My editor brain is full to the brim of ideas.
Is this how you feel as a writer sometimes? So many ideas, so little time to bring them into the world!
The catalyst for my ideation proliferation is the recent ACES editor’s conference in Salt Lake City. If you’ve ever thought work conferences were boring or stuffy, think again. My Uber driver defaulted to commiseration when I told him why I was in town: “Ah, work conferences suck.” But this one didn’t!
Editors are some of the nicest, most creative people—and hundreds of them gathered in one place to form a literal haven of ideas and curious conversations.
Here are five big takeaways I brought back for fiction writers:
1. Continuity issues and plot holes happen for understandable reasons—but they don’t have to stay.
Some continuity issues appear more obvious. If a character’s hair color changes without a trip to the salon, that’s an issue. Others are more subtle. A character starts to act, well, out of character. Magic systems skirt around their own rules or could provide a simple solution to a drawn-out conflict—if only they remembered they had magic!
These issues wake the reader up from their fictive dream (in the middle of the REM cycle, no less), weaken the story, and affect the reader’s perception of the author.
But James Gallagher of Castle Walls Editing pointed out that writers like you have good reason for making these mistakes—firstly, that you're human. Maybe you wrote scenes out of order, introduced errors during revision, or have it all worked out in your head but didn’t notice that it wasn’t on the page. Some people’s brains don’t have the ability to visualize with the mind’s eye (aphantasia), which makes writing fight scenes or sex scenes more challenging. (A third hand might work for an alien species in Sci-Fi but not the love interest in a contemporary romance.)
With a bit of distance or a break from your work, you might catch some issues on your own. But an outside perspective (beta readers, an editor) will likely catch more.
2. Third person point of view is complex, and picking the right POV at the start will save you time in rewrites.
Christina Frey of Page Two Editorial presented on the advantages or disadvantages of the three types, as well as how to avoid common pitfalls like head hopping. Third person close/limited is most common right now, especially in fantasy, because it offers an intimate view of the POV character’s thoughts and feelings.
When editing, I notice that authors don’t always take advantage of this built-in intimacy; sometimes they unintentionally increase narrative distance, which impedes reader’s ability to empathize with your characters. Is it technically still in third person limited? Yes. Could it be done more effectively? Also yes. It’s a great opportunity to feed the reader’s curiosity about how a character thinks or feels in response to what’s happening around them.
3. AI isn’t going away, so writers should be thoughtful about how they want to engage with it.
As one speaker bluntly put it: if there’s money to be made, it will grow. Generative AI is a tool, and each person can use the same tool in a different way. I’m pretty sure a handyman has unlocked unforeseen levels of the hammer that I have yet to conceive in my quest to hang art on my walls.
And speaking of art, there is real and raw trepidation around the role of generative AI in artistic endeavors like writing. So much still feels unclear, but you can decide if and how you use AI in a way that aligns with your values. I personally value human creativity, so I never use generative AI when editing. But AI could better arrange my schedule so I spend more time working with artists.
How can we use AI so we spend more time doing the things that matter to us, and less time on the things that don’t?
4. The oft-repeated advice “show, don’t tell” goes beyond using sensory details.
Brooke Black of Blackbear Communications discussed how rituals, symbols, and character interactions immerse readers and create emotional resonance (think the raised fingers and whistled tune in Hunger Games). Instead of “trauma dumping” on readers when they first introduce a character, authors can let their characters slowly unfold, mimicking the act of getting to know someone in real life—slowly and layer by layer.
Good editors can flag when these “telling” scenes appear and invite the author to consider adding stronger verbs, body language, and multi-layered imagery.
5. Writing for audiobooks has its own set of considerations.
Did you know that 8,500 words turns into about one hour of finished audio? I didn’t until Mary Catherine Jones from The Audiobook Experience dropped her pearls of wisdom, from audiobook prep questions to pronunciation guides.
If you’re considering an audiobook version of your book, try reading your book out loud or use a text-to-speech program to listen for sticking points or awkward phrases. A conversational tone and rhythm is easier to understand. Balancing action, description, and dialogue keeps things interesting. And distinct dialogue styles will help you characters pop off the page and into the ear.
One thing became clear during this conference: There is an editor for every writer.
The editor community is full of professionals who are supremely talented at helping artists and authors convey their vision. Editors are as distinct and diverse as their author counterparts, bringing their unique personality, approach and experience to the table. You can absolutely find one that’s the right fit for you.
