Separating the Editor from the Reader

As I mentioned last week, I've moved into the editing phase of the new book. This might be a good time to tell you to sign up for my newsletter if you haven't already. Newsletter coming out next week with the cover reveal. But I digress.

I also mentioned I'd started reading a historical novel with ghosts. Trying to rev up my imagination for the new series. The book I picked, as most of the other books I chose in May, disappointed. Why, you ask? Partially due to the internal editor that has switched on in my own work, although the things that jumped out at me I hadn't even begun to address in my own work. Word echoes -- the usage of the same word in close proximity, sometimes in the same paragraph without a reasonable excuse to be there. And if I ever see the word turgid again, it will be too soon. The ghost/mystery part of the story wasn't so bad, but the author was so focused on the romance that it tended to get lost with the heroine sleepwalking in her diaphanous nightgown and the hero lusting after her, but banking his desire... well, you get the idea. Hey, I like romance as much as the next person, but this was REALLY heavy-handed. 

These are the days when, as an author, it can be difficult to turn off the inner editor. Hey. We all make mistakes or overlook things. Editors at the biggest publishing houses miss things. I try not to be overly critical, allowing people to be human. With that being said, there needs to be a level of professionalism in the books I read. Seeing extraneous punctuation (two periods--separated by a space, no less--or quotation marks in the middle of nowhere, or the echoed words (when even one use might be too many) can completely tank the reading experience for me. 

On the other hand, when I encounter these types of errors in recreational reading, it draws my attention to them in my own writing. I finished reading "that" book on Sunday. Yesterday, as I was editing BEING NEIGHBORLY (the new book! Yay!), I found many instances of echoes while vetting overused and filler words. But that's why I start the editing process before I send my book to the editor. So that my readers don't run into the same bumps in the road. 

Before I go too far into calling out the other author, I humbly remind myself that missing one's own mistakes is all too easy. I know how the story is supposed to read, so my brain reads what should be there rather that what is there. As we used to say in the day job, even with several people reviewing the work, mistakes still find their way through. With that being said, I go through several editing passes (along with my editor) to bring you the best possible product. 

By next week, I should be less "hyper vigilant" and maybe I can actually enjoy reading someone else's book!