Constructive criticism: comments from the editor

Too often, people will say "what do I need an editor for?" I know I've addressed this before, and as someone who was a copyeditor at the day job for a lot of years, I can tell you without a doubt that reviewing your own work means overlooking things. You know what's supposed to be there, and so your mind fills in the blanks. Or you skip over that misspelled word because you know how to spell, for heaven's sake! 

The thing most authors who are starting out struggle with most is criticism. As if imposter syndrome isn't bad enough, now you have someone telling you what you've done wrong! That will put you in one of two camps. Either they couldn't possibly understand what you're trying to convey, so they're wrong, or their comments prove out what you've been telling yourself, that you don't know what you're doing. 

I've often told the story of my first encounter with an editor who was recommended to me. She's highly thought of in many circles, but my experience with her was a horror. She started in nitpicking, going so far as to tell me the names of my characters were all wrong. I might have lived with the nitpicking of the small, inconsequential grammar errors that I would have caught on my own on final readthrough, but when she went after my characters, I held up my hand and put a stop to it. Fired her which, of course, she disagreed with. Our biggest obstacle, I think, was that she didn't edit my genre. Clearly, she and I wouldn't see eye to eye. I was lucky enough to stumble upon my current editor, who I was much more in tune with, and who I've been working with for many years. I immediately felt the synchronicity.

Whenever I get my comments back now, my first reaction is always, "Oh good Lord. I don't know if I can fix this. This is going to take me forever to correct." Imposter syndrome never goes away. Then I take a deep breath, put on my big girl pants, and dive in to address her comments one by one. They're always constructive, helpful feedback, interspersed with the occasional "I love this!" and in the case of HORNED OWL HOLLOW, one of my favorite comments from her was "heh, staying in your best lane." (Interpretation: she likes when I write the spooky novels.) In addition to the "you need to fix this" spots, she includes the pats on the back about why this book is "distinct from the Epitaph series, so good work."

I trust my editor. She isn't afraid to call me out when something doesn't work. Harkening back to the Epitaph series, there was a character in one of those books that she didn't like. The heroine, to be precise. The character just wasn't likeable, and while that might not be a deal breaker, there has to be some redeeming quality for the audience to appreciate why she is the way she is. An anti-hero, if you will. A reason to rally behind her, even when she's unlikable. That book was a challenge, but with Kelly's help, it turned into something better. THAT'S why I hire an editor. She sees the things I'm missing. The details. Which brings me to...

She also sends me tidbits of information I might have missed in research. Kelly is a wealth of knowledge. I had been wrestling with one plot point in HORNED OWL HOLLOW that I wasn't sure how to prove. I did boatloads of research, and managed to craft it such that the proof wasn't necessary in the end, but wouldn't you know Kelly found something I didn't? She sent me a link to an article that would provide the proof I'd been frantically searching for. At the end of the day, even that proof might have been falsified, so my path forward stands, but the information she provided gives me more depth to play with. They can prove it if they have to.

As I unwrapped her comments one by one, I discovered the task wasn't as daunting as it first appeared - which is generally the case. I still had some frayed threads to pull together and some continuity issues that I swore I'd addressed (and clearly hadn't). That second set of eyes is more than just looking for typos. It's seeing the things you just know you were watching out for and yet still missed. It's finding the issues you missed altogether. It's the editor making your work better, not by telling you what to do, but by highlighting the hiccups so you can fix them (sometimes with helpful suggestions).

Constructive criticism isn't just telling you what a screwup you are. By definition, the constructive part is there to help you turn something good into something better. Yes, sometimes it's going to sting (your heroine is not relatable), but in the end, the reward is a better product.

The new book is on schedule for release day in less than two weeks. Have I mentioned you can preorder it? 

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