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Introduction

So you’ve pressed “The End.” Congratulations! But now what?

Should you read it immediately? Edit it? Find an editor? Beta reader? Critique partner?

It seems like the options are endless. Well I asked a professional editor what we should do now that we’re done with our first draft. What she said might surprise you.

In this episode, I wanted to ask a professional editor what we should do the absolute second we press THE END on our first draft.

If you listened to the Season 2 trailer that came out a few weeks ago, you’ll know I’m going to be focusing this season on the post-first-draft-process (See below!).

I was lucky enough to talk to Ericka Baldwin who professionally edits, writes, and provides coaching for books.

I asked her what steps writers should take after hitting THE END, what to look for in an editing relationship, and she shares what she looks for in the writers she works with.

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Interview

🎧Listen on Apple Podcast
🎧 Listen on Spotify
🎧 Other Listening Options
🎧 Or Listen Below!

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Topics

• Before looking for an editor, lay out your strengths and weaknesses so you know what kind of editor you need!
• What to look for in an editing relationship
• How to mentally prepare yourself for an edit

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Video

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Biography

Ericka loves storytelling! She is a professional editor, writer, and provides coaching for resumes, novels\books, cover letters, curriculum vitae, and website content for authors, business professionals, college graduates, networks, and publishing houses worldwide.

She recently published 16 Copy-Editing Enhancements that will improve your writing, increase your novel’s readability, and boost the confidence it takes to become a Best Selling Authors.

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Transcript

WLIS 202 EE

WLIS 202 EE

[00:00:00]

Ericka Baldwin: there’s a relationship between the writer and the editor, and you have to have that relationship. I have to know your character just as much as you do so that I can flow with the tone of the character.

And so we have to talk there needs to be some sort of bond there. Or else your character might turn into someone else. We don’t want that.

David Gwyn: So you’ve pressed the end. Congratulations. But now what should you read it? Edit it. Find an editor, a beta reader, critique partner. It seems like the options are endless for what to do when you finished a first draft. So I asked a professional editor, what we should do now that we’re done with our first draft.

What she said might surprise you. In this episode, I wanted to ask a professional editor, what we should do the absolute second. We press the end on our first draft. If you listened to the season two trailer that came out, you’ll know that this season I’m focusing [00:01:00] on the post first draft process.

I was lucky enough to talk to Ericka Baldwin who professionally edits writes and provides coaching for novels and books. She’s recently published 16 copy editing enhancements that will improve your writing, increase your novels, readability,

and boost the confidence. It takes to become a best-selling author. I asked her what steps writers should take after hitting the end, what to look for in an editing relationship. And she shares what she looks for in the writer she works with.

So Ericka, welcome to the Writerly lifestyle podcast. And my first question is what made you want to be an editor?

Ericka Baldwin: That’s a really, really good question. And if I could explain it like this from a child, I am an only child.

I grew up in New Jersey. You know, I had friends, but really books were my friends. I was the type of teenager that went to the library instead of, you know, going out and doing other things. And so the passion behind [00:02:00] reading really drove me to dive into editing. I spent eight years at Merrill Lynch before it merged with bank of America.

And I was actually in project management and doing a lot of communication. So I was business editing before I turned into creative writing and literature. There’s a passion behind dissecting the story. Getting to know the characters and just, just really diving into a different reality. That’s kind of where all started and just branch into something that, you know, I would have never imagined.

David Gwyn: Yeah, that’s amazing. I feel like a lot of people who become editors are the people who have always loved books and always been into books and everything. And is there something about the editing process for you? That is exciting. That is the thing that you love to see. What, what was it that you were like, I need to do this now. This needs to be the move I make.

Ericka Baldwin: Yeah. So I was in project management and [00:03:00] dissecting a process really takes me to a different place.

And so. Within project management for so long, I’ve learned a lot of, a lot of ways to dissect simple communications or, or the story of the project. So I was on the back. I don’t know if you’re familiar with bank of America, but we were working on a project called Erica. And so there’s a story behind the actual platform that I had to create.

And then dissect. Based off of feedback and go back and forth. And so being able to read a story from the reader’s perspective at first is great. It gets me excited, but then when I go back and I put on kind of like a project manager, And dissect, do I really know who this person is? Do I really understand where they live and asking those probing questions against the manuscript?

