Copyediting is Subjective by Annette M. Irby

 

There are as many editorial preferences as there are editors.

Publishers generally have in-house style guides for their editors and authors. Their teams can reference those guides to answer stylistic questions, especially when trusted, outside sources vary or fail to cover the topic in question.

Below, I’ll share examples of preferences that may vary among editors and publishers.

A Man's Perspective on Writing Romance by H. L. Wegley

H. L. Wegley

When I started drafting my first novel, Hide and Seek, I ran headlong into a big problem. My heroine was a woman. Showing what was going on inside her head, and her resultant reactions, would be difficult. And showing romance from a woman’s perspective, well … my wife just laughed when she heard I was taking on that challenge.

My initial approach was to minimize the problem, make my heroine very unusual, not a typical woman. I opted for a woman, let’s call her Jennifer, with a 200 IQ and one so beautiful that her beauty gave Jennifer another whole set of problems, stalkers and other sorts of unwanted attention. This created a yet another problem. Most women could not identify with Jennifer. While they might put up with her for one book with an interesting plot, minimalism was something I could not continue using if I wanted to have women readers.

It was time to learn to think like a woman. So how does a man do that, particularly where there is a lot of romance in the story?

The answer starts with acknowledging not only the basic differences between men and women, but also the extent of those differences. In my first draft of Hide and Seek I wrote a scene where my hero meets my heroine for the first time. I split the scene showing half in his POV and half in hers. My women test readers thought the guy was either immature and silly or perhaps even immoral. They thought the woman was neurotic or, at a minimum, overreacting. What an inauspicious beginning!

So my problem of writing romance became a double-edged sword. On one sharp edge, I had to portray my male protagonist in a way that appealed to women. On the other side, the woman had to seem real, likeable, a person women enjoyed identifying with.

From my test readers and my understanding of men, I learned that the strong male responses of my hero must be toned down, only showing a subset of his thoughts, the ones women want to see. The bare truth here is that most women handle the fully exposed male mind about as well as a 25-year-old man handles re-runs of the Golden Girls. The good stuff women want to see is present in his mind, but the other things residing there can cause a lot of misunderstanding.

The other side of the sword, showing what happens in a woman's mind and how she reacts to words, actions, and situations, was an intractable problem for me. I needed help, transcending what a test reader can provide.

I was polishing my fourth book. More than half of this story comes from the heroine’s point of view. It was time for me to learn to write a woman's thoughts, actions, and emotions, including a lot of romance. Again, my wife rolled her eyes and laughed. I understood why.

The way I saw it, I had two choices. 

One was to read a lot of books written by women and study the heroine’s point of view—a long process. But I had taken up writing fiction after retiring. My years of writing are limited, and I certainly didn’t plan to get a PhD in women’s psychology before writing a romantic novel. I needed a short cut, a really short one.

I met an author-editor, a woman, at a writing conference and scheduled a session with her to help me through a couple of problem pages in my WIP. Immediately, I saw that she was a person who could help me. 

I hired her to do a thorough, in-depth critique of the entire manuscript, with special emphasis on the romance scenes. When she sent my MSS back to me, it had detailed comments throughout, explaining what my heroine should do, feel, and think, and explaining how I had made her sound neurotic or immature at times. I learned more in the month of rewriting this manuscript than I would have learned in five years of reading other people’s novels.

The editor who helped me is Christina Berry Tarabochia.

For the writers who may be reading this article, if you struggle with writing romance, especially characters of the opposite sex, my recommendation is to find someone who will critique your book deeply enough to show you the problems in the way you portray the opposite sex. Pay them—it’s well worth it. You can learn a lot in a short period of time.

It would've been interesting to put in this post some of the before-and-after scenes from my heroine’s POV, but it would've simply become far too long. I’m sure it would have gotten some laughs.

Dora here. What about you?

Have you encountered a particular challenge in your writing?

How did you overcome that challenge?

