MY BOOK EDITING PROCESS

I want to talk about my book editing style and process. First off, here’s my background. In a sense, I have been writing my whole life. Ever since I was a kid, I’d pen poems and prose like a mad-child, bordering on obsession. My mother and I would exchange apologies via long-form letter when we fought. Etc.

After landing my BA in writing from San Francisco State—and turning down an acceptance for the MA in Writing program—I decided to intern with a literary agent in the Bay Area. Here I learned everything I possibly could about the submission process, the dreaded slush pile, acquisitions editors, queries, rejections, and on and on. In the process I had been getting my short stories and nonfiction pieces published in little lit mags and journals. I eventually became the senior agent at the firm’s assistant and I learned from the inside out.

Eventually, that agent told me to go off on my own and do what I clearly did best: book editing. So I did. I’d been editing her acquired clients’ books for months by that point, many of whom went on to be published. I realized she was right and I knew I didn’t want to be an agent (too much business and finance).

In the last few years I have published many more stories and written several more books. And I’ve developed the unique editing style that many writers have come to respect. I focus on what’s called “developmental” editing. This means I focus mainly on the following: structure, plot, character-development, pace, logistical issues, dialogue, transitions, etc. Basically, I zoom the camera in and look at what is working and what isn’t. In today’s tough, competitive commercial writing environment this is key. You need and deserve a passionate editor who is backing you up and who knows something about the industry. I go to writing conferences year-round and know the agent submission process. Not all editors do.

So here’s my process. First off, I only handle fiction and memoir. Within fiction I will work with YA or adult, and pretty much any genre except for paranormal. Sci-fi fantasy is okay but I generally prefer more “realistic” novels; that’s just my taste. But if you’re unsure, email me (michaelmohreditor@gmail.com). For memoir, I take just about anything. A recent memoir client was Christian Picciolini, an ex neo-Nazi skinhead (one of the first in America) who got sucked into the scene in the mid-80s and got out in the mid-90s. He formed a non-profit called “Life After Hate” that helps young people (or anyone) disentangle from hate groups. He is a pro-diversity, non-violent, anti-racist activist now who fights for global change. His memoir was published in April, 2015 and is called, “Romantic Violence: Memoirs of an American Skinhead.” Check it out. It’s an incredible, important book that everyone, especially in America, should read. With the Sandy Hook, South Carolina, Oregon and now Florida shootings, his book is more pressing than ever. Order it on Amazon HERE.

I usually do a 10-20 page test edit for the prospective client. This is one-time only and is free. The point is that the client can then decide whether they want to work with me or not. Often they are knocked sideways at my skill and ability to locate exactly what needs work. A good editor always can and will do this. Once we’ve established that we want to work together, I’ll draft and we’ll sign a short, standard book editing contract. Then the client will pay me the first half of the total bill, based off my flat-fee listed on my website. As it stands currently I charge 2 cents per word. Multiply this by your word count and that’d be your total bill.

Once we’ve signed a contract, you’ve paid me the first half, and you’ve sent me the full, up-to-date manuscript as a word.doc, I then delve in. We would have agreed upon a certain deadline for me to have finished by this point, which will be listed in the contract so we’re both crystal clear. From here, I will edit the book and then send it back to you by the deadline, simple as that.

Now, you might be asking, What is the book going to look like upon return? Good question. Traditionally, I would mark up the “digital page,” so to speak, with red comments all over. I still do this to an extent. But lately (in addition to the “tracked” changes in red and red comments below paragraphs that I deem as “needing work”) I do the vast majority of my commentary “off the page.” This means I take extensive notes on a yellow legal pad as I go and then at the end I produce a [usually] 5-15 single-spaced page “editorial letter” that essentially documents every “issue” I have with the book and what I think you can and should do, in my professional opinion, to strengthen your work. This includes very practical methods for actually making the book stronger and tighter. Often the mistakes I see on newer writers’ books are very common and simple to fix. Sometimes it requires much rewriting and revision and sometimes it requires an entire rewrite. In any case, you’ll learn as a writer from my comments, that I can guarantee.

So if you have a novel or memoir you’re trying to take to the next level, please do send me an email. I prefer to hear a bit about you and your writing history (if any) and a little query or synopsis about the book, plus the first chapter, all in a word.doc attachment with your introductory email. Again: michaelmohreditor@gmail.com.

Remember: writing is a lot of work. Be patient, be willing to hear constructive criticism, and be open to revision and rewriting. It’s just part of The Process.

Write on.

“You said it. Let’s edit.”

Michael Mohr

David Corbett’s “The Art of Character”: The 5 Cornerstones of Characterization

David Corbett—New York Times Notable author of many novels including Blood of Paradise (2007), Do They Know I’m running (2010), and The Mercy of the Night (2015)—published a sparkling, extremely-helpful nonfiction writers’ guide in 2013 entitled, “The Art of Character.”

