While all writing is about communication and expression, and all writers are invested in their work, nonfiction’s purpose is to convey information, and fiction’s purpose is to tell a story.
This makes novel-writing a literary art, and most authors have an intense, deep involvement in their work that’s hard for some editors to understand. It’s likewise hard for some authors to understand that successful art requires mastery of craft—which is where editors are best suited to help.
A novel should be approached from both angles. But before decisions can be made about editing, both parties must recognize where the book stands in the three stages of writing:
1) Creation (art; “right brain” thinking)—This is the author’s time: story conception and evolution, establishment of voice, expression of emotion. The process can involve many drafts and revisions. It’s not the time for editing, unless the author needs help and wants a developmental edit (defined in Part 3).
2) Refinement (craft; “left brain” thinking)—This is the editor’s time: ironing out structural wrinkles and polishing up prose. Line editing and copyediting (defined in Part 3) occur at this stage, though developmental editing may be appropriate if the book is stuck. Either way, it’s the author’s time to start learning how the work will be received by others.
3) Presentation (formatting and marketing; “right brain” and “left brain” thinking)—Time for business. Here the book becomes a product to be packaged, when the author must commit to a publishing plan and interact with proofreaders, agents, designers, compositors, and marketing/publicity people. The editor is out of the picture unless they offer some of these services. While all parties need to think creatively for best effect, what puts the book out there is mainly legwork and rational thinking, conforming to submission or publication requirements.
See related blog post, The Author/Editor Dyad, at http://editing-writing.com/authoreditor-dyad/
