I’ve got my professional edit — now what?
Jan. 17, 2025. March on! Parade in Pacific Grove, 2012 photo.
“If you . . . don’t put in the work, your book may remain in the muck.” – Nathan Bransford
After getting a full edit on a novel that’s taken me years to complete I was glad to read Nathan Bransford’s blog titled “How to utilize feedback to improve your manuscript” (nathanbransford.com). He suggests reading an editorial letter once and then putting it away until your heart stops racing. Once you get used to the fact that it’s chock full of work that needs to be done you can return to it with a plan. Maybe highlight what resonates immediately, what you’re not sure about, and anything you might disagree with. As long as you understand the underlying problems your editor has identified, you can substitute solutions to the ones she’s offered.
I love the way Bransford names some of the anxieties that come with the territory, for example, something he calls the Cascade Effect Terror. Make one change in your manuscript, and you’ll have to comb through the book to fix all the inconsistencies you’ve created with that change. Each fix can potentially create more inconsistencies. His solution: make the biggest changes first, fix the resulting inconsistencies, and then work your way through the smaller problems.
So yes, I’ve gotten a professional edit, and now it’s time to do the work. I plan to take Bransford’s advice to be systematic in my approach so I won’t get overwhelmed. Patience. Did I mention this journey requires patience? Yes, that too.
