On Editing … A Door Called Sally.
Gate to ruined castle in Pembroke, Wales, UK.
Some of my fellow authors have blogged recently on the subject of editing and, with the second book of my Artesans of Albia series, King’s Champion, nearing this process, I thought I would add my own thoughts.
Being a British author in an American publishing company brings its own unique set of circumstances when it comes to edits. As I am also a freelance editor, proofreader and writing mentor, I have experience of this process from both sides. Does it make having my own work edited easier or harder? The answer is that I don’t really know. No one likes to see their precious text covered with red, or have someone tell you that a certain scene doesn’t work, or that you have failed to spot a glaring typo in the sentence you’ve read a hundred times. Yet maybe I can take this process easier than some, because I have personal experience of trying to be diplomatic when dealing with other writers. I know that the process isn’t personal, and that my editor is trying to help me make my novel as clean and as good as it can be. And I do know how hard it is to spot your own mistakes! A case in point was when I first decided to design and have printed some King’s Envoy bookmarks and flyers. How many times did I check and recheck the wording on the files before I sent them to the printer? And how ticked off was I when they came back, and my mother instantly spotted the “h” missing from the word “publisher” and the “g” missing from the middle of “engaging”?
Very ticked off. Seriously – very!
So, if an experienced proofreader can still miss typos, a good, impartial editor is invaluable.
Yet there is leeway for discussion when your edits come back, especially if your novel, like mine, is set in a particular historical period.
My Artesans of Albia series is set within a completely fictional fantasy world, yet for inspiration I drew heavily on the English Medieval period. There are no machines in my novels, no guns or engines; people rely on horses for transport and swords, bows and knives for defense. The nobility live in fortified manors or castles, wealthier citizens in towns, the ordinary people in small villages. Health care is basic, with drugs being purely herbal, although procedures such as blood transfusions are just coming into use.
Ok, you are thinking – what does this have to do with editing?
It all comes down to terminology.
If you follow a certain trade, you will use terms that most lay people will not understand. For instance, how many people today could name all the parts of a sword? How many of you know what a tang is, or a quillon? Yet a swordsmith or blacksmith would know these terms intimately. The same applies to the various sections of a castle – it’s no good someone telling you there’s a fire in the bailey if you run with a bucket of water to the keep.
This issue of long-forgotten, or specialized terms came up for me once the first round of King’s Envoy edits came back. Two in particular caused some confusion. The first was the word “midden”, and the second was the term “sally port”. For those of you who don’t know, the word “midden” means a dung heap. It can apply to what comes out of a horse’s stable, or to the unusable leftovers from a kitchen. It is, quite simply, a pile of refuse. This is where the differences between UK English and US English come into play because although it’s an old word, I believe more UK readers would recognize the term than readers in the US. As it was not vitally important to the story, and I didn’t want to make my readers keep reaching for their dictionaries, I was quite happy to substitute this word and use “dung pile” instead.
However, the term “sally port” is a specialized term relating to castles and fortified manors. Simply put, a sally port is a small door either to the side of, or actually let into, the huge doors or gates leading into a fortified building. It would be used when a small number of people, on foot, wanted to enter or leave. The word “sally” can also mean a charge or sortie (as in battle) or to go forth, as in an excursion. The term is derived from the Latin “salire”, meaning “to leap”. (Who says fantasy novels can’t also be educational? 
In this case, I felt justified in sticking to my guns and asking for the term to be kept in the novel. As the photographs show, I also managed to find a living example of a genuine sally port in the ruins of a small castle in Pembroke, Wales, UK.
So, although the editing process can often mean change, it can also be useful for highlighting what is important, or what needs to remain.
The writing's on the wall!
The red nearly kills me every time but I am so thankful and happy afterwards. You should hear some of the mistakes I’ve missed. A big one recently, huh, Rhett?
Aww, Doug, you can’t make a statement like that and then leave us hanging! Maybe we authors ought to collaborate on a “Mistakes I’ve Made” blog. I have a HUGE one I could share concerning the submission process!
Your post really shows the difference between a proofreader and a fiction editor, too. The proofreader would look up sally port on Google and keep going. The fiction editor wants readers to love your book and wants to open up conversations with you about your book.
Absolutely, Kate! I’ve had to do both with my writing clients and I definitely prefer being the fiction editor. Novel-reading ought to be about learning just as much as simply enjoying a book. Stories that evoke conversations are the best!
First I have to say how absolutely cool I find it that you can visit castles whenever you want to. That being said, I couldn’t agree with you more. In A Knight of Silence, I had to omit numerous medieval words I would have rather left in the book. However, after realizing that the average reader is most likely not a castle and medieval era fanatic like I am, I accepted it as having to be done. For me, publishing is a learn as you go process. I still keep my fingers crossed that my manuscript is not glowing red when I open it, however.
Wonderful post, Cas.
Oh yes, Candace. it really is wonderful how many castles, both ruined and still lived-in, that there are in Britain. Fantastic for writers of historical novels – you can actually touch, smell, hear and see what living in such a place would be like. My own little cottage is Victorian, but I would fill it with medieval-style furniture if I could. (The real thing, which you can still get, is eye-wateringly expensive!)
xx
Who knows all the parts of a sword? Me, me, me! Hahah, that would be because of my husband, the fight choreographer. We literally have an armory here in our home. Anyway, great post! I think editing can be a really great experience with the right people involved. The editors at Rhemalda are open and willing to listen, and that makes a huge difference. It also helps when the author is open, as well. The point is to get a great book out there, clean and polished and readable. The editors make that all work, and I’m so grateful!
Michelle, I SO envy you having swords in the house! I really want to get one for myself (it would be the sword that Sullyan uses) but it’s diffiult to know what sites to visit. Do you or your husband know of any good replica sword makers?
And I so agree about Rhemalda – we are all very foirtunate!
Michelle, I want your husband’s job!!!
Anyway…a manuscript covered in red, Cas? Hmmm now why does that strike a chord within me…a suppressed memory perhaps, of the dismay and horror of seeing more red than black…hehehe!
I think my particular weird thing was “slightly”. Slightly slightly slighty. Everywhere.
And I agree about the British thing. My next book has a lot of chapters set in and around Windsor (because I practically grew up looking at the Castle and my Mum wants me to put it in) so I may take another trip up there to remind myself of it.
Fantastic post btw
Yes, Steve, your weird thing was definitely “slightly”. It was so funny that you didn’t realise how much you used it!
I hope I didn’t cause you too much dismay and horror when I edited Shifter – but I think you’ll now agree it was worth it!
Looking forward to reading the next book, btw.
I will have to try to start using “Sally port” in everyday conversation. For example, “Come on in, no not through the garage, use the Sally port.” Or ” Did you see the neighbors new Sally port? Now that is something!” I could also start to use the term “midden” more frequently. “Take this mess out to the midden will you?” or “Did you see the neighbors new Sally port, it belongs in a midden heap as far as I am concerned.” Yeah, I like that, thanks Cas,
Oh Robyn, that’s so funny! Yes, let’s all start using “midden” amd “sally port” – how awesome would it be to get them back in the modern dictionary! They’d have to credit Rhemalda and King’s Envoy in the entry, and that would be SO cool!