Writers on Writing is our regular conversation with a writer or industry professional about the writing craft, industry insights, and their own practice. This week, we spoke to Irma Gold about first steps after finishing a manuscript, the editing process, and getting published.
Once a writer has finished their manuscript, what is the first step you would recommend them taking?
As Truman Capote said, ‘Good writing is rewriting.’ Finishing a first draft is a major achievement, but there is still such a long way to go. I always recommend setting the manuscript aside for a good four to six weeks (don’t even peek at it during this time!) This allows you to come back to the work fresh and see it through new eyes.
Once you’ve reworked it and made it as good as you possibly can, share it with someone who will offer useful feedback – both honest and insightful. (This is rarely your mum or your best mate!) It’s important to get feedback from the right sources. Unpublished writers in a writers group can provide helpful perspectives but they are not always the best choice because of their inexperience. Many writers decide to use a professional editor, and I work on many manuscripts to help writers take their work to the next level before an agent or publisher even sees it. But if you are employing an editor, make sure they have a strong track record in your genre. Like every profession, not all editors are made equal.
Finally, take care not to send the manuscript off to agents or publishers too early. Writers are so often guilty of this (me included!). We’ve worked so damn hard on our book, we’ve done so many drafts, surely it must be finished?! But it’s worth taking another break, giving yourself a cooling-off period, and then reassessing.
What are some common misconceptions about the publishing world?
That once you publish your first book you’re in! It can be so hard to crack that first publication and debut authors often expect that once the door is open it will stay open. If only it were that easy! Managing rejection in its various forms is just part of being a writer, no matter how experienced you are.
That aside, as new authors there are so many things that you don’t know you don’t know! I often work with debut authors, and this seminar (Everything You Need To Know Before Getting Published) is designed to arm them with the knowledge and tools to navigate the editing, publicity and publishing processes. We’ll cover how to best work with an agent, what to expect in terms of sales and royalties, how Bookscan works and why it’s important, what ELR/PLR is and how to make sure you get paid, what to expect from the editing process and how to manage it, how to best work with a publicist, how to navigate bookshop visits, audiobook and TV/film rights, areas of self-promotion (including festivals, events, libraries, launches, book tours, podcasts, bloggers, bookstagrammers, social media), and more!
As former convener of the editing degree at the University of Canberra, and editor for a range of publishers including Hardie Grant, Walker Books, Allen and Unwin and smaller independents, what are some common mistakes you see in the initial drafts of manuscripts before attempting to find publication?
There are so many common mistakes in unpublished manuscripts. I work on nonfiction and fiction for both adults and kids, but let’s focus here on fiction.
For adult novels, some issues include starting the book too early, or in the wrong place. Including too much backstory. Overusing what I call ‘stage directions’, where an author is trying to move their character around in time and space, and it shows. Overwriting emotional or key scenes so that they tip into melodrama – restraint is more powerful. Overexplaining everything because the author doesn’t trust the reader to ‘get it’ (this results in showing and telling, or telling and telling and telling!) Dialogue that doesn’t ring true – rhythm is key to it feeling natural, and small things strike a false note (for example, overusing names or terms of endearment, using the polite chitchat and stutters of real dialogue, avoiding contractions). Failing to use dialogue beats, which results in Talking Head Syndrome. Or repeating the same beats that are not meaningful (for example, ‘he nodded’ or ‘she shrugged’). I could go on!
With picture books, the main issue is that writers misunderstand the role of the illustrator (they are not there to give rise to the author’s vision; they are an equal co-creator). There is also often not enough space left for the illustrator (describing everything), and not enough thought given to the scope for illustrations (every page can’t look the same!) Other issues include two-dimensional characters, a lack of conflict, a lack of agency in the protagonist, a flat narrative and character arc, the absence of a dramatic question, poor pacing, talking down to kids and/or ramming home a moral, writing in rhyme (so many issues here when it is not spot on), and a fizzer of an ending – it needs to make kids want to immediately read the book all over again.
With YA, if the author is not in touch with this age group every day, then the book won’t hit the right notes. The world of teenagers today is very different to the one writers experienced – and it’s constantly shifting. Even a small thing, like the usage of a slang word that is no longer current, will put teen readers offside. In my view, YA is the hardest genre to get right, and when I am no longer surrounded by teens I will have to stop editing it, just as writers who are not around teens will not be well-placed to write it.
I haven’t even got to middle-grade, but I could talk endlessly on this subject! I’ve given day-long courses on all the potential problems that authors need to look out for when revising their manuscript, so this is just the tip of the iceberg.
Irma Gold is an award-winning author, podcaster and full-time freelance book editor. Her debut novel, The Breaking, won and was shortlisted for a number of awards, and her second novel, Shift, will be out March 2025. Her acclaimed short fiction collection is Two Steps Forward, and her short fiction has been widely published in literary journals, including Meanjin, Island, Westerly and Award Winning Australian Writing. She is also the author of five children’s books, with another two forthcoming. For a decade Irma convened the editing degree at the University of Canberra. She is also the founder and co-host of the writing podcast Secrets from the Green Room.
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