Editing - AKA Putting Out

Inara Serra from Joss Whedon's Fierfly - Cosplay 

Yep, I'm putting out.

No, it's not quite as much fun as it sounds.

In this case, putting out is Latin for the word editing. If you don't believe me, here it is from the Online Etymology Dictionary:

edit (v.) 
    ...  from Latin editus, past participle of edere "give out, put out, publish". Meaning "to supervise for publication" is from 1793. Meaning "make revisions to a manuscript, etc.," is from 1885. Related: Edited; editing. As a noun, by 1960, "an act of editing."

What is it like for an author and editor as they whip a manuscript into shape? Start with working 24/7 to meet a crazy-ass publication deadline that gets closer every day. Think LONG hours, but that's okay due to the insomnia, challenged ego, insane research for justifications and/or corrections, cancelled dates, meetings, hook-ups, anything that requires cooking, dishes or the care and feeding of pets and children.

My editor Tera Cuskaden from Entangled Teen

Time off? Forget about it! Not until the deadline is met.

You're life goes on hold. Your day job stops dead. You might as well have been abducted by aliens for the duration, as far as connecting outside your mind is concerned.

Except for your editor.

They become the only other human on the planet that matters.

The process is so unnatural, there are special workshops and therapy available to help recover from it. A quick google will also produce lists of ways to cope while 'it's happening.'

You might ask, if it's so arduous, and the book's already written, why even bother to have an editor?

Let me pop that quiff right now.

No book will ever be as strong, clean, professional, emotive, driving and awe inspiring as it could be, if you don't have a good editor. They not only help with continuity of characters an plot, they eliminate repetition and increase edge, banish confusion and amp up heart. In other words, they make the book, and the writer, the best they can possibly be.

To prove it, here is a note from my editor Tera Cuskaden that will help avoid confusion, right fromd Chapter 1 of Ascension - the Amassia Series.

Click to expand

One down; 100,000 words to go. Deadline: October 1, 2017.

Oh, and FIY, this new series is YA Fantasy, distinct from my SFF,  Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance, so I'm writing under the nom de plum A K Wilder.

I can't wait to show you more.

xxxKim

Kim Falconer's latest release is out now - The Blood in the Beginning - and Ava Sykes Novel. Find this novel in a store near you.

Learn more about Kim at AvaSykes.com, the 11th House Blog, and on FaceBook and Twitter. Check @a.k.wilder on Instagram, or visit GoodVibeAstrology.com where she teaches law of attraction and astrology.

Kim posts here at the Supernatural Underground on the 16th of every month and runs Save the Day Writer's Community on Facebook. Check out her daily Astrology Weather Report on Facebook.