Truth in Editing

While editing, a scene or character often doesn’t feel right, even after several passes. By researching various drafting methods and how to read your work online, I constructed a method to proceed. However, Joe Abercrombie’s interview on ‘The Bestseller Experiment’ episode nine revealed a whole aspect of editing I’d never considered: truth in editing. Joe received harsh but fair criticism when he was starting out from his Mother who, per Joe, said:

“You’ve got to be honest, always…Any metaphor you write rather than reaching for the easy clique ask yourself is this real? Is this true? Is this the way the thing really looks? Is this the way the thing really feels? Don’t just reach for a thing that sounds clever or sounds right or fits the rhythm. Reach for the thing that is true and genuine.”

What strikes true?

In going through my manuscript, I’ve come to ask these questions about each chapter and each scene of my book. Are the characters acting in a way that is true to their natures? Does this setting look and feel the way that it should to convey the milieu of the moment? Are the words my character uses genuine to how I have built the character? Whenever something feels off or out of place the answer comes back to truth.

As a side point, I don’t look at truth in the first draft. The first draft, for me, is to get the words on the page. To keep the story moving forward no matter what. That’s it. The whole house of cards crumbles if I try to focus on anything else. Yet truth is a great lens through which to view how a draft is progressing.

The beautiful part about using truth as a guiding principle in editing is it applies to every aspect of the work. I love that Joe’s mom asks him, “Is this how this thing really looks? Really feels?”. These questions forced me to dive deep into the characters and setting. To ensure everything on the page appeared the way it looked and felt in my mind. And if a part reads as false or cliché, it’s because I have rested on my laurels.

This happens most often with characters or settings I did not develop enough in my mind before writing them. As I’ve said before, I tend toward the pantser end of the spectrum, and as such, there are often characters or situations that arise that, when introduced, were not meant to play a significant role in the story but end up being so.

An example

For example, in the WIP I’m editing, there is a shop owner, we’ll call him Scott (not his real name), and he has a friend from across the street, we’ll call her June (also not her real name). When I first introduced June, she was there to give Scott someone to talk to and to provide some context to the shop and other strange aspects of this market. However, as I went on, June kept popping into the shop to talk with Scott, and I found they had a long and deep relationship. By the end of the first draft, June was an integral part of Scott’s inner circle, and their relationship affected many other aspects of the plot.

Upon rereading the draft, I noticed that June was not as well defined on the page as she was in my head. In my head, she is smart and witty, providing contrast to Scott, who tends to be uptight and meticulous about everything. Yet, reading her dialogue and interactions with Scott, I saw that she did not come off as witty as I imagined. So, I rewrote significant portions of her dialogue with this new character trait in mind.

When I was done, June and Scott had the kind of conversations you imagine longtime friends having. They were able to tease each other in a way that showed the underlying kindness they had for each other. By the end of the second revision, June was one of my favorite characters, and her speech and mannerisms jumped off the page, which to me meant I was being true to her character.

Onward with truth

I learned through this process, and what Joe’s mother solidified in her comments, is that when a character doesn’t feel right, it often means there is a lack of truth in their person. But if I put the work in and flesh out the character, making sure what they say and do is true to how this person would act, I know I am getting closer to someone who feels genuine. The first draft is about getting the words down and forming the story’s skeleton. In all subsequent drafts, I am searching for the truth of the elements that have ended up on the page.