The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself

Once upon a time, we professional writers had several paid nitpickers between our raw prose and the words on the printed page. For my first book, I had an acquisition editor, a development editor, a copy editor, and probably another one whom I've forgotten by now. When I wrote my first technical article for PC Magazine, it went through at least four revisions before the editor accepted the manuscript. I didn't just accept the changes the editors made or answer their queries; I did my best to learn from the advice ("This sentence is too long; let's break it up") and apply it to my next project. Which probably is why, these days, I spend more time editing other people than I do writing, anymore. Even if it isn't considered "necessary" I send an Author Review for the writer so she can answer queries ("Is 'turgid' the right word here?" "It isn't clear to whom 'he' refers; clarify please"), see the changes I suggested, and tell me if my changes inserted errors (it does happen).Many of my friends are not quite so lucky. Even as well-paid professional bloggers, they write an essay and then post it themselves, with nobody to point out errors or typos or poor judgement other than their readers. And you KNOW how friendly and supportive people are on the Internet... no?Another editor-friend recommended this book to me after he took a workshop with Susan Bell, and I within a few pages I understood his enthusiasm. Her advice is both practical (here's the steps you should consider for a macro-edit; here's what to do on a micro-edit) and strategic (what is it we're doing here exactly?). The editing advice is written primarily for long fiction (and I certainly hope that at least a few of the people who send me "Please review my self-published book!" apply her suggestions). But as someone who spends most of the week editing shorter non-fiction I can comfortably assert that most of it applies to other writing equally well. Plus, although this is ostensibly about SELF editing, the how-to-edit stuff articulates beautifully the steps that I go through in editing someone else's writing. Often I could not tell you WHY I changed that phrase, and her explanations made me say "Yes! That's it!" several times.There are several examples from-real-life about how others edit their work, both writers -- of course -- and people from other professions, such as Walter Murch, film and sound editor on such films as  The Godfather , Apocalypse Now , and  The English Patient . "What you do as an editor is search for patterns, at both the superficial and deeper levels--as deep as you can go," Murch tells Bell.When my friend told me that for a primary example Bell used  The Great Gatsby , I confess that I wrinkled my nose. I read Gatsby as a teenager, I think, and while I thought it was okay I never saw what the fuss was all about. (Now, of course, I shall have to go back and re-read it.) Bell explains that she chose the Fitzgerald novel because "It is, quite simply, a tour de force of revision. So much so that critics, who rarely mention the edit of a book, pointed to the quality of Fitzgerald's rewriting, not just writing, in reviews." Plus, we still have the first drafts of Gatsby to look at, giving plenty of before-and-after examples. Much of the credit for Gatsby's success (and I supposed the generations of high school students who have to wade through the book) goes to Maxwell Perkins, considered the saint of editors, who helped Fitzgerald polish the diamond he had created. Bell's examination of their correspondence demonstrates the attitude that makes a good editor-writer relationship, which I try in my halting and awkward way to emulate.So, for example, Bell discusses foreshadowing with an example of it from Gatsby that Fitzgerald added in the book's galleys. As she explains, "Whether we are science writers, children's writers, or art critics, we have to compel readers to the end. Foreshadowing is a good tool for it, and editing is an ideal time to introduce and hone your foreshadowing," also warning, "If a reader feels like a huge mechanical hand has lifted her up from point A to point B, it's a good bet the foreshadowing is too obvious."After a while I began putting sticky notes on pages that I wanted to highlight. The book is now fluttering with yellow flags, like a poorly plucked chicken.Which is not to say that the book is perfect. Bell's advice is colored by her experience, of course, and she clearly likes capital-L literature more than I do. I don't find her writing pretentious but I can grok the viewpoint of the reviewers here who do. Bell works hard to show that different methods work for different writers (I love the visual of hanging up the pages of a manuscript on a clothes-line) but I wish she had stressed the point that you should try a few of these techniques, even if you think they're silly, to see how they affect your editing. (I do have one cherished author who might benefit from using search-and-replace on his articles to change every use of the word "though" to bright red, then stepping back to see how often he over-uses it. Maybe that would break him of the habit, or at least make him remove the word in his edit pass more often.)But those are mere quibbles. As you can tell, I think this is an outstanding book. It's going alongside the other Must-Read books on my writing shelf, including  Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life  and  The Art and Craft of Feature Writing .

The Artful Edit is a book aimed at writers, specifically the editing part of the writing process.I'm still rather new to the writing process, while I have a comfort zone for churning out a first draft the process of editing has been a mystery process, a process I had no confidence in. After reading this book I now know each author has to come up with their own way of doing the editing process, the process that works for them.I also feel more confident after reading the chapters on macro and micro editing, a list of things to look for when I'm editing, and the end of chapter bullet points to refer back to as I go through the editing process.This book is an easy read, thought provoking with examples that are easy to understand. I recommend this book to anyone looking for more insight into the editing process.

