You CAN Edit Yourself

Anyone who caught my twitter feed early Sunday morning saw me ranting about this. But honestly, I'm not done. So here I go!

Over the weekend, I went to a talk where the speaker advised everyone to hire an editor--that the ONLY way to make it in the publishing industry was to hire out help, and that they'd never ever possibly get anywhere (get an agent or become a bestseller) without doing so.

Hiring an editor is a very personal decision and I do believe there are a few instances why you might want to hire one.

But to be told that you HAVE to HIRE an editor, that to get an agent you HAVE to PAY someone, that as a writer you CAN'T EDIT yourself or see your own mistakes and that a writers group isn't enough??!?!?

I practically fell out of my seat. I never heard such wrong information in my life.

Here's the thing, You NEVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER EVER HAVE to hire an editor! EVER!

Is editing easy? NO! Not at first. But can it be learned? Hell yes it can, and in fact it SHOULD be learned by every writer out there. Editing is a part of the Writing Craft. If you want to master your craft, you have to strive to master every part of it and that includes editing.

Your book is your art, your passion, your creative outlet, your story, your reason for being, your purpose, and so many other things (insert your own word here). You had the idea, you plotted the story, you slaved away writing late into the night day after day getting to know YOUR characters. So WHY on earth would you then pay someone to edit it for you when you don't know this person, don't know if they understand you, aren't necessarily legit and you can (if you're willing to try) do it yourself?

Painters don't draw their images onto a canvas and then hire someone else to come in and paint by numbers.

Dancers don't spend hours upon hours in rehearsal and then have the understudy bow at the end and receive the applause.

Actors don't earn their roles in movies and then hire someone else to do voice overs.

Artists live in their art from start to finish. And writers aren't any different.

As a writer working towards getting an agent, you should have a vital role in every step of your process and the ability to complete your own process. Writing is a craft, and editing is a part of the craft, which means if you want to master your craft, you'd better learn that part of it too.

Do dancers get critiqued and study other dancers? Sure. Painters study other painters and get critiques from them and from their teachers all the time. So do actors. And so do writers. I'm not suggesting writing is a solo process--it's def not and I wouldn't be where I am right now if it weren't for all the people who write with me, critique for me, advise me and teach me.

The difference is, I don't pay them, I'm not dependent on them (in the way that's being suggested above). I CAN edit myself, I do get a feeling when something is off in my draft, and I CAN tell when I need to do something over or better. Sure, its nice when Agent Laura tells me what's wrong--she's an expert on that. But it's not her book (as much as she loves it)--it's mine. At the end of the day, I need to be the number one champion of my own work and able to work on it from any stage and at any angle.

I would be SO cautious of anyone who tells you that you MUST hire an editor to get ahead. You never HAVE to, and I can tick off a very long list of writer friends who have agents and never paid anyone to edit for them--and many now have editors at publishing houses who pay them.

I do believe all writers should read books on editing. I think all writers should learn the art of self-editing. And I highly recommend joining a critique group and finding critique partners. I don't for a second think that anyone with the passion and drive to be a writer is incapable of learning how to be their own editor (BEFORE you get an awesome editor at a major publishing house). If you want to be a writer, you will be a writer, and if you want to master your craft, you WILL do it, and you WILL find an agent and get published if you keep working at it and keep bringing passion to the table.

But why might you hire an editor?

• When you've done ALL you can. You've read the books, self edited, shown your book to CPs and you would just feel really comfortable if you had a pro do the final once over. I can understand that, especially right before you query, you want to make its perfect times ten. And if that's what you really need to feel comfortable, then go for it.

• When you know that you learn best by example and seeing someone else edit your work is what it will take for you to learn how to self-edit your work. The more I have my work critiqued by my CPs and work with edits from my agency, the more I am learning the craft of editing--so I can def see the benefit to this. In this way, I'd see hiring the editor as more of a teacher.

• When you know the person who will do the editing--either you know them personally, or they come with reliable recommendations--and you really feel you need a final touch up. I wouldn't jump blindly into this--check out Editors and Predators to be safe.

I'm sure there are other reasons that I can't think of. I never hired one, so I'm not an expert. But I hope you got this from my rant--editing can be done on a situational basis. But its not ever something you don't have a choice over.

Why NOT to hire an editor:

• Someone says you have to
• You don't feel like editing
• You don't think you should have to edit (you're the talent, not the technical one)

If anyone ever tells you, you HAVE to do this, please know that's not the truth. You CAN do this on your own, and its totally your choice to have help or to go solo. At the end of the day writers make the best editors, and if you absolutely need to have one, okay, but if you don't want to hire one, you can still land your dream agent anyway. If your CPs aren't helping you get you draft into tip top shape, you probably need different CPs. It's all a process that can take time, but if you stick with it, I know it works! Why waste money on a simple solution that has no positive correlation with your successful outcome? You got to work for this, and if you do, I really do believe it'll pay off in the end.

Rant, over.