She hears voices...
"I listen to many, many voices when I’m
editing..." ~ Elaine Denning, Freelance Editor
Editing: It's not an easy task and is often a thankless one.
Whether hired by an author or a publisher, a good editor works hard to incorporate the author's voice, publisher's mandate, grammar rules and readers' needs into a book that reads well and sells well.
Freelance editor, Elaine Denning, was kind enough to share some background secrets about that tough life. Thanks, Elaine!
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| Elaine Denning - Freelance Editor |
It’s certainly viable, but if the idea of
having a fluctuating income fills you with dread then perhaps working in-house
(with a regular salary), rather than freelancing, would be a better choice.
When
my business was in the early stages and I had just a handful of clients, editing
took up about 25% of my time. The rest was spent slogging away as a freelance copywriter
(in order to pay the bills) and marketing my editing business. There were many
sleepless nights and Twitter and Facebook were a godsend - sites where I could try
to get my name out there without any financial outlay.
My most effective marketing strategy was to
offer authors a free ten page edit of their manuscripts. That’s when things
really started to take off and within a few months I was able to give up copywriting
and edit full time. These days, word of mouth brings in the majority of my
clients and, of course, I have many returning clients, too.
Can
you speak a bit about preserving the voice of an author while editing?
It’s a crucial part of the job; authors don't want to get their manuscripts back from the editor and not recognise it as
their own work. Authors’ voices are so
strong that if I were sent a manuscript anonymously from someone I had
previously worked with, I’m confident I could tell you who wrote it.
The first thing I always do is read a
manuscript right through to the end before I edit a single word, to give me a
feel for the author’s rhythm and style. Some authors write long, detailed, and
complicated sentences and love, really love, using lots of punctuation and, on
occasion, it can become a little, shall we say, tedious, to say the least.
Other authors write short sentences. Snappy sentences. They get to the point.
Quickly. Even if I had a preference it
would be wrong of me to change what is intrinsically their ‘voice’, their
trademark. Therefore, if the structure of a sentence or a paragraph needs
editing I will always mimic the author’s voice, even if I’m not fond of their particular
style of writing. After all, there’s a huge difference between what is
grammatically incorrect and what is just not to my liking.
Sometimes the author’s voice will slip into
a character’s voice, or a character will say something that I know he or she
would never say. So, in a nutshell, I listen to many, many voices when I’m
editing and my aim is to stay true to them all.
Comment
on why some ‘rules’ of writing (*shouldn’t* *don’t* *never*) seem to attain
extreme notoriety for a while and then fade away (such as the uproars over the
cursed Oxford comma, the alienated adverb, the prohibited prologue, the
forbidden first-person…). What is your suggestion on how authors should treat
such writing ‘rules’ and fads?
Nice alliteration! (Thanks! lol!)
There is always somebody, somewhere on the
internet, writing about something to stir up a debate. It keeps the cogs
turning and keeps us clicking, sharing, and arguing. Most blog writers strive
for traffic on their sites and there’s no better way of attaining it than by
writing about something controversial.
As
is the case with most arguments, they gain momentum, get rather heated, and
then fizzle out. But let’s face it, if these so called ‘rules’ were set in
stone they wouldn’t be up for debate in the first place.
I’d
suggest that you use your creative license and write in a way that feels right
for you. Bear in mind that most editors are pedantic and may well put a red
strike right through your much-loved adverb or insert your missing Oxford
comma, but I’d urge you to challenge their ‘correction’ if you’re not happy
with it. Any editor worth their salt
would welcome your feedback and would be more than happy to explain why
something has been altered. In my opinion, editors should always advise and
never dictate.
What
has been your most devastating editing experience?
I’d completed a free ten page edit of an
author’s manuscript and we mutually decided to work together. But, about a
quarter of the way through the book, it became apparent that incest, abuse, and
the worst kind of humiliation were being written about under the guise of
‘erotica’. Let’s just say it didn’t sit
too well with me and I felt unable to continue, which prompted an onslaught of
online harassment from the author that lasted for about three months. Not the
happiest of times! I’m glad to say that every other author I have worked with
has been (absolutely) lovely.
If
you were hired to edit a classic, which one would you want it to be and what
would be the first thing you’d change?
I think I’d like to edit ‘Of Mice and Men’ and give Lennie a deep
aversion to stroking things.
On a serious note, I have mixed feelings
about reworking classics. Yes, I understand that contemporary reinterpretations
bring what would be an otherwise dusty, unread book to the attention of a
modern day audience, but at what cost? The
joy I get from reading any book comes from plunging myself into the world the
author has created. To tamper with the prose, the setting, and the era in which
it was written (along with the fashions, language, and trends of that time) would
leave nothing behind but a plot. It may be a good plot, but the author’s intent
and the backbone of the book, in my mind, would be lost. So, if I were offered
the chance to edit a classic I would feel deeply honoured but would recommend
someone who would be far less inclined to get emotional at the deletion of some
wonderfully written words and worlds.
BIO
Elaine Denning is an experienced freelance
editor based in Devon, UK. She edits
fiction and non-fiction and works with both traditionally published and
independent authors.
LINKS
Website: www.elainedenning.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ElaineDenning
Twitter: https://twitter.com/elainedenning
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