I was having a debate with myself about the creative process of writing and how much an outside editor et al can influence a manuscript. For example, MUTINY had three main Beta Readers and their input was invaluable and I respected their views. I also had two external, professional editors – who brought extensive publishing experience with them. While I valued their respective views, I had to be careful not to let their ‘style’ dictate my own. Don’t get me wrong – they were worth every penny and would use them again. They gave practical guidance on obvious errors – both grammatical and plot-related. I’m pleased that the self-publishing route is one for writers to preserve their ‘own voice’ rather than have it restricted by editorial interference. For this reason, I am reluctant to offer critique of another writer’s work – simply because my suggestions may conflict with theirs. For example, here is one comment I made on a colleague’s novel:
[Dear xxx, Thanks again for this opportunity to enjoy your detailed story-telling, with shades of many shady characters thrown in. It makes me wonder whether NZ breeds them in response to a gullible culture? Some locations/brands may not be well known to readers – e.g. Mangere, Fonterra, Calais? A super-personal comment. I would love to see more dialogue being used to show action/emotions, etc.
‘The following Sunday the two young women drove into the carpark at the community centre and were immediately struck by the warm greeting of the two handsome young men who were at the door and warmly shook hands with them. One of them even commented on what beautiful red hair Lizzie had. While Lizzie was soaking up the attention Rosemary also noticed two young men on the door and two very attractive young women from the same team who were focusing on greeting the young men who came in.’ (Remove some of the repeats?)]