Artists often remark that the skill of a good artist is knowing when you are done. The same applies to a book. Regardless of whether it is a novel or a work of non-fiction, knowing when a manuscript is done is part of the skill of both good writing and editing. In both cases it can be tempting to keep tweaking the language – maybe changing the name of a character or updating the statistics, but at some stage you need to say, ‘I am done.’
Equally, at what point is a book ready for editing?
If it is your first book or you are finding it hard to keep on track, having an editor involved from the beginning can be useful. Some editors will offer developmental editing or coaching and they can help you keep on track or make sure your writing accurately reflects what you want to say. There is nothing worse than finishing what you hope is the last draft of your 80,000-word novel only to realise it would have been better written in a different point of view, or one of the key characters is very flat and boring so needs re-writing.
It happens.
Developmental editing means you are spending more time working with your editor so you should develop a strong working relationship with them. They will have a very clear understanding of what you are capable of as a writer and the book you are working on. The extra cost of working with a highly experienced editor should be recouped by reducing the amount of time it takes to write your book and in the quality of your writing (and hopefully increased sales as a result). Any misspellings or incorrect use of grammar are usually picked up in the process so your manuscript will spend less time being copy-edited and proofread.
If you are writing in a language other than your mother tongue, it is worth asking a language teacher to look over your work, or at least someone who is proficient in the language you have written in. They can help explain why some of your word choices may need to be amended. While an editor’s role is to review your language use, their primary focus is on the efficiency of that language to deliver the story or information you are conveying. If they struggle to understand what you are trying to say because your command of that language is not strong it is frustrating and very time consuming for the editor. As a result, you may not get the best edit, or it will cost you a great deal of money in editing. Why not workshop your manuscript first with a writing group or in a language class?
Read your final draft out loud. It may not be a screenplay but when we read aloud our brain is not filling in the gaps that sometimes happens when you read in your head. Reading your work aloud or having someone read it to you (think AI) may help you pick up where you can improve the clarity of your language or where something is missing in your story. Maybe you have written a manual; listening to instructions often picks up a missing step in a process. It helps!
When you have typed what you hope is the last word, put the manuscript away for a few days. Forget about it for a day or two, maybe even a week or more. Then come back with fresh eyes. You may find you are more critical of what you have written and start crafting an even better draft. You may even surprise yourself and think, Hey, this is good!
It is also essential to ask someone else to read it, but preferably not one of your friends. They are usually reluctant to be too critical, you are their friend and that friendship will always take precedence over being your critic. Don’t be shy! You are writing a book – people will read it someday. Reach out to your network. Alternatively, you could ask your local Writer’s Centre, (Writers’ Victoria, Writing NSW, TasWriters, etc.) will help you, they can also connect you with a writers’ group or Beta Readers.
Once you have finished your final draft there are a number of additional steps that need to happen before you can add your book to your bookshelf.
After editing has been completed your manuscript needs to be typeset, usually using InDesign. This is graphic design software and not only lays out the text in a way that is unique to a book and allows for the insertion of design elements such as graphics or photos. The cover is also designed in InDesign as well.
To allow for smooth typesetting it is useful to have an idea of what you want your book to look like. However, your final draft should contain text only, any images to be inserted need to be in a separate file with the insertion point indicated in the manuscript and cross referenced in the name of the image. It is okay to give your typesetter a copy of what you are hoping the final design will look like. As with editing, if you want a professional outcome, typesetting and design are specialised skills, you will need help.
Your final draft may be your third draft, it may even be your twentieth, you will know when you have come to the point when you are just procrastinating.
Hopefully you will know when you are done – it should be the best you think it can be.
Amanda McMahon
Monday Intern
Amanda McMahon Editing