So I am working on Draft 3 of my YA novel. It has been an unconventional journey to this point to say the least. In responding to my editors in the last draft, I did a lot of deep work to move my characters forward—I also added a lot of layers to the story that they didn’t appreciate. We worked together to map out a new draft, a Franken-draft, I called it.

They proposed we throw out Draft 2 and just go back to Draft 1. I agreed in theory, but in practice I couldn’t do it. There’s something interesting that happens when you write. You’re not just putting words on a page, you’re evolving characters. As you write them, you evolve their identities, their interests, and their meaning to you as an author. Going backwards is not just a headache logistically, it is a mindf—k emotionally. I mean, the characters are totally different people in Draft 2 than they are in Draft 1. (Okay, not totally, but they FEEL different.)

Now that I’m halfway through the Fraken-draft, I’m seeing why the editors were attached to the first draft, and also feeling so happy I pushed for inclusion of all the expanded scenes from the second draft. I literally have three files open while I’m editing. The Franken-draft from my editor, my Draft 2, and the new Draft 3 file. This allows me to see what I created in Draft 2 that I might want to put into Draft 3—and if I go too far down the editing path and realize my edits aren’t helping the original, I can go back to the Franken-draft to start again.

Simultaneous to this edit, I am editing an anthology. It helps remind me what my own editor is doing as she is looking at my writing. Editors are not just looking at the writing—that’s just the skin, the surface of the piece… an important surface, but surface nonetheless. They’re also digging below and looking at the MECHANICS. How does it fit together, what is the rise and fall of the scenes and chapters, what are the endings of the scenes/chapters evoking? These are all questions editors are looking to resolve.

I’m on an editorial high right now because I just got a story back and the author added a beautiful ending to the story based on editorial guidance. Sometimes, when you send story notes, writers have left the creative mode they’re in with the story and they just send you execution type edits—literally addressing what you asked of them. And that is so dull, especially when the original storytelling is evocative. This ending I just got back is full of the same creativity as the rest of the story and it fills me with so much excitement.

It also serves as an echo back to my manuscript. Trust that the editor can see the bones better than you can. Listen for the wisdom in what they are saying. And this is Draft 3—make sure those mechanics WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK, WORK!

I really do love editing AND writing. I really do wish I had more time to do both. Okay, off I go to squeeze in an hour of work on the anthology before my day job.

Onward!

—K