I loathe small talk. As much as I enjoy writing most of my newsletter, this little introduction never fails to send me into a tailspin of procrastination. What to write about? How to hook my reader, i.e., you? I haven’t yet figured out how to achieve that without offering some pleasantries. And, as noted above: I loathe small talk.
And so, for the last couple of months, it seems I have opened by talking about spring and blooms and my garden. Pretty good for friendly chatter, I thought. And I was about to do so again, had I not had the wherewithal to check my previous newsletters! Oops.
The truth is I’m really enjoying spring and my garden. And there’s a beautiful metaphor in the turn of the season, about blossoming and renewal, that makes my heart a little giddy. But this realization reminded me that it’s so easy to miss our patterns. “We don’t see ourselves as we are,” my mom often says. That can be both a good thing and a frightening one.
On the positive side, that giddiness I just mentioned makes me want to clear the clutter, both mentally and physically. A spring cleaning of my house and my brain, to shake up my piles and my patterns. What needs to be re-assessed, re-organized, let go of, or improved? How can I bloom bigger, better, and in service to those around me?
An Editor’s Tip
What are the different types of editing? This is a question I’m frequently asked as an editor, and it’s information many writers lack as they venture into the world of revision, submission, and publication.
The most common levels of editing for most fiction and nonfiction are developmental editing, line editing, copy editing, and proofreading. How much of a say you have at each level depends on whether you’re hiring a freelance editor (you decide) or your publisher assigns you an editor (they decide, mostly).
Developmental editing focuses on the big picture: structure, plot, pace, flow, character development, and logic. Suggested revisions improve readability and impact, and can require a major restructure. Feedback is provided in an editorial report and manuscript edits (in-text and comments). Often called "dev edit." Coaching and manuscript evaluation fit under the developmental umbrella.
Line editing focuses on language: sentence structure, word choice, flow, balance, consistency. Suggested revisions improve clarity, accuracy, and effectiveness of the writing. Feedback is provided in manuscript edits (in-text changes and margin comments) and sometimes a brief letter of explanation. Also called substantive or content editing.
Copy editing focuses on text corrections for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and usage errors. Edits ensure consistency in style (with a guide like Chicago Manual of Style), content, and language. Feedback is provided in manuscript edits (in-text and comments). Copy editing polishes writing before publication.
Proofreading focuses on typos, formatting issues, missing words, and other minor mistakes omitted in copy editing. Proofreading is a detailed review of the document prepared for publishing, to catch any remaining errors. It’s the final level of editing before publication.
For you visual learners, I shared a little slideshow with bullet points on Instagram — hope you find it helpful! And I also describe editing levels in some detail on the Editing pages of my website. Let me know if you have any questions.
News
Chicago Review of Books published my interview with Kelly McMasters about her gorgeous memoir, The Leaving Season. I loved this deep, vulnerable conversation and I hope you’ll give it a read. The Leaving Season recounts McMasters’s path through marriage, divorce, and motherhood, in a collection of exquisitely written connected essays. I highly recommend it.
I have a new book in the works! I’m editing an anthology of contributor essays and poetry on the subject of familial estrangement. Tentatively titled Broken Free, this project is currently in development. I’m not accepting unsolicited submissions at this point but if you or someone you know may be a good fit, feel free to pitch me. More details coming soon! (Yes, I’m still revising my memoir manuscript too, which has been slooow going since the pandemic.)
Join me for Lunch Edits this Wednesday, June 7, at 12pm PST (that is TODAY — I’m very late sending out this newsletter!). On the first Wednesday of the month, I host this free midday Zoom call where we discuss all things writing- and editing-related. You can ask any burning questions or simply share what you’re working on and commune with other writers and editors. This is a collegial, casual gathering. Anyone is welcome. You can find the link here.
A Question for You
Do audiobooks count as reading?
I do a lot of my book consumption via audiobook. On my daily walks, an audiobook is my favorite companion. Some people like podcasts, or music, or nothing in order to enjoy the chirping birds, but I find that being hooked by a story motivates me to get outside and move my body.
I associate audiobooks with reading because I typically listen to them in conjunction with an ebook (I request both from the library) or along with a paper version I already own. I find that I get through books much faster that way. I listen not just when I walk, but also when I drive or clean the house or do laundry. At night, I read the “traditional” way, in bed until I doze off.
But the debate is alive — and feisty — about whether audiobooks count as reading. So I’m curious: what do you think?
Literary Links
Here are articles I liked or bookmarked this past month:
Can You Love the Art and Hate the Monster? — Melissa Febos, The New Yorker
Think About Your Death and Live Better — Arthur C. Brookes, The Atlantic
Is My Writing a Hobby or a Career? — Rainesford Stauffer, Esquire
What’s the Point of Reading Writing by Humans? — Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker
How the Neuroscience of Surprise Can Improve Your Poetry Practice — Laura Shovan, Writer’s Digest
How Raising a Child Is Like Writing a Novel — Rachel Heng, The Atlantic
The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of Summer 2023 — Molly Odintz, Crime Reads
Will AI Steal My Job? — Steph Jagger, Writer’s Digest
Recent Reads
Notes on an Execution by Danya Kukafka — This complex novel flips the serial killer trope on its head. Told in four POVs — the serial killer on death row, his mother, his sister-in-law, and the detective who put him away — Notes on an Execution offers a meditation on violence and envy, and demands empathy from the reader where typically we might gawk. This book feels written in concentric circles, obliquely critiquing our cultural obsession with serial killers and murdered girls, slowly tightening around both characters and reader. Poetic and sharp, Notes on an Execution blew me away.
Scorched Grace by Margot Douaihy — In this mystery, a swearing, smoking, tattooed, queer nun named Sister Holiday turns sleuth to solve a string of murderous arsons in New Orleans. As she pieces the truth, she also comes to terms with her dark past. This is a solid crime debut, with lush prose and a strong voice, although a tad gimmicky.
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai — Part whodunnit, part campus saga. When a film professor and podcaster returns to the boarding school she attended as a teen in order to teach a course, she becomes obsessed with revisiting the murder of her former roommate who died the spring of their senior year. The more she digs — into evidence, suspects, and her own memory — the deeper the reader gets pulled into alternate versions of events until finally the truth comes to light. A riveting page-turner, I Have Some Questions for You layers thought-provoking subplots and themes: the necessity and vagaries of the #metoo movement, our problematic assumptions about race and class, the liminal complexities of adolescence then and now, and the tenuous reliance we place on memory and perception. Makkai has drawn a beautifully complex cast of characters and crafted an impossible-to-put-down story. Highly recommend!
You can find links to the books I read and recommend on my Bookshop page, and read longer reviews on my Instagram.
Happy June! Hit reply and say hi.
I’ll be back next month with some enlightening metaphors about summer, no doubt — and of course editing tips, literary links, and book reviews!
Jenny