To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
* * *
Be all my sins remember’d
I admit, I’m a bit of a Shakespeare nerd. I believe there is a line from one of his plays or sonnets to fit virtually every situation – even editing. For unpublished, unrepresented authors, you have to ask yourself, to self-edit or not to self-edit: that is the question. Albeit not as smooth as Shakespeare’s 35-line monologue in Hamlet, it is a fitting question every writer asks him or herself at some point in the process. No one denies the importance of editing a manuscript before submitting it to agents and editors. The question, then becomes, to self-edit or not to self-edit?
I wish there was an easy answer. There isn’t.
Depending on the editor, the cost for a thorough edit, providing feedback on the flow, plot and the structural elements can cost as much anywhere from $1,000 – $5,000 if you’re paying anywhere between one and five cents per word. Editors who provide this level of editing act as both editor and writing coach, providing feedback and questions geared at challenging you to reflect on essentially every aspect of the manuscript.
The result? Hopefully, a better manuscript. I would go as far as saying definitely a better manuscript if the author takes the editor’s advice, considers the questions asked and works at the revisions necessitated by the edit. After paying up to $5,000 for a 100,000-word manuscript, the manuscript should, at the very least, be better.
There is, however, a rub.
The rub is you, the author. Like everything else in life, you have a choice in how you respond to the questions and feedback of an editor. If you pay $5,000 for editing services but then disagree and disregard 90 percent of the advice, one of three things happened.
- The editor is not a good fit for your writing style;
- The editor is not a good editor; or
- You are too close to your work to receive feedback.
The first option happens. Sometimes an editor won’t mesh with your style. That is not the same as saying the editor doesn’t like the genre you write. The second is also a possibility, however, if you’ve done your research before hiring an editor, the first two options shouldn’t ever happen. A good editor fits your writing style because a good editor doesn’t suggest you change your style, but rather helps you improve your story within your style. The only exception would be if your style is to write grammatically flawed sentences and plots that make no sense whatsoever.
The third option is what I call lacking a teachable spirit. As a writer, receiving feedback is part of the job. You don’t have to agree with every suggestion or comment made to be teachable, but resisting the process, especially if you paid for it, makes no sense.
If you are thinking I didn’t answer the question, start over. To self-edit or not to self-edit: that is the question.
The answer is yes. It is also no. Yes, you have to edit your work, even after hiring an editor because editing and rewriting naturally result from having an editor give you feedback. Self-editing alone, however, is usually not a good idea. As writers, the story in our head will naturally fill the details when the story on the page falls short. Likewise, we will correct spelling, punctuation, and even plot holes in our heads without necessarily noticing them on the page.
There are those rare people who can edit their own work with no help – no huddle or critique group providing them with feedback. But, for most of us, those other eyes, especially ones attached to the mind of an editor by trade, offer advice we can’t or won’t give ourselves. Shakespeare might be one of those rare people. I, however, am not.
A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool. – William Shakespeare, As You Like It
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Nick Kording writes contemporary and Biblical fiction with a touch of romance, as well as Christian living, Bible studies and devotionals. She writes for His glory because salvation is a matter of life and death.