Tag: levels of editing

Categories
The Picky Pen

How to Find the Felt Need

This is the first post in my editing series in 2020 for how to develop a great story by having all the layers in place before actually writing, or if you’ve already written your book, how to make sure all the layers are in place.

The first layer in developing a great story is finding the felt need.

We all have needs. We have a need for sleep, sustenance, and sunshine. Your readers have needs, such as reading a soul-stirring good book. Your characters have needs like how to move forward in a relationship or making it through a congested highway in time to punch the clock. And do all those needs need to match? Not really, but they should at least mesh in some way. If you don’t know why your readers are reading your book, then what’s the point? You don’t have an engaged audience, you can’t sell books, and you just aren’t going anywhere, eh? Well, I want you and your books to go somewhere! 🙂

Recently, one writer lamented that the qualities necessary for a good nonfiction book were clearly not the same as the qualities necessary for a fiction book. Readers of fiction, they said, do not specifically read to meet their “need.” Okay, so I can see what they’re saying, but I respectfully disagree.

While it’s somewhat true to that fiction readers don’t read because they have a flaming need, readers of fiction read because they enjoy a good story. And as writers who care about writing good stories, we must give readers what they’re looking for, what they’re craving. The next few paragraphs presents several ways to easily find the felt need in your fiction manuscript.

How to Find the Felt Need

  • why are you writing this particular story?
  • what do you want readers to come away with at the end of the story?
  • how do the answers to the above questions play into your characters’ lives?

Why Are You Writing this Particular Story?

If you’re writing for the sake of writing, that’s a good cause, but if you’re writing because you have an urgent message to share with the world, that’s an even better cause.

Sometimes a book explores an issue to seek to uncover the lie and expose the truth, as in To Kill A Mockingbird. Sometimes a book is meant to show the reader what is most important, such as in Where the Red Fern Grows. And sometimes a book is just fun and lighthearted, with a loose message threaded throughout, like Cranford.

What Do You Want Readers to Come Away With?

Every story has a “so what?” factor, whether it’s an essay, article, nonfiction, or fiction. Every story has a purpose, even if it’s to have a good, hearty laugh (like the ladies do in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford) or to integrate the romance factor as in The Great Gatsby.

In my essay, “The Meaning of an Heirloom,” in The Horse of My Dreams (Revell 2019), I wanted readers to come away with the idea that an heirloom extends beyond the space of something tangible; an heirloom could be intangible—and have a lasting impact on the world and others.

Each author benefits from exploring this “why” question when crafting their novel because it’s really the secret sauce to writing a great story that captivates people, agents, editors, readers, marketers, and the person who wouldn’t necessarily pick up a book and read it.

A Few Examples

In The Baggage Handler by David Rawlings, the characters are on a journey of discovery about who they really are and the baggage they carry. I believe the author wanted readers to be at peace with their relationships in all kinds of spaces.

Under Moonlit Skies (Prairie Skies series) by Cynthia Roemer seeks to empower readers that self-acceptance is more powerful than romantic love.

The theme of Sarah Sundin’s Sunrise at Normandy series is about forgiveness, and each main character (The Sea Before Us [2018], The Sky Above Us [2019], and The Land Beneath Us [2020]) must forge their own forgiveness path as they interact with each other and experience different situations that speak to their own needs.

So … as you’re editing your manuscript’s “felt need” and crafting your novel and its purpose to better serve your current readers and your future readers, I hope this bit of explanation is helpful to you.

Questions? Comments? I’d love to engage in the conversation with you! Drop your question or comment in the chat below, and I’ll look forward to responding!

Your Turn!

What is your character’s felt need? What is your story’s “why”?

What do you want your readers to come away with by the end of reading your book?

(Please, no retelling what the book is *about.)