Like it gets me it takes me to my geek [00:04:00] place because that’s where. Get to enhance it. Right? So now I tell my writers all the time, I’m here to help you. I’m here to enhance what you already have. And so by that, I don’t want to create a new world for you. I want to enhance the world that you’ve already created, and that’s kind of in the back of your mind, but maybe you haven’t pulled it out just as yet.

So being able to. Section things off I’m really organized as well. So being able to section the characters versus the scene versus their emotions and just, it’s like you’re creating a whole new person without actually creating that is really exciting for me.

David Gwyn: So a lot of the people who listen to this podcast are writers.

They are working through a manuscript or in some part of that process. So. When, a writer is done with that first draft, what is the first suggestion you make for them? I mean, I think when we were in agreement that you’re certainly not [00:05:00] done, you’re not ready to query.

So like, what is that first step you finished the first draft you type the end for the first time. And then what.

Ericka Baldwin: Yes. Honestly, my honest to God answer would be to sit on it, meaning, put it in a drawer for at least two weeks or so. And then read it. You absolutely have to read it. I encourage reading it out loud so that you will get some clarity, but the, the very first step that you have to do, put it away, put it down.

And put it away for some time to allow space between you and the manuscript. at that point, it’s something that you gave birth to. So , you have emotions with it. You want to make it better. You want to dive back into that chapter that you were writing at 3:00 AM that didn’t work out.

Right. But really, and truly, you have to give it time once you are done. Allow it to sit first and simmer.

David Gwyn: Yeah, no, that’s [00:06:00] great advice. And so I hear that too. Like you kind of just let it go and let it sit. And then, so let’s say, okay, I finished, I typed the end. I let it sit for two weeks. I read it, you know, make whatever edits I see along the way.

And then what do, I mean, do you recommend beta readers anywhere in the process or do you recommend going straight to editors?

Ericka Baldwin: Absolutely. So if you’re able to let it sit. Reread it out loud or just, you know, as a book. And you feel as though you’re at a pretty good place, everything is concise. And as you read it, you don’t have too many questions about it.

Then your very first step is to actually dive into the type of editing and beta readers that you could have to join your team. A lot of writers tend to go to beta readers first, but that’s because they know that they’re writing. Really well-written they have their kind of style in place already.

And so for those who are confident in just their sentence [00:07:00] structure and the fact that they will not have many grammar issues, beta readers are your number one bet, because they’re going to give you feedback. Obviously from the reader’s perspective, right? Beta readers. Maybe outside of your audience, if you already have an audience, because you just don’t want them to read it and tell you that everything is great. You want constructive criticism.

Right. But also. In that same step. And in that same breath, you want to complete research as to what type of editing that you’ll need. And that, that, you know, you have to reflect really, and truly, you have to take a look at your own manuscript and determine did I do the best with world-building? Did I do the best with my characters and, and reflect on that and allow that to make the decision on what type of editing that you’ll need at that point.

David Gwyn: Yeah, no, that’s great advice. It’s interesting to think about beta readers. Where to kind of make them fit in the process, right? [00:08:00] Should you go with an editor so that you can boost your line by line? Or do you wait on that? Like, I think that’s a really, I like the way you kind of said that, about like reflecting and being really honest with yourself about what you need as a, as a writer.

So let’s imagine they go through the beta reader process. And now they’re thinking about an editor , what are some things that writers should think. Before hiring editor, like finding an editor, that whole process , any suggestions there.

Ericka Baldwin: My number one rule or suggestion would be all right.

So you know that you need an editor lay out your challenges, right? Lay out some of the things that you had a lot of trouble with during the writing process and in. The thing that you find yourself going back to. So a lot of folks are like, no, I’m done. I’m good. And then they go back to the same chapter or they go back to the same dialogue over and over and over again.

So that’s a challenge that’s bubbling up as a challenge. Right? So make note of that. And then once you make note of that, you really have to discover if you want [00:09:00] developmental editing line by line someone who’s just gonna proofread for you. Because. It will certainly make a difference. If there are any editors that provide sample edits or that can provide you some sort of sample go with that.

Right. But also it’s the gut feeling. So who do you connect with when you’re speaking to them? You know, do they understand your story? Do they understand the audience that you want to touch? I mean, there are so many people in this world to the point where. If one person doesn’t fit it’s okay. You can find someone else and you can also have multiple edits.

So some folks come and they’re like, I had one edit and now I’m ready. And I’m like, well, are you sure? Because you know, this question keeps coming up. You can have more than one to where you, you develop more because we grow your book can grow. And because we learn almost every day.

