regularly writing and submitting short stories to publications will help with understanding genres, and give you a better feel for which readers want to read your work.

Research publications before you submit anything. Many publications specialize in, specific genres and styles. Submitting 5000 words of horror to a romance e-zine is pretty much a guaranteed rejection.

Reading the work of other writers in specific genres will also increase your skill in categorizing your own work.

In time you’ll write a short story with a particular reader in mind, and a clear idea of the genre. This will help when considering which publishing house is best to pitch your novel.

5. Short stories help get your name out there.

Your professional brand as a writer is developed by publications, your public Personality, and online presence—website, blogs, and articles. The writer brand starts when you begin publishing your work and grows as more of your work is seen in the public domain.

Short stories are a great way to develop your writer presence. Turnaround time is fast, compared to writing a full-length novel, and allows for the flexibility to hop topics, genres, styles. The choice is yours.

Being a writer with an established public presence is great for you and a plus to publishing houses by providing them with a readymade professional platform and a growing fan base.

Have you challenged yourself to write a short story? Did you ever receive a helpful rejection letter? Do you have a favorite author who writes short stories?

* * * * * *

About Ellen

Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works in Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and The Crystal Key, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi, a glaze of time travel.

Find her at https://ellenbuikema.com or on Amazon.

Top image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay