Why Self-Editing Your Novel is Important, Even If You Plan on Paying an Editor
“The End.” Oh, the magically satisfying words that mark the completion of your beloved story! But the end is only the beginning.
When I finished the first draft of The Lying Librarian, I was ecstatic and so were my parents. They’d never had a 19 year-old with a completed novel manuscript on their hands before, but along with the excitement came misconceptions about the next steps toward publication. We sought out an editor without considering if the manuscript was even ready for that. It wasn’t.
Looking back three years later, I can say for sure that self-editing first is really important. Mishaps we had with that editor were eye opening and damaged my confidence. I got back a manuscript with a few corrections and some major comments on the plot points I needed to edit and rewrite. The editor seemed to miss the reason for entire scenes and even the title.
I didn’t trust myself to edit my novel. My impression was that editors will edit and fix everything. They’re called editors after all. The concept of “rewriting” was alien to me. I didn’t understand why it was needed when you’ve written the story already. The thought of scrapping my hard work and starting all over again was terrifying. I doubted my ability because I didn’t get it right the first time, but it was never meant to be right the first time.
It is not shameful to be confused or to make mistakes. It is not shameful to feel overwhelmed by something that was never properly explained to you. Writers self-edit their works all the time. You have to look over your own writing because you are the only one who knows exactly what you want to say.
It is very hard for language to express the deep meanings we want to convey. The beauty of being a writer is finding a way to weave meaning into your stories and bring out the precious creation you’ve concocted in your heads. A lot of times, it is difficult to translate our fantastic tales into words. Words can be misleading. Even one misplaced comma can change a whole sentence. We need to make sure our words are working for us and not leading our readers astray.
Editors help, they really do, but they’re not you. They have their own views and opinions. They’re interpretation of your story might be completely opposite to what you intended. That’s not because you’re a terrible writer. It’s because you are unique.
My 19 year-old brain produced a story that I loved, but it will take work to translate that story into words. My editor couldn’t recognise the meanings I intended, because I gave her a draft that was too rough. After having celebratory hugs and fun with my family, I should’ve sat down and read through everything to make sure I had written what I’d meant to. There were some scenes that I didn’t like. There were others that I could have added to. I could have identified these mishaps without help because it was my story and I knew how I wanted to tell it.
Editors can point out a lot. They help fine tune your novel, but you must first make sure you are sending them the story you want to tell. Self-editing doesn’t have to mean correcting grammar and spelling. Look at your plot and your characters. Is your novel written the way you want it to be written? Mine wasn’t.
The loss of confidence shook me after I realised my manuscript was not good enough. I moved on to other projects rather than attempting to fix my first. Now, at 22 years-old, I’m finally willing to start taking editing seriously. The Lying Librarian is worth fighting for. I don’t dispute the need for my manuscript to go into an editor’s hands, but before it can, I need to give it the tender care it deserves. Simply reading it over has sparked inspiration to work the story into something even better than my original idea.
Completing your first draft is worthy of celebration, but it is by no means the end of your journey. Delve into the story you have created and test it. This is the beginning of your editing expedition. Expand and perfect your ideas. Bring the world you have created to life before handing it over for scrutiny.