And if we, [00:10:00] if we task ourselves to learn something new, right, then we can always apply and continue to apply to the same manuscript. So one time edit may not be enough. No, it may not cover every single thing. A line-by-line may not be what you need. You may need someone to help you develop your plot and your characters before actually diving into that line by line.

And like, you know, you see all the red on your manuscript. So yeah, I hope that answers your question. I know.

David Gwyn: No, it does. It’s, it’s awesome. And such a, a great answer really comprehensive for, for people who are thinking about editors. And I think too, that’s a great way of putting it. So when you’re, I mean, do you recommend somebody going with the same editor twice or do you recommend switching it up or does it kind of depend on the situation?

Ericka Baldwin: It really depends on the situation. , I’ve had both, I’ve had situations where the same writer will go through a [00:11:00] developmental edit. So what I try to do, because developing the story means that if I give you. Manuscript full of advice. I would like to reread it, to see if you caught on.

Right. So that’s a part of, you know, kind of my package. I’ll give you your developmental edits and then once you make your changes, I would like to reread it. And just have a conversation around that reread. But some folks have signed up for the developmental. Got it back to me and then they want it to go through another edit.

And, you know, we just, we talked through it and kind of decide, well, where are you going with this? Right. Because we could fully change the story or we can, we can structure this out to where we’re enhancing and you’re not changing your entire plot because you had a new idea overnight. But you know, sometimes that happens.

And then other times I’ve had other writers come to me, they had a developmental edit and they, they liked it. But then something came to mind and they wanted to change. So for [00:12:00] example, I just completed my second read through for a a book that’s written by a male. And it’s about this girl that he met, it’s based off of a true story.

And it was really, you know, my first read through, I gave him honest feedback, constructive feedback. I like to encourage because you know, sometimes with an editor, they will. It’s touchy. So sometimes you will be encouraged and other times you will never want to write again. And I would never want anyone to feel like they don’t ever want to pick up the pen or the computer.

And so, you know, I gave him honest feedback. I’m like, yeah, it’s so sweet. And it’s so cute and it’s romantic. And he was like, that’s not what I was looking for. I wanted to be masculine. And this was my feedback from the first read through. So I was like, okay. I was like, well, This is what you want. Right. And this was your challenge because you as you were writing, you were thinking too heavily on all of the things that females could say about the [00:13:00] book, whereas you’re a man you’re writing it and you want your masculine tone to come through.

And so we went through a developmental edit, even though he had a developmental editor at first you know, questioned a few things and it happens. But really. You there’s a relationship between the writer and the editor, and you have to have that relationship. I have to know your character just as much as you do so that I can flow with the tone of the character.

And so we have to talk there needs to be some sort of bond there. Or else your character might turn into someone else. We don’t want that. So it depends on the person. It depends on how you feel after you make your your changes. So after you received that manuscript back with your editors, comments.

It really depends on how you feel in your gut after you make those changes. If you feel as though, oh, this is awesome. I really pulled everything through [00:14:00] that. I wanted you’re golden. Right? You can go to the next step, whether that’s beta readers or proofreader or what have you. But if you still don’t feel as though your character is who is this person that you had in your mind, then talk to that.

And then decide if you want to go back to them with new viewpoints or go to a different one.

David Gwyn: So Ericka has told us what we should think about after pressing the end on a manuscript. And she shared a little bit about what the process with an editor might feel like, but maybe you’re wondering what the process is like for finding an editor. What should you look for in an editor?

How can you prepare yourself to be edited? I asked Ericka these exact question. She also shares an amazing list of book recommendations for the editing process. As soon as we finished talking, I bought four of them. So make sure you hang out for that.

Yeah. I like that a lot, especially thinking about it as it’s not like a, I don’t know how to say it’s not like a [00:15:00] transaction, that’s just like, I hand you something and you hand it back.

Like it’s, it’s that, that flow of conversation and mix of what we’re looking for and are we looking for the same things and do we align that I think is really important for people to hear and think about when. When they’re looking for an editor is, you know, does this person understand the vision I have for this book?

And I think that you’re, you’re spot on, like, that’s a really important part. So, so I’ve read the reviews of your work on your, on your website and people love working with you. And so what is it, do you think about your style that writers really respond to or gravitate towards or resonate with?

Ericka Baldwin: That is a really good question. Really, really good question. And, and so man it’s, it’s probably the, the classes and the skills that I’ve gained, you know, in college and also at Merrill, but each individual is different and so I like to treat each individual differently. [00:16:00] So. Of my writers love the constant interaction, where some are overwhelmed and I need to talk to them kind of, you know, in three stages in the beginning, in the middle and the end, or what have you.

