What to do with Your Story Idea: Copy Editing and Proofreading (Lauricia, Writer's Life)

Happy spring, everyone! Where I live in south Texas, the bluebonnets are out, the frigid chill has disappeared from the humidity, and I’m finally able to go barefoot without endangering my toes! I hope your corner of the world is equally as beautiful, whatever your preferences.

For the past year and a bit, my Writer’s Life posts have been an extended answer to the question I’m asked most often: What do I do with the story idea I have? If you are new to this series, you can find the previous articles listed below, with all of the necessary links. If you’ve been following along, settle in with your favorite beverage as we discuss the step everybody loves to hate: paying someone else to edit your work.

To many, paying to have your finished manuscript edited seems like an unnecessary expense and, as a reviewer for a book review website, it is something that I find authors skipping much too often. It breaks my heart to have to flag a story because of errors, but I cannot endorse a project riddled with mistakes. Even if you are a grammar genius, everyone is guilty of oversights. My first published novel was scoured by alpha and beta readers, my agent, an amazing copy editor, and a proofreader, yet the first print run contained a character’s name that was misspelled twice. Thankfully, those were the only errors that made it to print, and they have since been corrected. I mention the incident here, however, to emphasize the need to have your work looked over by either a copy editor or a proofreader, preferably both.

Even though the term “editor” is loosely applied to anyone who reviews and/or edits a story for publication, there are actually different types of editors. Two of them, copy editors and proofreaders, are essential for every author, whether traditionally or independently published. Their definitions are pretty straight-forward, so I’m simply going to quote them. According to Grammarly.com, a copy editor is one who checks “written material for grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation issues before it’s prepared for proofreading. A copy editor may also do a rewrite, if necessary, to fix any problems with transitions, wordiness, jargon, and to ensure the style of the piece fits with the publication. This work is known as revision.” A proofreader, on the other hand, is one who “works with a facsimile of a finished product, or a proof (hence the term proofreading). Proofreaders don’t suggest major changes to the text; rather, they look for minor text and formatting errors and confirm the material is ready for publication.”

If you are independently published, you want to take the time (and, yes, the expense) to hire both. If you are traditionally published, this is usually taken care of, however, depending on the size of your publishing house, you may still need to take responsibility for these edits on your own. If you are seeking traditional publication, both a copy editor and a proofreader are a must. Don’t assume a prospective publisher will look beyond frequent errors to see the quality of your story. The number of errors your submission has is almost always considered a fair indication of the overall quality of the work. (I’m sorry if this is a painful truth; it’s better that you hear it now, before you’re deeply invested.)

All of that being said, you must be careful when you are searching for a copy editor and/or a proofreader to work with. If you know any published authors or belong to any writer’s groups, I recommend asking for recommendations. This way, you already know the copy editor/proofreader is reliable and produces quality work. Alternatively, you can go to the Editorial Freelancer’s Association website.

As always, this topic is too complex and deep for me to fully address in the length of this post. What I’ve written here is only a toe into the pool. If you want to dive deeper, I recommend you start with this article by Wendy LauraBelcher, which gives a great deal more detail, as will a general search on your favorite search engine.

Thank you for joining us today. I would love to hear from you. If you’re writing, what are you working on and how is it going? If you’re reading, what is your current book about?

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As promised above, here's the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read more here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read more here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Read more here.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. (Read more here.)

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. (Read more here.)

6. Start an e-mail list. (Read more here.)

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback. (Read more here.)

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

What to do with Your Story Idea: Enlisting Alpha Readers (Writing Life, Lauricia)

Greetings and welcome back to my series about what to do with the awesome story idea you have. If you are here for the first time, this is part seven in a ten-part series. You can find the full list of recommended steps at the end of today’s blog, with links to the other parts of the series that have already been written.

If you have been following the series, welcome back! Today we are going to discuss one of my favorite elements of the series: enlisting alpha readers.

Although writing is, at heart, a solitary endeavor, every writer needs the feedback of others. In order for this feedback to be helpful, it must be genuine, truthful, and gently spoken. We writers have sensitive skins, after all. The best way to obtain this kind of feedback is through a system of alpha and (later) beta readers.

Alpha readers are the first people to see your finished, as-polished-as-you-can-get-it story. Polishing is important, because these readers are not intended to read your first, second, or even third draft. Their sole purpose is to give you feedback on the story, to tell you about whether or not it has the spark of life that makes it finished.

I’ve found the best alpha readers to be supportive friends who are genuinely interested in your writing. Currently, I am lucky to have three of these, and I find that to be just enough. When recruiting your alpha readers, you want people who will tell you hard truths, but speak them to you gently. These people need to be bold enough to tell you where your story needs work and kind enough to tell this to you in a way that doesn’t hurt too much. (There will always be some pain; make your peace with that now. After all, it’s better for your friend to tell you that your story needs work than for an editor or reader to reject that story because it needs work.)

