The Importance of a Good Editor

 I recently sent off the finished manuscript of my children's book, Bozo and the Storyteller, to the editing division of my publisher, confident that aside from the odd typo there would scarcely be any need for revisions. The book was returned to me a week later with some 5,000 line edits and a couple of hundred comments on mistakes and inconsistencies in the plot.

I was aghast. How could it possibly be? I had read, reread and redrafted the book three times and had even narrated the book aloud to check for good sentence flow. What could I have missed?

But as I read through the extensive edits I had to admit to 90% of the changes and ended up feeling like a pretty sorry excuse for a writer. Maybe I should have signed up for the creative writing course at university after all...

The truth is just about every writer could do with an editor. The creative process you as a writer just that little bit too close to the book, article or short story you're working on and it becomes almost impossible to see the wood for the trees, the book for the words. Writing is the process of transferring a vision or an idea from the deepest confines of your head to the harsh light of day and something is inevitably lost in the translation. You know what you want to say but how do you know that your reader does?

Naturally, your writer's pride convinces you that you don't need any outside help but if it's a work you care about, get an editor. Working without one is rather like shaving or applying make-up without a mirror. You might pull it off but you're bound to miss spots. Just as the greatest tennis players in the world have coaches, your writing is certain to be improved by a good editor, even if they aren't the 'creative genius' that you are.

Authors in particular need the help of an editor. Reading the comments in the margins, I discovered that I'd referred to a character as someone's godfather on page 47, his uncle on page 86 and his great-uncle by page 183! I was just too close to the story to notice inconsistencies like this.

Or how about:

'The doors opened and dim light came flooding in.'

My editor quite rightly noted that 'dim' light is rarely associated with 'flooding' dramatically in. The image was clear in my mind but utterly confusing to the reader.

And if you still don't believe me, go pick up any novel you have sitting on your shelf. 2 out of 3 of them will contain extensive praise and thanks to their dedicated editor in the acknowledgments.

Editors are worth their weight in gold.