And I think the fact that you have options, right? It’s not just a. Give me the manuscript. I give it back to you and we’re done there’s communication that goes with that. There’s understanding that goes, goes with it. I need to know a little bit about the writer as well, right? To understand where are they writing?

Some people write from pain, some people write from happiness. And so all of those things are, are kind of made known when we connect first or throughout the process. I’ve had my fair share, but I can say where the writer doesn’t want to do the work.

Right. We’re your editor, we’re not your voice. I can try to pull it out of you as much as possible, but if you [00:17:00] don’t want to if you don’t want to imagine the character right. And paint a picture for the next person. I honestly can’t do that for you and neither, neither would I because you know, I’m a ghostwriter that takes place during ghostwriting, but I mean, I need your personality to be pulled through this book or this, this poem or whatever it is that I’m working on.

And, you know, it’s very personable as, as much as it isn’t to a certain degree. It is. I like, I like to talk to. The individuals that I end up diving into their work with, and kind of seeing where their heads at some folks just want to get a book out to make money. And that doesn’t the interaction just does it.

It doesn’t mesh well, you know,

David Gwyn: No, that’s, that’s great. That actually goes right into my next question, which is, which is, so from your side of the table, what makes a good editing partnership? Like what do you look for in the writers that you’re going to be working with? And what do you kind of think about as you’re [00:18:00] talking to writers on that initial phone conversation?

Is this person right to work with you? What are the things you’re thinking about and looking.

Ericka Baldwin: That’s such a good question. These are all great questions.

David Gwyn: Thank you. I appreciate that.

Ericka Baldwin: My writers they, they have a passion for writing. They. Have a story. They either have a passion for writing or they have a story.

They have, they have to get out to a certain audience and they’re not afraid to step outside of the box or, you know, sometimes they are afraid, but they’re willing to be pushed. I noticed that a lot. At least this year, we have a lot of structures around writing and around the genres now. And so I have folks that come to me that are afraid to put certain things in their book because they’re like, oh, this is cliche.

Or, oh, I learned this here, here, here, here, and here to where they’ve overloaded themselves to the point where they’re writing fire is no longer [00:19:00] spark. Like they just feel deflated because they’re overthinking all of the. Options or all of the guidelines that are out there. But those writers yet, and still they’re great writers to work with because they’re doing the research.

Right. So my ideal. Client writer soon to be author or author are individuals who are willing to accept constructive criticism and, and make decisions and decide if that’s where or what they want to do. With the book, you know, you just don’t want to yes. Writer because they’ll do everything. And then at the end of it, they will feel terrible because they’re, you know, their heart is not into it.

Right. It also honest, honest writers as well. That that’s huge because you know, we need to know, we need to know if this is truly what you want what the tone is for, or your characters. I guess my [00:20:00] favorite piece of it is character building. I just love it. And so, you know, if the writer doesn’t know anything about the character, how can I help develop the character?

You know, I don’t know what to do with their expression, because we don’t know who they are or, you know, they’ve been through something traumatic, but they’re always bubbly. And you know, the tone is just off. It doesn’t work. So, you know, someone who’s really honest and going to sit down and look at these are real people and they’re building bridges with my reader.

Yeah, who are they? What makes them tick? You know, are they weird? Will the reader hate someone when they, you know, see their name or, you know, all of those things come into play really on the writers end, because if you know it, I can help you develop it. But if you don’t know it, then, okay, let’s talk about it.

And you have to be willing to, to change it, to, you know, make this person real. [00:21:00] So. Yeah. That’s really what

David Gwyn: I was before. Yeah, that’s so cool. I, I, do you find that you gravitate more towards editing projects and that are character driven or do you find a mix and like the ones that are more plot driven, you’re like, well, now I can really help this person.

Or like, is there, is it kind of a mix, like, do you, do you think about that at all?

Ericka Baldwin: It’s a huge mix. It’s, it’s a huge mix because I have a publishing house that I work with kind of business to business, and they send me their top clients. And it’s anywhere from memoirs to just how to like their lists of books.

Now, sometimes I have to tell them, you know, I, I, this one really isn’t a fit, but it’s. It’s not often I love picking up and putting down, [00:22:00] so I love picking up, oh, we’re working on world-building now. And putting it down when need be, and then picking up up characters and then putting that down and then picking up, oh, trauma, you know, and a lot of people are afraid of trauma, but you know, it’s it’s, we live in this world, so it happens.