Once you have a handful of victims… I mean, friends… who are willing to do you this necessary service, make sure to give them a few simple guidelines. Don’t underestimate the importance of the words “few” and “simple”. Too many guidelines, and the readers will get lost. Also, your alpha readers are not often industry professionals, so you want them to spot easy things. I ask my alpha readers to write on the manuscript I provide for them (which I print out, because I process better on paper), marking where they got bored, where their attention drifted off, or where they found something they simply didn’t like. I also ask them to point out the elements they do like, so I don’t accidentally dispose of those elements during the revision process. I make this request in a thank you letter that I put at the very front of the manuscript, which I provide for each readers in a personal three-ring binder.

After my readers return the manuscripts, I offer to take them out for coffee (or pizza, or wine, depending upon their individual preferences), and I ask them to tell me about the book. Of course, since they are my friends, this is only part of the conversation, but I want to make sure they know that I appreciate their time and energy (hence the treat) and value their opinions (hence the discussion). Somewhere in the middle of our time together, I ask them what they thought about the story over all, then I let them lead the conversation where they will, only asking for clarification or prompting the conversation when it stalls. I make sure not to rush through this part, but I don’t linger here, either. After all, I could talk about my book for longer than anyone else, and I don’t want to turn this experience into a chore for those who are helping me.

Once I receive my alpha reader’s manuscripts, I read all of the comments, consider each one carefully, and note those that I’m going to use on my master revision copy. After all of my revisions are made and the story is once again as close to perfect as I can get it, I repeat this process with a larger, different group of beta readers. If I’ve written my story well, the feedback of my beta readers with require minimal tweaking of the manuscript, and soon I have a polished product ready to submit to the publisher.

Although this step in the process may seem simple, I urge you not to overlook it. Potential agents and editors have a lot of submissions to work through, and one of the easiest ways to make your work stand out to them is by submitting a nearly-flawless manuscript.

Do you use alpha and/or beta readers in your writing process? If so, what kind of results have you had? I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.

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As promised above, here's the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read more here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read more here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Read more here.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. (Read more here.)

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. (Read more here.)

6. Start an e-mail list. (Read more here.)

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback.

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

What to do with Your Story Idea: Building an Author Email List (Lauricia)

Greetings and welcome back to my series about what to do with the awesome story idea you have. If you are here for the first time, this is part six in a ten-part series. You can find the full list of recommended steps at the end of today’s blog, with links to the other parts of the series that have already been written.

If you have been following the series, welcome back! I’m thrilled you are here because today’s discussion centers around the most important marketing tool in your entire author platform: your personal author email list.

While there are many important parts to your author platform, your personal email list is the single most important one. The primary reason for this is because it allows you to do two things at once: connect and promote. Each of these is a separate function of different parts of your author platform, and email lists are unique in their ability to do both. Another feature unique to an email list is its ability to connect you directly to people who want to read your writing. When someone signs up to be part of your list, he or she is giving you permission to speak directly to him/her any time you like.

This ease of access is especially beneficial in regard to social media. As popular platforms like Facebook and Instagram become more and more ad-based, an author’s unfiltered influence wans. Where friends or followers used to have unlimited access to your new posts as soon as you posted them, the algorithms on many popular social media sites filter the posts your connections see based on the amount of money you are willing to spend in post boosts and advertisements. With email, you control your list, guaranteeing that all list subscribers receive each new email you send.

Which leads to the hardest part of building your author newsletter email list: drawing in new subscribers. Conventional wisdom recommends growing your list organically via a call to action placed at the end of your stories and/or a subscription incentive (aka a “hook,” a “draw,” and a “lead magnet”). Since you are a writer, the most obvious incentive is writing-base: a free short story, pre-released chapters of an upcoming work, deleted scenes, or access to a members-only section of your website. The possibilities are endless and are limited only by your creativity and willingness to research new ideas.

Of course, as Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben is famous for saying, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Once you’ve convinced readers to subscribe to your email list, you must make it worth their time. In order to keep readers from unsubscribing, you need to provide content that is both original and entertaining. Since your newsletter should be a reflection of your personality, writing style, and story content, there is no one way to “do it right.” Still, there are plenty of resources out there to give you ideas. One of my regular go-tos is the Novel Marketing Podcast, hosted by Thomas Umtstattd Jr. (please note this is a non-affiliate link). Another resources that I’m currently working through, and which I like a lot, is Newsletter Ninja: How to Become an Author Mailing List Expert by Tammi Labrecque.

I’m curious to know how many of you have an author email list. Do you have a subscription incentive? If so, what is it and how useful have you found it to be? Which part of your newsletter do your readers respond to the most? I’d love to hear your comments and insights below.

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As promised above, here's the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read more here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read more here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Read more here.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. (Read more here.)

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary. (Read more here.)

6. Start an e-mail list.

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback.

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

What to do with Your Story Idea: Editing (Lauricia | Writer's Life)

Greetings and welcome back to my Writer's Life series on what to do with the story idea you have. Today’s blog is the fifth in a series of ten. If you’re just now joining in, you can find the complete answer in brief (with links to the detailed versions) at the end of today’s post.