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A computer security breach within a US defense contractor’s firewalls leads investigators, Lee Brandt and beautiful, brilliant Jennifer Akihara, onto the cyber-turf of terrorists, where they are detected and targeted for elimination. Lee leads them on a desperate and prayer-filled flight for survival into the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. Will Jennifer’s pursuit of truth about the conspiracy, and the deepest issues of life, lead her into the clutches of terrorists, into the arms of Lee Brandt, or into the arms of the God she deems untrustworthy? 

H. L. Wegley served in the USAF as an Intelligence Analyst and a Weather Officer. He is a Meteorologist who worked as a Research Scientist in Atmospheric Physics at Pacific Northwest Laboratories. After earning an MS in Computer Science, he worked more than two decades as a Systems Programmer at Boeing before retiring in the Seattle area, where he and his wife of 46 years enjoy small-group ministry, their seven grandchildren, and where he pursues his love of writing. 

HLWegley.com

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The Weather Scribe

A climate of suspense and a forecast of stormy weather

It’s All On Me, Right?

Writers’ conferences can be expensive. Hey everyone, Annette here. This week many of our dear SW reader-writers are attending American Christian Fiction Writers’ annual conference. (www.acfw.com) You’ve got appointments set up, opportunities all around you. You’ve prayed and planned, brainstormed and penned, organized and traveled, sacrificed and invested. Now, you’re here! You want to “get your money’s worth” and take advantage of every possibility before you—make the right connections, exude the right impression, say the right words. Seize the day. 

After all, it’s all on you.

Right?

For years, you’ve had books burning inside you, waiting to come out. You’ve got a thriving imagination full of characters, plot gems, twists, ideas swirling in creative juices. You love words and the rhythm of good prose. You love reading. 

Question: who gave you talent? 

Remember that stirring in your heart at some point, that urge to write? What was the catalyst? There was a time you knew you were supposed to somehow begin to put words down. You studied the craft of writing, connected with others on a similar journey. You paired strong characters with intriguing plots and offered your chapters for critique. 

Question: who called you to write? 

Somewhere during your life, you’ve had to find time to write. Late hours, early hours, leftover hours after a busy day. You prioritized and sacrificed and carved out productive minutes. 

Question: who created and manages time and seasons?

While you’re there at the writers’ conference, remember God gave you the talent, God called you to write for His glory, and God is sovereign. We can’t “make something happen” just by sheer will. If we try to sidestep what God is doing, we may find ourselves unprepared and failing. But if we wait for the correct time—God’s timing—and rest in Him, consider the benefits:

Peace—we no longer have to manufacture something. We have God’s assurance. He who called you will also make a way. 

Rest—the burden to open doors is not on us. God is our Father who opens doors for us. We don’t have to strive. When it’s time, the right door will open. And by then, God will have prepared us.

Joy—we’ve demanded a lot of ourselves, even the impossible. But when we hand our burden to the Lord, He gives us joy in its place. 

Freedom—sure, we continue the writerly disciplines of learning and growing in the craft. We remain good stewards of the gift and calling. But once we release the burden, we’re free to create and grow, because we no longer have to strive. We’re free to do our part—seek God first and let Him take care of the rest. 

When you sit down with editors and agents, know they’re people just like you. They’re professionals, just like you. But keep this truth in mind: they do not dictate your future in writing. They may become a tool in God’s hand, but God is the one who determines where your writing goes from here. Leave that with Him.

Aren't you glad it's not all on you?



Photo credits:

"Stairs" image by Adam Hickmott / freedigitalphotos.net 
"Door handle" image courtesy of Nattavut / freedigitalphotos.net
"Job interview" (meeting) photo courtesy of Ambro / freedigitalphotos.net

Take Courage and Forge Ahead

I’ve noticed a tendency in myself and in other writers: fear. But fear is detrimental (not to mention tormenting). Here's what lack of courage does:

** Induces procrastination
** Blocks breakthroughs
** Stops our momentum
** Hinders our dreams

Sometimes we’re afraid of failure. Sometimes we’re terrified of succeeding. So, here’s a question: what do you do when you’re afraid? Do you hold back? Try to reassess the situation?

Is God asking you to take new steps in your writing? Is He asking you to approach your number one choice for an agent or editor? Is He directing you to write about the one thing you promised yourself you’d never write about? How is He challenging you? And what are you doing with that challenge?

