One Thing That Works For Me with guest Janyre Tromp: Super Hero Editing Trick

 

 

 

Good Monday morning, Seeker villagers! Carrie here to introduce today's guest for our new monthly 'One Thing That Works For Me' series. Please join me in welcoming author & developmental editor Janyre Tromp as she shares her super hero editing trick!

I was once asked how many hours a day I read. My answer—“If my eyes are open, I’m reading.”—might sound strange, but I’m an editor for a traditional publishing house by day and a writer by night. I do a little bit of everything. I’m a bit like a publishing super hero. Well maybe.

 

While I don’t have super powers to leap over the NYT bestseller list, my blend of editor and writer does give me a powerful perspective when it comes to editing and access to some pretty super editing tricks. So when Erica asked me to share the “one thing that works well for me in editing,” I had approximately 2.1 billion things run through my head.

 

But when I got my own manuscript back for its substantive (or developmental) edit, I found myself employing one super trick over and over in my communication with my own editor—the hashtag or “#”.

 

While the little pound sign is super powerful in social media, it can perform Herculian feats in your edits too.

 

Let me explain using examples that may or may not be from my actual fantastic editorial letter.

 

Prevents Editing Rabbit Trails

 

Let’s say your editor tells you that she’s concerned about how your character thinks inconsistently about her mother throughout the book. But you have more than twenty pages of other edits to tackle. If you side-track yourself every single time the mother is mentioned, you’ll be constantly doing things like, “Look at me checking this scene to straighten out where everyone is sleeping. And oh look, my character is talking about her mom again. I better fix that hmmm . . .” [Insert ten minutes of messing around with things] “Wait, ummm . . . what was I doing?”

 

Instead of trying to fix the mama issues AND tackle scene specific issues at the same time, insert a comment bubble (in Word, go to Insert/New Comment) and type #mamaissue. Then when you’re done dealing with the specific issues in the whole manuscript, you can search #mamaissue. Magically your word processor will show you every single incident of your character referencing her mother. Now you can fix them without sidetracking yourself.

 

Point to Edits

 

If that’s not enough for you to shout, “It’s bird, it’s a plane. No! It’s a super editing trick.” There’s more.   

 

What if your editor asks you to foreshadow a specific problem earlier? You realize she’s made a very good point, but how do you communicate where you’ve made edits (or let’s be honest, remind yourself where you made the edits)? Enter the super hashtag. You drop “#early” in comment bubbles at your edit points, and voila, your editor can find them all.

 

Tracking Themes, Characters, and Stuff

 

Now maybe you’re thinking, “This is all fine and good if you have an editor to communicate with, but this hashtag isn’t all that for self-edits.”

 

Hold up. 

 

Super hashtag is an editing tool for everyone.

 

Have a theme you’re not sure is clear? Hashtag it. #theme

 

Have a character you think you might need to tweak their arc? Hashtag it. #arc

 

Not sure if your backstory lines up throughout the book? Document the information elsewhere, then go back to your document and, everybody say it with me, “hashtag it.” #backstory

 

Editing is never for the weak at heart and will play mind games better than the world’s most clever villain. But never fear, hashtag is here.

 

Have questions about how it works or ideas of other applications? Or have you used the super hashtag before? I’d love to hear about it. 

 

In the meantime, if you’d like a free copy of my novella, Wide Open, pop over to my website and sign up for my newsletter (which always includes free tips for writers): www.janyretromp.com 

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Janyre Tromp is a developmental editor with Kregel Publications by day and writer of historical novels with a dose of suspense at night. And that all happens from her kitchen table when she’s not hanging out with her husband, two kids, two troublesome cats, and slightly eccentric Shetland Sheepdog.

Her childrens’ series, All About God’s Animals, is available wherever books are sold, and her novel, Shadows in the Minds Eye, will release winter of 2022.

Connect with Janyre: website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 

Thank you, Janyre, for such a fabulous & helpful post!
Do you have questions for Janyre on how it works?
Any ideas of other ways this trick can be used?
Have you used the super hashtag before? 

Leave us a comment below!