In this book, he touches on many aspects of fine, intelligent, deep, 3-D characterization not only for writing books—literature—but for other mediums, thus the subtitle of the work: “Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film, and TV.”

Amongst the nearly 400 pages of astute, deft suggestions concerning how to pen purposeful, profound people on the page, Corbett uses Greek tragedy, modern psychoanalysis, and the psychology of Myth to demonstrate, from many vantage points, how one can deepen their conception and understanding of literary characters.

One of the most helpful conceptions and guidelines, in my humble opinion, is his “Five Cornerstones of Characterization.” I realized while reading “The Art of Character” that much of what he writes about is, for many writers, for the most part intuitive. And yet, as a freelance book editor, I can’t tell you how many manuscripts I read year-round that lack the basic essentials of these five incredibly helpful (and I’d vote just about necessary) points. It is far too easy for a novel to begin delving, blurring into the far-reaching and terrible Death Land of anecdote, veering dangerously far away from any semblance of “plot” or “deep characterization.”

That’s not to say that some great works of literature lack essential plot: On the Road; The Sun Also Rises. But these books contain fantastic, powerful characters which push us to both empathize, understand, care, and thus keep turning the pages. And that is, I believe, the most important, crucial point here: A writer’s job is to make a reader care. If we don’t care—about your characters—the fact of the matter is we’re going to stop reading. Simple as that.

You can write a more literary, “character-driven” novel, even to a certain extent devoid of plot, but it still must contain strong, believable, well-rounded and developed characters, must contain real drama, must play with tension and conflict, must draw us in and hold us, make us give a crap about who and why.

Therefore, I posit that character, itself, is the most important ingredient of a novel. Without plot, you can still survive with deep characters we care about, as mentioned above. But without good characters—exhibiting 2-D, flat, weak characters we can’t relate to and we don’t care about—you are dead in the literary water. (Best bet is both good characters and a solid plot.)

Here are the Five Cornerstones of Characterization, as provided by David Corbett from “The Art of Character: Creating Memorable Characters for Fiction, Film and TV.” (Taken from page 48 of the book. Slightly edited/modified for simplicity/clarity.)

1. The character needs or wants something

2. She is having difficulty getting what she needs or wants, and comes up with a plan for overcoming that difficulty

3. She exhibits a seeming contradiction

4. Something unexpected happens (she makes a mistake), which renders her vulnerable

5. There is a secret

The main thing here, and what he constantly mentions in the book, is this notion of desire. The main character—your protagonist—must have some kind of need/want/desire, driving him or her forward. There must be something they’re trying to get: love (internal and/or external); redemption; salvation; revenge; a lover’s attention; a best friend; success; etc. Corbett talks about internal versus external needs and wants, how the two often play against each other. There is often a clear exterior want/desire, which if preferred so that readers have a clear notion of the main character’s drive.

But underneath that external drive/desire/need/want/yearning, is something deeper, a more internal longing that might either add to the external want or even play against it (which creates fantastic tension).

But the point here, your main character must have a desire and the story must be driven principally by that desire. As we go along, we’ll discover, bit by bit, that a deeper internal desire exists within the character’s interior world. But also, cornerstone #2 suggests that the character will soon bump up against the obvious: a series of hurdles preventing them from achieving their goal of getting what they desire (externally and/or internally). This creates drama and tension. When a character has something they want and they try to get that thing and are prevented from getting it due to another character who has an opposing desire/want/need…now we have good drama. This is the stuff of great fiction. (The Hunger Games; The Girl on the Train.)

I won’t get into the final 3 cornerstones—I’ll let you think about them on your own, ponder their wisdom, and read “The Art of Character” to discover more depth—but I will say that one thing I’ve noticed in my own [published] writing (and another point Corbett discusses) is that in order to truly find out what a main character’s true desire might be, and how that might come into conflict with another character, and how the external might conflict with the internal, you have to mine your own life.

Write a list down of some of the bigger things in your life, external things, you’ve consciously been aware of “wanting,” “needing,” “desiring.” If you’re honest with yourself, that’s a long list, even just considering for half an hour. Now add to the list the internal things you’ve desired; love, attention, closer friends, a particular type of respect, more open and honest conversation, less politically correct discussions in social settings; whatever.

Now take those two columns and add to each how many of those desires were thwarted for whatever reason: some might be due to time issues; some to your own shortcomings; some to shame, guilt, fear; some to external forces, other people who prevented you somehow from achieving your external goals (or internal ones); etc. The point here is to get you thinking deeply about how to craft an intriguing, realistic, believable, 3-D protagonist (and more minor characters, too, as well as the villain) in your writing. Because, again, if we don’t buy your characters—if we can’t envision them existing in real life, with all our problems, insecurities, failures, joys, loves, pride—we’ll never care enough to finish your book.

And that’s what we all want: For readers to finish our books. (And to write great, compelling characters that almost literally jump off the page.)

Have at it, hoss. Give it a go.

Michael Mohr

P.B.S. (Not the News station; Post Blog Script): Two final notes.