Susan Bell uses examples from well-known literary works to illustrate the value of editing. This worked well for me. I particularly enjoyed the Great Gatsby examples where she used excerpts from earlier drafts of Fitzgerald's book and contrasts them to the final result. The revelations produced were fascinating and enticing. By revealing the nuances of editing from an editor's perspective, a writer begins to understand the process and the purpose of revision and polish. Bell's focus, though, is on the craft of self-editing. She convinces the reader of the power of that. Many authors see writing as a creative experience. They revel in that and leave the editing to someone else, but delivering a mess to an editor means he will be overwhelmed, possibly choked, and the author will be shocked to see his creation so justifiably desecrated. Bell helps the reader see that the craft of editing is a vital and intrinsic part of the process of writing and a key to a polished, readable, enjoyable piece of literature. It is also a key to a writer's reputation as a master of his profession. I've read a multitude of books on writing and this is one of my favorites.

I am a writer and editor, and chose this book as a refresh before starting a big new project. It's a pretty quick read, which is a compliment, and it's a very solid foundation for most major topics of revising and editing your own manuscript. Importantly, the author recognizes early in this book the importance of forcing writers to find new ways to look at their work. Bell considers macro-editing, what some people would call developmental/structural editing, and micro-editing, which is not quite as detailed as what some people might assume refers to line/copy editing. Within those broad categories, Bell addresses the major points, and gives most of them equal time, particularly in the macro-editing section. Bell also includes a few short chapters of authors describing their own processes, and a "master class" section in which she draws some interesting parallels between "editing" other forms of creative endeavors and writing; I found these sections to be of varying interest and use, which is probably the point: different people approach their muses in different ways, and I think most writers will find something productive among these sections. Bell also includes good checklists at the end of each section that make useful shorthand reminders/tip sheets for writers who revisit this book as they are revising and editing their own. This book is primarily oriented toward fiction writers, but there are a few specific references to non-fiction, and I believe creative/narrative non-fiction writers will find it as useful as novelists. I considered a couple of specific topics received rather too light a touch for experienced authors to learn much, but -- overall -- this is a strong contender for space on the shelf of writers considering how to get some new perspective on their work.

Great book for writers and editors. I especially love the sections on Gatsby and Max Perkins. I look forward to using this book in my own writing and book coaching business.

a very practical and an extremely helpful guide for editors

This well written book covers all you need to know about self-editing in the first two chapters with some interesting industry information and writer techniques in the later chapters.

Susan Bell usa ejemplos muy buenos para cada lección y muestra la importancia y forma de la micro y macroedición en trabajos propios y ajenos.

This book is superbly written, and I'd say an absolute must for any aspiring writer who has a reasonable amount of self-respect. 'The Artful Edit' is not just very informative but also immensely engaging - Susan Bell knows how to tell a story! and so she has managed to turn what was, let's face it, not exactly an exciting subject, into a veritable page-turner. I'd recommend this to everyone, not just the would-be writer looking for useful and clever tips (which you'll find in here), but also to those who want to become better readers. After this, your favourite books will never be the same again; you will become a lot more appreciative but also much more critical of everything you read, watch or see, fiction or non-.Apart from an excellent short history of editing as an occupation/business, the book then mainly refers to American writers, artists, and editors. But don't let that put you off; the morals of the stories and Bell's basic principles are universally applicable. After all, she's talking about heavyweights such as the people at 'The New Yorker' here... We are also allowed a peep here and there into the world of editing in other art forms, such as film and professional photography, or we are told a brilliant quote from a celebrated dancer/choreographer who felt, after a mere 37 years, that she had finally mastered her craft. 37 years! Wonderful stuff. We are also explained clearly that, sadly, gone are the days when Scott Fitzgerald's editor spent an eternity coaxing 'The Great Gatsby' into the masterpiece it became - today, writers must be self-reliant, or fail.A perfectly literary offering in its own right, the book nevertheless offers practical advice which is far superior to everything I have read in the creative writing and self-editing area. Other books on the subject tend to be quite hazy and/or glutinous with self-promotion, but here we have clear and workable, step-by-step instructions on, for example, exactly what the 'Show, don't tell!' mantra actually means, with extensive, before-and-after examples from no other than 'The Great Gatsby'. And equally sterling examples on: dialogue, how to avoid repetition and redundancy, how to ensure continuity, how to create authenticity and bring internal logic to both your characters and plot. And much more. Impressive, and all incredibly useful. Oh, and if you've ever scratched your head wondering exactly what's the difference between literary and non-literary fiction, you'll find in Bell's book plenty of answers (though not explicitly. It's just that she deals exclusively with the former. For excellent and more beginner-level instructions on how to write more commercial fiction, I recommend  The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes  and  Write to be Published ). If, on the other hand, you want to understand how literature should be written, I recommend every single word on books in  The War Against Cliche .The flip side about 'The Artful Edit' is, of course, that as as a reader, from now on, you will be able to spot lazy writing/editing and incongruences, and sniff a cheap trick from miles! All in all, this is a book highly recommended for intelligent writers and clever readers alike. The 38 Most Common Fiction Writing MistakesWrite to be PublishedThe War Against Cliche

Typically with a lot of books on craft you find some writers are verbose. So far I haven't had that problem with Bell's work and I'm really enjoying her concise style.