The First Draft You Submit Shouldn’t Be the First Draft!

I once had a conversation with a new author. She had previously self-published without doing much in the way of editing, but had secured a contract with a traditional publishing house. When she submitted her first draft, she was quite insulted by the number of changes the editor required!

When I asked her how much self-editing she had done, she admitted it was little to none.

“But she’s the editor,” she said. “Isn’t that her job?”

Well ye-e-es, but … it's your job too!

What about you? When you finish the last line of that first draft, the one you’ve slaved over for a long time, will you immediately shoot it off to the editor?

Of course it’s tempting, because you are anxious to move this thing on to the next step. You feel you’ve done your best work and you’re pretty sure the editor is going to be blown away by your efforts!

Well, it rarely (if ever) happens like that, and you’re setting yourself up for disappointment if you think it is. Editors are not easily impressed.

But you are a good writer! You write reports and other materials in the course of your work, you are confident in your writing abilities because writing has been a part of your work for so long.

But hold on—now you’re writing a book, and that’s totally different. Chances are it won’t come as naturally to you as these other types of writing, and your first draft will have a lot of holes to plug!

That’s why we call it a first draft, the implication being that there will be at least one more draft. Now that doesn’t mean sitting down and rewriting the whole thing. What it does mean is going back to the beginning and reading the whole manuscript with a critical eye. Here are a few things to look for as you read:

• Clumsy sentences—if readers have to read it twice to understand it, they won’t.
• Too long paragraphs—just the visual impact of a l-o-o-ng paragraph can make readers’ eyes glaze over.
• Jargon—unless your readers belong to the same professional, hobby or interest group as you, and thus are familiar with the same jargon, don’t use it. Find a way to express the thought in plain, jargon-free language.
• Misspellings—many readers can’t help noticing these, and your credibility as a writer will suffer.
• Lack of clarity—this is something you may actually need your editor to point out, because you may not realise something you know so well is unclear. But do try, especially with content that is technical.

As you go through your manuscript in this way, make changes and improvements as you go—both large and small.

Now, go back and read it again. Yes, again. I know it’s a pain in the neck by now, because you have read these words so many times, but it will improve the manuscript dramatically and it’s well worth the effort. Take a break between readings, maybe a few days, to give your brain a rest—and then just do it.

If you are publishing your book through a publishing company, you will have been assigned an editor on their staff. It’s these people’s job to find flaws in manuscripts, and they’re good at it! They are not attached to your book, as they are working on several others at the same time. They simply read your manuscript, show you what’s wrong with it and recommend changes. The more editing work you’ve done on it before submission, the less they should find wrong with it. As a result, it will take less time and effort for you to move to the next step in the publishing process.

If you are self-publishing, you will have hired an editor. You have, haven’t you? Don’t skimp on this step, as a good editor can always improve good writing and he or she is a necessary part of your team. Again, the more work you do yourself, the less work the editor will have to do, and of course the less the editing will cost you.

One last word about editing. Be open-minded and ready to receive the editor’s gift, which is the opportunity to improve your work. Don’t be defensive, pushing back on all the recommendations. In writing my own books, I find I accept between 80% and 90%, even though I may grumble a bit under my breath!

If there is something you really believe is right, politely (always) point out your reasoning to the editor and help them see why your version is better.

Remember, the editor is your friend—even if it doesn’t always feel like it!

Happy Writing!

Maybe you are wondering what it would be like to work with me. One of my current book coaching clients, Gail Scott (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/gail-scott-80958727/), recently posted a recommendation for me on LinkedIn. Here’s an extract:

"As I watch our coaching videos together, and make the suggested changes and additions to each chapter, I am getting so much out of this process by having you as my book coach. It’s quite invaluable to me to have you review my words and help me create these changes. I can see why the book will be much the richer for it. I’m so glad I took a leap of faith and followed my intuitive guidance to work with you. I doubt I would be this far on in the process, had I not made this investment. It’s really helping me to see it as a finished product. Thank you.”

Thank you, Gail!

Visit me on LinkedIn (https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/helenwilkie/) for the rest of Gail’s kind words, and to see if you’d like me to help you get your book written, either as a coach or ghostwriter.