Daily Archives: March 3, 2022

Editing Your Novel Together: Reading Out Loud #2 by E. J. Williams

Editing Your Novel Together

Reading Out loud #2

by E.J. Williams

(Janet Elizabeth Lynn & Will Zeilinger)

Writing together as E. J. Williams, husband and wife, Will Zeilinger and Janet Elizabeth Lynn author the INTERNATIONAL CRIME FILES, a hardboiled/thriller detective series that takes the reader to 1960s Southern California, then on to international locales.

 Even after you’ve written the best book in the world, the pesky task of editing rears its ugly head! To those of you who love editing . . . our hats are off to you. We have come up with several suggestions that may help ease the editing process, whether you are editing your book for your editor, publisher, agent, or yourself.

We have found that reading the manuscript out loud to each other works beautifully with detailing. We each read two chapters at a time, totaling four chapters each day. After the reading, we make changes. We are always amazed at the details that are missing or wrong. On good days, we may get to six chapters a day, but the important thing is to immediately put the changes in the manuscript…do not wait! Some chicken scratches you may make are usually unintelligible the next day!

Though this mind-numbing task is necessary, it can bring about a great deal of pride when the process is complete. As a couple who write together, we have found these tips work well whether you are working alone or with someone.

And yes . . . we are still married!

Website: Janet Elizabeth Lynn  www.janetlynnauthor.com

Website: Will Zeilinger                  www.willzeilingerauthor.com