Writing Novels & Editing Novels: Two Different Skills

Writing novels and editing novels are two very different skills. The latter almost always requires professional help because it is unlikely that an inexperienced writer has acquired the ability to notice the sorts of errors that will prevent a sale. If an author is serious about writing and plans to be writing novels well into the future, this is not the time to scrimp. The education recieved from a manuscript evaluation is invaluable.

In a best case scenario, the manuscript will be ready to publish and the author can approach agents with confidence. The next best case scenario is that the author learns that the manuscript is not ready before he or she sends it out. The worst case scenario is when a promising writer sends something to an agent before it is ready and marks him or herself as an amateur. This can damage the writer's prospects down the road.

On more than one occasion I have asked my agent if she would be interested in looking at the manuscript of someone with whom I have recently worked, only to be told that she had "already seen his work" and wasn't interested. The fact that my agent saw the work before all the revisions, didn't matter. Reading a writer's work is not so different from meeting a person for the first time. If our initial impression is bad, we're unlikely to feel enthusiastic about a second meeting. We just "know" we won't be interested. Yes, we recognize that we could miss out, but we'd rather take our chances with someone new.

If writing novels is your dream, don't submit before you're ready. Have your work evaluated by a professional first. The manuscript evaluation will educate you and save you time. Editing fiction is a time consuming process, but it is much easier and progresses much more quickly when you know what needs correcting. Be prepared. Novel writing is a process. It requires several drafts, and several edits. And at some point, you require knowledgable feedback.

So, how do you get professional help and establish a career writing novels? I've listed several ways below.

Join a low cost creative writing class and ask the instructor for honest feedback
Schedule a free appointment with the local writer in residence at your local library or university
Hire a writing mentor
Pay for a full manuscript evaluation
Request my Quick Look manuscript evaluation

If you're serious about writing novels and have one finished, please read more about the latter option. Manuscript evaluations are time consuming for the professional evaluator, and so they're expensive, running anywhere from $350 to $1000, depending on the number of ms. pages.

A full manuscript evaluation is invaluable, but only if you are ready for it.

Over many years as a creative writing instructor and writing mentor, I have learned that most of the people who contact me do not need an expensive full manuscript evaluation. To accommodate them, I have devised a service that has saved many writers hundreds of dollars.

I call this service the Quick Look manuscript evaluation because it takes much less time—from one to two hours instead of ten hours or more—and allows me to provide the service at a fraction of the cost of a regular ms. evaluation.

View a full range of mentoring options

CLICK HERE to comment on the Writing Novels page.

CLICK HERE to return to the Creative Writing home page.