Asafirsttimeauthorthegreatestlessonihavelearnedistheepicvalueofanedit.

Yes, the above sentence if you can even decipher it, is proof that even a little edit goes a long way.

I believe it was Stephen King who wrote that “to write is human, to edit is divine.”

As a first-time author I can absolutely say that the greatest lesson I have learned, is the epic value of an edit. (Top line translation)

Editors are the unsung heroes of the publishing industry.

In my opinion, a self-published author who doesn’t use an editor is akin to joining the circus and taking up tightrope walking without a net. Yes, you might get lucky and actually make it to the other side, but there are much higher odds of splatting on your first attempt crossing, leaving your audience questioning, “What was that?”

Maggie Morris, The Indie Editor, my editor, was the greatest gift that I gave my novel.

Now, I will confess that I got lucky and found someone who I immediately clicked with, and who got my humour. She kept my book’s voice as she kindly guided this newbie novelist through the unknown and often rough terrain that was the landscape of my book.

I remember one of her first questions was which comma did I prefer?

I turned to my husband and said, “WTF, there is more than one comma?”

My choice was the ever-popular Oxford comma.

Maggie has always placed the best interest of my book first. She has applauded my story’s moments of humour and bravado, and removed paragraphs or chapters that as my editor, she could not allow me keep, since they did not help to move my story forward. Her respectful guidance has always been a balance of positive and truthful feedback. I am of the “don’t blow smoke up my ass” mindset, so the truth though it sometimes had teeth and bit a little, always ended up making my story richer.

Editing is so much more work than appeasing the grammar gods, torpedoing typos, and perfectly placing punctuation, of which I will forever be trying to successfully achieve.

Does your story have flow, and does its journey logically makes sense as it makes its way chapter by chapter to its final destination?

Are there facts that need to be checked? Are there repetitive words? Does your story’s cadence and rhythm need improving? What is Freytag’s Pyramid?

These questions, and the many more that remain, find their answers at the divine hand of an editor.

And, if you are as fortunate as I have been, they will not only make your characters and storyline shine brighter, they may even share your great affinity for butter tarts as well.