Tisha Martin writes historical fiction and nonfiction but edits full time for beginning and best-selling writers and publishing houses. Since 2017 she has worked on over 250 books, including Planned from the Start, the devotional companion to Unplanned the movie, and serves as contest judge for Writer’s Digest. She puts her bachelors in Professional Writing, masters in English Education, and editing certificate from the PEN Institute to delightful good use. Her nonfiction essay “The Meaning of an Heirloom” in The Horse of My Dreams: True Stories of the Horses We Love is available from Revell. She enjoys speaking at writer’s conferences and coaching writers in the self-editing process. Learn more at www.tishamartin.com.   

Categories
A Little Red Ink Editing

What is a critique?

What is a critique?

Well, it’s one of my favorites. A critique is very much like a macro edit, only the editor probably won’t comment in the margins of your manuscript. Rather than take the time to stop and comment throughout, the editor acts as a reader and sends you their notes at the end. (Hint: that’s why I like it.)

It’s still important to choose your freelance editor wisely, seeking out someone with a good track record and respect from others in the industry. But this is a step that, used wisely—especially if you’re someone who has spent the time to learn the craft well and doesn’t need help on the fundamentals of writing—can save you from paying for a full macro (or substantive) edit. You still probably need a line edit, a copy edit, or a proofread after this, though.

Let’s get a little more in-depth. What is a critique exactly?

A critique highlights your strengths.

While your editor reads, he or she is taking notes. Lines that made an impression, scenes that were meaningful, moments that characters won your affection. Any moment where they sat safely in the palm of your hand, caught up in the story and feeling exactly as you wanted them to—those will get some praise.

I might compliment your solid hook and satisfying resolution. Tell you how quickly I felt anchored to your story world. Anywhere from beginning to end, plot to pacing to POV and back—if you did it well, I’ll tell you so (and give an example or two).

While I’m reading and targeting items on my checklist, I’m noticing the problem areas as well.

A critique points out your weaknesses.

The first chapter didn’t grab my attention or empathy quickly enough. There was a three-page backstory info dump. Your main character isn’t very likable. Your antagonist is a bit cartoonish. The middle sags. This moment—which really needed to pack a punch—got weak-kneed and sat down.

Those are easy enough fixes. But there may be something more in depth.

What if I can’t keep up with all six POV characters? Or, perhaps, I can keep up with them, but one of them adds nothing to the plot—nothing complex, nothing that makes the POV worthwhile.

What if you have four minor characters who all do essentially the same thing? Can one or more of them be combined?

Perhaps a character’s motivation wasn’t compelling.

If you think this part of the edit might make you cry, don’t fear too, too much.

(Honestly? It might make you cry. I’ve gotten a few that have made me cry, because I’m not armadillo-skinned).

But there’s hope.

A critique makes suggestions.

When I do a critique for someone, I don’t merely point out their manuscript’s flaws and say, “Good luck with that.” I make suggestions. I brainstorm ideas. I come up with a compelling reason or two for something and list a few spots where that might be easy to work in.

A good editor will share ideas about how two minor characters could be combined.

She might suggest adding a scene or two. She might suggest cutting a scene or two.

Your editor could say, “Cut all the on-the-nose writing.” If there are details everyone knows happened, but they don’t move your plot forward? Snip, snip, snip.

[bctt tweet=”A critique is an editor’s professional opinion of your work. Ultimately, though, the choices are yours to make. #editing #critiquevsedit”]

A critique is subjective.

Ultimately, though, the choices are yours to make. A critique is an editor’s professional opinion of your work. If they know what works in your genre, trust them. But don’t let anyone make YOUR story THEIR story.

Sift through the advice.

Put the letter away for a few days and do nothing to your manuscript.

Definitely consider the major weaknesses. Work on those.

And then look at the brainstorming ideas again. A few of those ideas will be gems, maybe even be enough to help you fall in love with a story that was beginning to suck the life out of you. (Hey, it’s happened.) Figure out what you can do with them, and let them take your story to the next level.

And then go for it.

On your own.

A critique is the end of that bit of editing.

Unlike with a macro edit, where there may be a bit of back and forth on the editing (some go as many as three rounds), a critique is sort of a standalone. The editor reads your books, writes the critique up, and sends it to you.

That’s it.