And so, and I say that because. There came a time when I became very overwhelmed, we get overwhelmed. So I became very overwhelmed with a certain genre because it was just coming back to back to back and it was like, I just couldn’t do it anymore. So it was like, you know what? I, you know, I’m going to have to decline, or we will have to pick this up at a later date.

Too much of the, just, I guess the same type becomes kind of overwhelming for me. You know, there are some books that write books and fix it, I guess, enhancements.

David Gwyn: Yeah. I mean, you got, yeah, I guess you have to be [00:23:00] well-versed in whatever is coming your way. And that, that seems like that’s part of probably the fun too, right?

Like to, like you said, kind of to not have those same projects over and over is a good thing sometimes. I’m always interested. So I’m a teacher, so like my day is scheduled out in like 46 minutes. So I’m always interested in people who have like a freelancing editing daily life. Like, I’m always curious about how they structure their days.

Like, do you have a structure at all or is it just completely in the open, like whatever you feel like you need to do that day? Is there like a weekly plan? Like, do you have any schedule, anything.

Ericka Baldwin: Gosh, if you only knew, so it, oh man, I’ll put it like this. I do have a schedule. I’m schedule driven.

Honestly. I think it’s in my blood that, you know, Monday, I need to know what I’m doing and then per hour, I need to also know what I’m doing. But what I can say is [00:24:00] working as a freelance editor, all of that could just mess up my schedule and I have to rearrange it, that kind of ebb and flow is really what I work with. And, you know, when I was in corporate America, I knew nine to five and I have my schedule on point. And, you know, unless escalations came through, which you really don’t get escalations and project management, unless the whole system goes down.

I knew what I was, you know, up against for the day. My schedule, you know, It depends on the projects that I have for the month. So I sectioned out by month and I section it out by book size. So any epic books that I, that I’m editing, that’ll take three months. First month I’m I’m reading and rereading and taking my notes.

I’m still a pen and paper person. So I have, you know, a notebook. And then the second month is where I will dive into editing and adding [00:25:00] all of my notes into that manuscript. And the third month is where I will go back and try to. Clear up any questions that I had or leave the questions for the, for the author.

And that really gives me time to connect with them. If I need to.

David Gwyn: I have a, maybe a hard question for you, which I’m interested though, to, to hear your answer, which is, you know, when, when you’re working with clients in a, in a job, like. Publishing. How do you measure success for your client? Is there one place that you think about is it’s because obviously you can’t guarantee them a publishing deal, you can’t necessarily guarantee like a bestseller list.

How do you think about success? As an editor.

Ericka Baldwin: That is a really good question. All right. So I have, I have two ways of describing it. Maybe the first would be included in the process, right? And so like anything that we put forth or that we do, we have to trust [00:26:00] that we’re putting the very best of our ability or of our product or of our manual.

Forth and just with that energy and with that feeling and that confidence, you, you kind of drive into the next step in a better place. And so I measure success by the confidence that they have in their manuscript. And so a portion of that, you know, I always, I, I don’t know. I build this relationship to where.

After you publish, you want to tell me that you’ve published. And so I have several writers who have come back because they’ve published. And. They, you know, they sent their book. One surprised me with his book and, oh my gosh, this is fantastic. And their book is doing really well, you know, bestseller on Amazon, they’re in Walmart, they’re in all of the Barnes and Nobles, you know, he really, and, and I like [00:27:00] to talk about this particular author because as he was writing, it was actually going through depression and he, each person that he worked with.

His courage and his confidence to where he, he excelled really well. Right. And so if I would have to measure it with your emotions and the best emotion to utilize would be the confidence that you have. If you don’t have confidence in your book, you’re not going to write the best bio or, you know, pitch.

In the best manner that it could be pitched. And in most cases where creating author websites, we’re creating, you know, author Instagrams and things like that. If you’re not confident with what you have that will leak through, into everything else. So I would definitely say it’s the, the confidence that they have when they walk away from me.

David Gwyn: Yeah. That’s cool. That’s such like a, an interesting way of thinking about it. And I, I really like that and I. [00:28:00] People who are listening and are looking for an editor. I feel like that’s a question they have to ask. What do I hope when I’m done with this editor? I hope mean. Better, but what does that look like?

And, and also that kind of intangible piece, do I feel more confident with my work? Do I feel more confident as a writer is I feel like that added bonus even part, so okay. So as we kind of wrap up here any books or resources that you suggest for aspiring writers.

