Before I climb onto my editing soapbox for the first time, I want you to know that I am not an expert. I am still in the fledgling stages of becoming a freelance editor and have not had the honor of critiquing very many pieces of work. As a writer I've worked to build connections with other writers that have frequently led to casual "beta reading" assignments, but the parameters were loosey-goosey and hinted at requests for condescending praise.
"Tell me what you think," they'd say.
What I really think, quite often, is that I must not be a very broad-minded reader. Overlooking the obvious SPaG errors (that's Spelling and Grammar for you noobs), my imagination wades trepidatiously into plot lines riddled with clichés and cramped by terse dialog that either shoves me toward exacting conclusions or leaves my mind stranded in the middle of a piece that never gets to the point. I wonder how the writer had any business thinking that they could write, and then I'm ashamed of myself.
It isn't an editor's job to tell you whether your work is "good" or "bad." An editor's true purpose is to tell you whether or not your work is readable, follows the prescribed basic structure of its type, and fulfills its own objective.
To that end, and in a spirit of fairness to my contributing writers, I came up with a list of three things that I like to know about every piece I edit before I edit it...
1. Word Count
There are quite a few reasons why I want to know the exact length of your piece; it's not just for billing purposes. Word count directly correlates to categories of writing and gives an early indicator of whether or not you've hit the mark you were aiming at. The lines are blurred as to when a short story becomes a novella, when a novella becomes a novel, when a news story becomes an op-ed article (you think I'm kidding, don't you?), but there are general guidelines that editors and publishers use to herd pieces into their respective corrals. If you send me a 30,000-word short story, I'm going to say, "Na-ah. Cut it in half and then we'll talk."
2. Intended Audience
It's surprising how many writers do not write for a specific audience. I am certainly guilty of this. We get excited about an idea and scribble it into existence without ever once stopping to ask ourselves, "Who should read this?" It's as true for fiction as it is for non, albeit a little less obvious.
Non-fiction is essentially written for readers who are interested in that particular topic and is often qualified by the location of its publication, be it a newspaper, magazine, journal, or blog. Obviously a golf magazine is published for people who like golf, so writing for the magazine dictates that one write for this audience.
Fiction has so many genres and categories that it can be difficult to classify a piece into just one or two of them. If you are really interested in publishing, though, it is of paramount importance that you not only know your genre but that you are familiar with its readers. Be as specific as you like! I'll give you an example: My preferred genre in which to write is historical fiction, but I don't write it for the readers who want pop-fiction feels to pair with their glass of pink moscato. I write for people like me who require stark authenticity and minute detail -- and a shot of turpentine when they're done reading.
Know your audience. Write for your audience. Be purposeful.
3. Desired Result
As I delve into the real-world editing biz, my criteria for editing are going to be fairly straightforward. They will be because they have to be; writers need to know what they're going to get from me. But do you, the writer, know what you want from me? If you hire me to proofread, that's self-explanatory. But there's some wiggle room in the other tiers of editing, some room for interpretation that is heavily dependent on your desired result. Consider the stage of your work: Is it complete? How many revisions has it been through? Do you feel that it needs correction in specific areas? Has it been accepted by a literary agent? Does it meet the requirements known to you as the author? Do you just need someone to tell you if it's any good or not? Just as you are purposeful in writing for your intended audience, be purposeful in your request for editing. Define your desired result immediately upon submission so that both you and I can be satisfied with the final product.
If you have questions about any of these points, I would love to hear from you. Have you struggled or been successful with previous editing experiences? What have other editors done to go the extra mile and make you feel like you got the most out of their services? I'd like to believe that I'm an adaptable and growing critic who is willing to learn from others in the field who are better and more experienced. Share with me, folks!