Why is the Role of an Editor So Important

The editor that I hired for my book was Kelly Hopkins. I can’t stress enough the importance of having a professional editor.

A true editor is going to turn your manuscript into a beautiful piece of work. Now, my book flows smoothly in such a way that it hadn't before. 
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Prior to editing, my manuscript had been revised many times, but it still wasn’t the best it could be. Being an indie author means that I have to make sure my books are up to par with the others on the market, better even. If it’s not edited well, the reader won’t stay fully engaged with the story.

What does an editor do?

When my editor sent back my manuscript, there were nearly 3000 errors. Woah, that’s a lot! And that showed me how important it was that I had hired her. Along with the manuscript, she emailed me a six page editorial letter. In this letter, she went into detail of her overall view of the book, as well as:
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• Plot (motivation, setting)
• Character (ten of my characters)
• Structure (grammar, crutch words)
• Fictional style (voice, flow, sentence structure)

What are crutch words?

Crutch words are any words that the writer uses too often. The kinds of words that stick out if used too much, such as certain adjectives, verbs, adverbs, ect. The crutch words that I had used too often were:

• ​Sauntered
• Shimmered
• Shimmering
• Darted
• Jutted
• Lingered
• Glimmered
• Sashayed
• Hollered

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3 Points of Interest

Three things that stood out to me that required fixing (besides everything mentioned above) were scenes that needed more research.  

1. Old English Verbiage – In two or three of my chapters, two characters come into the scene that speak a balance of Old English and Modern English. The editor pointed out my inconsistencies. So I went through these parts, did more research, and made necessary corrections.
   
   
2. Car Model – I never stated the model of two cars that my characters ride around in. The editor pointed this out to me and expressed the importance of this detail. SO I did more research, chose two cars based on the character that they belonged to, and this one detail added much more to the scene as well as to the character development.
   
   
3. Sexual Scene – One chapter involves my main character and the boy that she’s interested in. The way I had written it was a little too risqué for YA fiction. The editor pointed this out. It was a tad embarrassing, don’t ask me why. So I looked online at a few YA books with these types of scenes, and I also pulled a few off my shelf to see how they constructed their scenes. Reading these examples taught me to focus more on the main character’s emotional aspect, and dial it back on the physical aspect.

​Polished Manuscript. Now what?

After I fixed all the errors, added in the details to certain scenes, and went forward with the rest of my editor’s suggestions, my book was polished. I read it two or three more times, then sent it to proofreaders. 

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Writing Tip: For a list of common crutch words, click here. ​