Ericka Baldwin: Yes. So I have an awesome list. First and foremost, if you’re not two kids, you know, I have writers that come to me and they’re not quite sure about grammar. So and I tell them at the beginning, Some people are mathematicians and some people are great at grammar, right?

So it’s not something that you have to hurt your head and your heart about if you’re not great at grammatical errors, you know, but you can do your research. So I have [00:29:00] English grammar for dummies. As simple as that. And then I have a grammar blue, blue book, right? Yeah. Grammar and punctuation. Cause we like to throw commas in there when they’re not needed.

And that, that helps with that. But also you can get really there are just a lot of options out there. So for like character expressions and figuring out how to describe your character face, instead of staying sad and mad and all of that good stuff, there’s Dalilah Evans. I really like how she has laid out her book.

It’s a thesauraus. So you literally can just pick it up and dive through it and put it back down until you need it again. And so I would. Recommend her. She has a lot, so she has dialogue, weather just all kinds in, in a format to where if it’s raining, you can just skip straight over to, to [00:30:00] the section for raining and figure out what works best for you, what peaks your interest.

And then on top of that, right? So that’s kind of character and all that good stuff, but for your plot, And your storyline. I really like HR de Costa. He has a series of books that help with your compass your plot, you know, just, and I have them all, but if you’re having trouble with kind of roadmapping your story, HR De Costa, we’ll help you out with that.

Then there are other things like pacing That I think is very important, especially for action, action, you know, books with action and things like that. So I have Ryan Hall that is a really good read for pacing, your story, but pacing isn’t it’s, you know, it’s not as hard as it seems, right. You speed up the pace.

You really have to cut down the sentences and, and that. That’s that’s the science behind it.[00:31:00] Yeah. So I have all of that, you know, and, and really, and truly what works with, with, you know, with your style. I know folks are now into classes and going, and, you know, I in particular love masterclass, but it’s a little bit higher on the budget.

Right. So, It all depends on what the person’s budget is. And then also what they prefer. I prefer having. Books so that I can go back to it as opposed to sometimes a class, because it’s kind of hard to keep track of everything.

David Gwyn: Yeah, no, that’s true. Especially I think too, when you come across something and you’re like, Hey, this needs work on pacing.

You can just scoop it up or this needs, you know, work on description of character. Like, boom, this, I got this right here. That’s those are great resources that I I’m going to be picking up because those are those sound amazing.

Ericka Baldwin: And of course I miss [00:32:00] one, but I mean, it depends on , how much they want to dive into it.

But the Chicago manual of style is like the writer’s Bible for structure. And it just goes over everything. Copy, editing matter, proofs, rights and permissions. But this is something that you have to update every time that they have a new edition. Publishing updates. Right? So this is for someone who’s going through publishing on their own and they want to make sure that their format structure.

David Gwyn: So it, there was one thing that you would want people to take away from this conversation. Somebody listening is a, is a writer. And they’re thinking about that process of going through the, you know, they finish their first edit or they finished their first draft. And they’re sitting here listening to us talking, what is something that you would hope that they would walk away from this conversation?

With.

Ericka Baldwin: But confidence in the, in their direction. And in the fact that, you have multiple avenues that you can take multiple [00:33:00] choices. And so knowing that kind of eases the process in, in making a decision, some people feel that I have to do it this way. Then you don’t, you don’t have to get into developmental editor right away.

You can have. But you must communicate with them and tell them what the challenges are, what you’re expecting so that they can deliver, what it is that you need.

David Gwyn: That’s great advice, really great advice for people to walk away from. And so my last question is where can people find you?

Where can people look at.

Ericka Baldwin: Yeah. So I have a website it is Erickaemends.com and it’s spelled E R I C K E M E N D S. I’m also on Instagram and to my Instagram page is Erica Sasha that’s E R I C K a S a S [00:34:00] H. And then you can always email me at Erica Ericaemends.com.

David Gwyn: Perfect. And I’ll, I’ll link all that stuff below.

So if you’re listening and you want to get in touch with Erica, you know, you liked what you heard, which put me on the list because that was, that was, that was awesome. Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me.

So there, you have it, some advice from a professional editor on what to do from the time you type the end on your manuscript, to what to look for in an editor and beyond. I hope you enjoyed this episode. And remember, this season is all about the second draft. So if you have a manuscript floating around somewhere, make sure you subscribe.

So you don’t miss any valuable content.