Maybe it’s time to let that manuscript or proposal go. You’ve made it as strong as you can make it. You’ve had requests for it. Hand it in.

Maybe it’s time to attend that huge writers’ conference. Look in the mirror, remind yourself you are a serious writer, and go!

Maybe it’s time to join a critique group and have others evaluate your work. Oh, joining a crit group takes courage, but it’ll make your writing better than it’s ever been. Do it!

For me, it’s time to send in a manuscript. Deadline: 3/15. Let’s pray for each other, shall we? It’s going to take courage to do what God is asking us to do, and as writers, we’ll need courage from here on out.
Embrace courage. Take God’s proffered hand. And move boldly in the direction of your dreams*, dear writer!

For I, the LORD your God, will hold your right hand,

Saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you.”

(Isaiah 41:13 NKJV)

*Love that Thoreau quote: Advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Courtesy

Hey readers, Annette here. We’re mixing things up this month on Seriously Write. You probably noticed (if you’ve peeked at Monday’s post this week) that Mondays are now Mixing-It-Up Mondays. Tuesdays will change in two weeks. Ocieanna’s officially back as of tomorrow! Yay! Thursdays are going to be a whole lot of fun! And Dawn is taking over Fridays.

So, for today, I thought I’d offer a quick post on courtesy.

You’ve probably heard the advice to send a thank-you note to agents or editors you meet at conferences. Good advice. This gets your name in front of them again. And if they recall your interaction, you’ve reinforced that “good feeling” from your meeting (providing you had a good experience). *wink*

So, what about editors or agents when you’ve interacted with them through a proposal via mail (email/snail mail, etc.)?

Depends on who you speak with, but as an acquisitions editor, I appreciate when I hear back from writers, even if I had to reject their project. I read recently of an editor not hearing back from an author after he went to bat for her with the committee. What she may not realize is that though she’s reeling from rejection, the editor has just labored with her for her project’s success. He’s just the messenger in this situation. He deserves gratitude for all the time he spent on “pushing” her project forward.

I know it’s one more email, and some editors and agents would probably prefer not to have one more inbox filler, but a thank-you helps build relationships. A kind, grateful word of appreciation encourages editors who don’t usually have the last say, and who work hard for authors, behind the scenes.

My recommendation: offer editors and agents the courtesy of a reply when you hear back from them. If the rejection is too painful at first, wait a day or two. Put yourself in their shoes. Be kind. They’re people with feelings and dreams and requirements on them too.

Honestly, we’re all in this together.

Write on!

Assume the Best

 

Assume the Best

Working With Editors Series: Part Two

Net's Notations Tuesdays

 

Remember last week how we talked about applying grace to your editor/author relations? You’re about to sense a theme. *grin*

Raise your hand if you’ve entered contests. Good for you! Get your name and work out there. Get some feedback. Takes courage. And then you get the responses. Sometimes I’ve wondered what planet the third judge hailed from. Can I hear an amen? The other two seemed in sync, giving similar (higher) scores. But that third one, the one who graded me with something around a 67% (ouch), what happened? 

Honestly, I can’t accept the comments right away. I’ll read them, but then I need some time to process what I’ve just seen—like, say, a week or two. No kidding. But then, when I do sit down with the comments and uncomfortable scores, it helps to tackle them with this idea: assume the best.

It’s so easy to miss what the judge (or editor) is trying to say if we don’t assume grace. Remember, the one giving the feedback is trying to help. In the case of an editor, we are hoping to help you make the story stronger, build your brand, give additional credibility to your name as an author. If you keep that in mind as you review our comments/changes, those “marks” will be easier to take. No one likes to be critiqued. But no one’s perfect. So we all need feedback in order to write better.

Next time you receive feedback on your writing, whether from your crit group or an editor, or possibly even a contest judge, remember to assume the best. Give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Apply that grace we talked about last week. Just because they’ve found things that could use a change doesn’t mean they’re against you. Don’t take it personally.

Next week, another step in the process of working well with your editor: how to tackle edits.