My Romance Editing Process

One of the hardest parts about being an author is the editorial process. It can be hard to let go of writing we've become attached to, even when it no longer serves the scene we're writing. And then there are the many quirks of romance editing: the genre's unique ability to grind against individual readers' tastes and its many conventions and tropes to play around with without sounding cliché; and, of course, the tricky balance of pacing a love story... you get the idea.

In any case, I thought it might be fun to explore some writing before and after it’s edited.

What was I thinking?

One of the things I do after I've finished the first draft is what I call a ‘show, don’t tell’ edit:

1. Assume that the reader has a brain and is able to deduce things about the characters from their visible behaviour.

2. Replace the more pedantic parts of the text with clues for the reader; the goal is rich, precise, evocative description. You want to allow the reader to paint a vivid picture in their mind, not take them on a dog-walk through overly summarised mush.

   
   

   There are lots of ways into this process. Here are a few examples:

   
   

   1. Identify the really big vague words you could replace with something more precise. Things like big abstract emotional words (she was angry) or filter words (she heard the car horn, rather than the car horn blared)

   2. Use the senses; this really helps transport the reader into the story.

   3. Use body language and expression to convey emotion: look for replacements for those emotional words we just got rid of. and think about how a particular character would express themselves. Some people might be quiet when they are angry, or they might tap their foot insistently as a way to ground themself so that the emotion doesn't come out in other ways... the more specific, the better!

But looking back at the first version of the novel is not helping me at all. I’m looking back at things I wrote thinking, why did I cut that out?

This extract is a real trip down memory lane – it's when the first couple I wrote into a romance novel, Jo and Janus, meet one another in an elevator. Authors out there – are we ever happy with our novels? Clearly it's late in the day and I just need a glass of wine!

You can find out more information about The Refusal here and buy it here.

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Pssst! Here's a link to some bonus content for The Refusal. Click the button below for a peak into the deleted scenes...

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