1) I am a freelance book editor (click here to see one of my recent clients), former literary agent’s assistant and published writer. My work can be found in the following: Fiction Magazines; Flash; Tincture; Alfie Dog Press (click here to buy my fiction); Mountain Tales Press; MacGuffin; Milvia Street; Writer’s Digest (guest blogger); The Kimberley Cameron & Associates [literary agency]blog; The San Francisco Writers Conference Newsletter; and more.

If you have a novel or memoir (prefer literary/realistic but will look at genre work) please send me the first 20 pages to: michaelmohreditor@gmail.com. If the work seems like a potential fit I will provide a short free test edit for your perusal.

2) I am currently reading the literary sensation—“The Girls,” a fictionalized Manson Family saga—by mid-twenties debut author Emma Cline, from Northern California. I plan on seeing her read live next week in San Francisco. So far I am loving her book. Her novel recently went into a bidding war and she won a heralded $2 million advance from Random House, with a 3-book contract. Obviously, they foresee a long future with this new, young writer. I bring this up because I plan on blogging about the book when I am finished with it. Within the next week or two, depending on time constraints. Also, if possible, I might even try getting an interview with Cline. We’ll see if I can pull that off.

Till next time.

Write on.

MM

The “Bread and Meat” of Writing

It has taken me years and years of writing my own novels, stories and nonfiction, not to mention editing countless others’ manuscripts, to finally over time realize that there is such a thing as bread and meat in writing.

What the hell am I talking about? Simple. I am constantly telling my book clients to work on SCENE versus summary, back story, explanation. Basically the old Tried and True: Show don’t tell. Of course your novel needs some back story, to explain what happened to the character prior to now, ergo illuminating the character’s psychological/emotional wound, which is relevant to the current story being told. Yes, we sometimes need some well-written TELLING sections, also explaining important moments or key ideas in the book.

But, for the most part, you’re going to land your readers’ love of the characters, setting, conflict, tension, plot, etc, by SHOWING us what happens, aka, by using SCENES. In other words: action. Make the characters actually DO things, interact, bump into each other, react, fight, argue. But make sure that their fighting and arguing and conflict actually moves the story forward. When A happens it must force B to happen which will initiate C. If characters simply fight or argue and nothing results from that…essentially that is anecdotal and is not relevant because it doesn’t truly drive the story forward. That’s a lack of plot issue.

Here’s where the “bread and meat” idea comes in. This is a common mistake. When you have your scene in mind—and every chapter should contain scene; characters doing things—it is your job, as the author, to get us to that scene, the authentic driver of the story and plot, as fast as you can. I see this all the time: pages upon pages of setup (the bread) before we finally get to the scene (the meat). I refer to them as bread and meat because, like bread being full of carbs, an opening anecdotal setup in a chapter is full of carbs: It might be tasty and filling for a second, but soon you’ll be hungry again. You need meat. Protein. The solution is to eliminate or severely trim down that slow, boring opening stuff and lead us as directly as possible to the scene that actually contributes to the story.

Again, I am not, for the sake of clarification here, suggesting that 100 percent of your novel should be action. That would be too much. Even in thriller novels you need introspection, character development, and telling sections that expound upon the thoughts and ideas, emotions, etc of the characters and the plot. There’s no escaping that. But again, for the vast majority of novels, you must face off with scenes, your character moving and grooving, shaking and baking. They have to interact and react to push the story forward.

So my advice? Go through each chapter of your book and check to see how long it takes in each chapter to get from A to B, from the bread to the meat. Cut down the bread or eliminate the bread as much as possible. Think of it as trying to lose weight. Bread isn’t going to be your friend. (For vegetarians out there, I’m sorry.) You have to write your True North when you write novels; you have to come from the heart. No one can deny that. On the flip side, you have to consider your readers. Most readers are just like you: They have busy lives, husbands and wives, kids, work, etc. In other words: They have limited time. Every author has a nonverbal contract with their reader: This will be an interesting, worthy, worth it journey; you won’t regret plowing through 300 pages of my book. It’s sort of an Author’s Promise to the reader. Some call it the “physics of reading,” this notion that there are unspoken “rules” you must more or less follow in order to keep readers’ respect and interest. No doubt it is a hire-wire chore, especially throwing craft into the bag. You must write well, write true, and yet also write entertainingly.

Give it a try on your own novel or short story. Reread your work with objective eyes. If you can’t, then put it away for a month, work on other projects, and return to it when ready. Or hand it to someone you trust, giving them a red pen. Next, try your best (or ask your friend to try their best) to cut out/trim as much from before the “meat” scene as you can. Do this with a few chapters and then reread it. See how much faster and more interesting the story becomes? Usually, the “bread” is really the fear of the author (thinking the reader “needs to understand” A, B and C) and the scene is the actual story. Walk through your fear and get us to the story. Believe in yourself and the reader is that much more likely to believe in the fictional world you’ve created.

Go for it.

Out for now. See you next week.

Write on.

Michael Mohr