So … editing.

At its most basic, editing is the practice of modifying a written work for the purpose of making it better. This involves a variety of techniques, such as adding and cutting material, tightening sentence and plot structures, and strengthening sensory details and imagery, just for starters.

Some writers enjoy this part of the process because they find it easier to improve upon something that already exists than to create something from nothing. Other writers find this step to be about as pleasant as a root canal, never mind the fact that it’s a necessary step in the creation of a manuscript.

As with all parts of writing, editing is a process. Rather than an exercise that’s only completed once, editing your story requires multiple passes through your manuscript, with planned breaks in between each pass. You determine ahead of time how long you will go without working on the project after each edit. This down-time is crucial for helping you come to each edit with fresh perspective, and the pre-determined amount of time away helps avoid procrastination.

There are many different ways to go about the business of editing; as many as there are writers. The best thing to do is to build your own method by trying what works for others and gleaning the bits that work for you. Two of the resources in my library that offer insight into building your own process are:

•  The Weekend Novelist by Robert J. Ray (Weekend 52, 1994 ed.)

• Self-Editing for Fiction Writers: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Brown and Dave King

A caveat before I end: If you are traditionally published, you can expect the publishing house to have approximately three different editors take a look at your work: a content editor, a copy editor, and a proofreader. If you are independently published, you can hire these professional editors yourself. However, it is important that you do the best you can to edit as much as you can of your own work before you submit it to an editor. This will help insure that the people being paid to look at your manuscript do not waste their time and money on sifting through mistakes that could have easily been corrected by you. Additionally, if you hope to be traditionally published, you should know that, in most cases, no publishing house will even consider a manuscript that is not edited as well as it can be before submission. This means, in every circumstance, it is important that you the author take the time to self-edit your work until it is as good as you can possibly make it.

 With that in mind, I’d love to know if you enjoy or hate editing, and why. What resources have you found that help you make the most of the time you spend editing?

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As promised above, here's the complete list of what to do with your story idea:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read more here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read more here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft. (Read more here.)

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least. (Read more here.)

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary.

6. Start an e-mail list.

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback.

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

What to do with Your Story Idea: Developing a Structure (Lauricia, Writing Life)

A few months ago I began a series addressing the question that I receive the most: What do I do with my story idea. In the first installments of this multi-part answer, I talked about writing down everything you know about the idea and beginning a social media presence. Today, I’m going to discuss how to proceed with the writing.

To be clear, there is never a time when you should stop writing. The ideal is to work on your story and your marketing in tandem, so that they balance each other. This will help you fend off the marketing burnout that all of us experience at one point or another.

If you are new to this series, or would like a recap of the full answer, here are the steps in brief:

1. Write down everything you know about the story idea. Keep writing until you can’t think of anything to add. (Read entire post here.)

2. When you’re not writing, work on your social media platform.  Develop your on-line presence authentically, in a way that is genuine. (Read entire post here.)

3. Go back to your idea. Organize everything you wrote in step one into something with structure and shape. Turn that collection of ideas into a plan and begin your first draft.

4. Start a website. A blog is good because it gives readers a taste of your writing, but if you feel that you can’t commit to a blog, then you need to have a website at the very least.

5. Edit your first draft. Complete this step as often as necessary.

6. Start an e-mail list.

7. Enlist alpha readers who will give you story feedback.

8. Once your book is as polished as you can get it, enlist someone else to edit it.

9. Decide how you want to publish (indie or traditional) and study the process. Learning the necessary details will save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money in the long run.

10. Start the next story!

Presuming you’ve done step one and are working on step two, it’s time to return to your original idea and begin to give it some structure. The most common structure, and a great place to start, is the Three Act Structure. The name comes from Aristotle’s Poetics, in which he discusses how every story must have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Fast forward a few thousand years and incorporate the advent and growth of the movie industry, and you have a story structure that is built around Act I: the introduction and development phase; Act II: the conflict and struggle phase; and Act II: the achievement and resolution phase.

If you are anything like me, at this point you’re thinking you don’t want your writing to be formulaic. You’re concerned that your writing won’t stand out, or that it will lack a spark of life if you follow a common method. I wrestled with this for years until I thought about it from the perspective of architecture. If you’ve ever seen a house being built, you know that nothing can be accomplished until the foundation is laid and the frame is in place. So, too, with writing. Rather than being a formula, the Three Act Structure is the framework. What you build around it is up to you, and can be as original and inventive as you like.

I had originally planned to go into a discussion about the Three Act Structure here, but I’m already coming to the end of my word count, and there are innumerable resources out there to help with this, so I’ll list some of my favorites for you to explore:

 

Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass

Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell

The One Year Adventure Novel by Daniel Schwabauer. (Specifically for teens) I cannot recommend this resource highly enough. It is a one-year writing curriculum that ends with a chance of publication, so if you are a teen who desires to write speculative fiction, there is no better option to pursue.

Of course, there are many more good resources out there, and I’m always looking to improve my craft, so are there any that you recommend? I’d love to hear about them in the comments.