What you do with it from there is all you.

To me, though, that’s fun. As an editor, I find it enjoyable work. As an author, I find it empowering. I know what to do to make my story better.

Question

Have you had a professional critique done? How did you feel about it?

Categories
A Little Red Ink Editing

What Is a Macro Edit?

What is a macro edit?

When you’re ready to choose a freelance editor, knowing the level of edit you’re after is important. Over the next few posts, let’s take a look at what the differences are in each level of editing.

Macro (or substantive) edit

Line edit

Copy edit

Proofread

Critique

First up is the macro edit.

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Image by Bloodwise

Often called a substantive edit, this is concerned with the big picture.

After you’ve finished your manuscript, this is the first edit you’ll need. Let me offer a caveat here: By finished, I don’t mean you’ve typed “The End” on your first draft. I mean your beta readers or critique group has given you input, and you’ve taken that into consideration, revised your work, and polished the manuscript up. You can save yourself a lot of money and heartache if you do this hard work yourself.

Even if you’ve got a stellar crit group or crit partner, a professional editor could still find several big-picture issues that need to be addressed. So…what is a macro edit? What is the editor looking for?

A Killer Hook

You know this bit, I’m sure. Personally, as a reader, I’m a tough sell. Convince me that your book deserves 15-20 hours of my time, anchor me in your story world, and get me to invest in your character’s plight, or I’ll put it down.

As an editor, I obviously won’t put it down. But I’m going to focus a Herculean effort on it.

A macro edit zeroes in on the firsts—first lines, first pages, first chapters.

Compelling story arcs

A macro edit eyes the story arcs of your entire cast. Crafting awful, believable circumstances for your main character isn’t so tough, but what is the antagonist after? What do the minor characters want? (Hint: knowing the answers to these and threading them throughout the story is the way to set up a series. Make people wish they knew the other characters’ stories.)

Characters acting…out of character

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Image by Jan Faborsky

As the story arc climbs, and as readers get to know your cast, the characters need to behave believably. If a girl always, always keeps her face covered with a scarf, she’s not going to suddenly walk into a crowd in a sundress, smiling at everyone she meets. If she does show her face, it’d better be worth it. She’s doing something out of the ordinary for her—and she shouldn’t feel comfortable with it.

Another macro object: If a character is going to be a changed person by the end of the story, readers need to see either a microevolution or a major life-changing event. The macro edit will look for these things and point out spots where those could be enriched.

Plot holes

Since it’s every writer’s goal to avoid these little buggers, the macro edit is the hired mercenary. Seek. Target. Destroy. Some editors will mark them. “How did we get here? I thought we were…” Or “They’re discussing something that happened…before they make the discovery that it happened on page 218.”

Don’t convince your readers that the thing they’re most rooting for is on the horizon…and then leave it out. If you make promises to your readers, keep them. The macro edit will focus on that as well.

Pacing

Maybe your setup takes too long; maybe your middle sags. Perhaps the action scenes take a full ten minutes longer to read than they would to see played out. Maybe the readers need a breather or a little humor to break the tension. An editor will be sure to point spots like this out on the macro.

Dropped threads

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Image by Devin Young

Sometimes—with the best of intentions—you’ll include details of a story thread (a minor theme), and it’ll get lost along the way. During the substantive edit, an editor will notice those, possibly suggesting they get cut, and possibly pointing out a few areas they can be worked back in.

A satisfying conclusion

Most of all, the editor will make sure your story comes to a satisfying conclusion—leaving readers right where you want them. Do you want to end with possibility but uncertainty? Let your editor know. Are you setting up a sequel? Is there enough resolution to hold the reader until it’s available (while still leaving them longing for more)?

The End…of my post

Of course, each editor is different and will handle the points in his or her own style. This is why a sample edit or a personal recommendation is a great idea.

And remember, when you get the macro edit back, the work isn’t done. Think of it like a bull’s-eye. The macro edit is the outer ring. The follow-up edits (copy edit and proofread) will get you closer to center.

Until you truly hit the target.