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“Even editors, when they are writing, need editors. We get as close to our work—and need as much support—as the authors we work with.”
I selected the above quote from a dog-eared paperback on my bookshelf entitled, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers by Renni Browne and Dave King. The wisdom contained in those two sentences is priceless. As writers, we become absorbed in the telling of our story so much so that it becomes almost impossible to see its weaknesses. We labor over every phrase—sometimes every word—for hours, days or even weeks. To this day I can’t read my books without recalling how long I suffered over certain passages. Thus, our words become precious to us, our baby so to speak, and it’s as difficult to hear our creation criticized as it is to hear someone speak ill of our child. We rise to its defense, certain that we know best. Sometimes we do, but often we don’t. And that’s when a good editor becomes our best friend.
The thought of putting my stories out there for the general public filled me with trepidation. For ten years, I had enjoyed posting in the insulated world of benign fan fiction sites, where, for the most part, harsh criticism was forbidden. If a reader couldn’t say something nice, he shouldn’t say anything at all. That’s a worthy admonition parents teach their children, and it’s a healthy environment for amateur writers to begin. In the real world, however, the world of published books, no such protection exists. If we ask people to pay to read our masterpieces, then we must be prepared to be told they are less than we dreamed. The best way to be prepared for that world is with the sharp blade of a good editor.
I happen to be the type of writer who is never satisfied with my work. I could re-write until the day I die and still not be finished. A publisher’s deadline makes that impossible. Working closely with an editor forces me to stick to a time schedule. The editor-author relationship turned out to be one of the best advantages I reaped from the publishing field. Here are just a few of the many improvements my work benefited from:
She saw things that needed to be changed that I would never have seen because I was caught up in characters and plot.
Since my books are set in the Regency time period, she forced me to live there in language and actions.
Phrases that came into use years later were forbidden no matter how well they fit into the scene.
I wrote my books in first-person, and my editor caught every instance in which I stumbled into another point of view. The same goes for writing in the correct tense.
She cut sections because of telegraphing.
She was like a doctor with a scalpel at cutting out unnecessary words—absolutely merciless.
She was obsessed over minutia but, believe me, it paid off.
And better grammar—well, that’s a given.
Having the benefit of a skilled editor is a reward every writer should treasure. It produced a product of which I could be proud, and frankly, it made me sound a hundred percent better! May I never have to write a book without one!
Review: An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn
Title: An Arranged MarriageAuthor: Jan Hahn
Publisher: Meryton Press
Publication Date: June 7, 2011paperback, 230 pagesISBN: 978-1-936009-14-5
Genre: Historical Fiction, Pride and Prejudice Variation
Source: From Publisher
Summary from goodreads:Can a marriage of convenience ever lead to true love? Immediately after Elizabeth Bennet refuses Mr. Darcy’s proposal at Hunsford, her father dies, leaving Longbourn entailed away and little fortune to sustain his widow and daughters. Six months later, the Bennet family receives a visitor with a most unusual offer that promises to save the family from financial and social ruin. Elizabeth’s sense of duty forces her to enter into an arranged marriage with a man she does not even like. Told from Elizabeth’s point of view, An Arranged Marriage is a compelling twist on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Can Elizabeth overcome her feelings of anger, resentment, and suspicion toward her new husband and – the most bewildering sensation of all – a growing attraction for the last man in the world she ever wished to marry?
via To Read or Not To Read: Review: An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012The Journey – Jan Hahn + GIVEAWAY!!!An All-Consuming Adventure of Danger and Romance!Rating: 5 out of 5 starsIn her second Pride and Prejudice retelling, author Jan Hahn not only takes our beloved Darcy and Elizabeth off course, she transports them to scenario rife with danger, tension, and romance.Because of Mrs. Bennet’s endless tirade over Elizabeth’s refusal of Mr. Collins, Mr. Bennet sends Elizabeth to London to stay with her Aunt and Uncle Gardiner, in hopes that his wife will soon reconcile herself to the fact that Lizzy will not be the next Mrs. Collins. Although not the arrangement initially agreed upon, Lizzy ends up traveling to London in Mr. Bingley’s carriage with only Caroline Bingley, Louisa Hurst, and Mr. Darcy. Between deflecting Caroline malicious barbs and avoiding conversation with the infuriating Mr. Darcy, Elizabeth can’t possibly imagine a more uncomfortable or unpleasant situation…That is until a band of highwaymen come and rob them all and take Darcy and herself as ransom…
via Austenesque Reviews: The Journey – Jan Hahn + GIVEAWAY!!!.
Leatherbound Reviews: Review: The Journey by Jan Hahn
leatherboundreviews.blogspot.com
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An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn
Mar13
Product Details
Rating: **** – 4.5 Stars
GENRE: Regency Romance
BOOK SUMMARY: Can a marriage of convenience ever lead to true love? Immediately after Elizabeth Bennet refuses Mr. Darcy’s proposal at Hunsford, her father dies, leaving Longbourn entailed away and little fortune to sustain his widow and daughters. Six months later, the Bennet family receives a visitor with a most unusual offer that promises to save the family from financial and social ruin. Elizabeth’s sense of duty forces her to enter into an arranged marriage with a man she does not even like. Can Elizabeth overcome her feelings of anger, resentment, and suspicion toward her new husband and – the most bewildering sensation of all – a growing attraction for the last man in the world she ever wished to marry? (Amazon.com Book Description)
REVIEWER COMMENTS: What a wonderful take on Pride and Prejudice. Hahn does an amazing job staying true to the characters and the dialogues of the time period, and offers a new twist on how Darcy and Elisabeth come to be the happily ever after Mr. and Mrs. Darcy.
via An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn | Sensible Romance.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn
An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn does not have a new premise for Austen fiction fans. The Bennett’s will be strained with reduced circumstances unless Lizzy agrees to marry Mr. Darcy. Lizzy agrees and heads off with Mr. Darcy and she is greatly uncomfortable with her new husband she barely knows except to hate. The story follows Elizabeth and Darcy as the misunderstand each other until Elizabeth finally acknowledges her deep feelings of love for Darcy.
via my little corner of the world: An Arranged Marriage by Jan Hahn.
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A Peculiar Connection-Amazon
An Arranged Marriage-Amazon
The Child-Amazon
The Journey – Amazon
The Secret Betrothal – Amazon