“What to Expect When You’re Expecting… Edits”

Let’s set the scene. You’ve done everything right. You picked your editor. You signed the contract. You sent the manuscript. Now you’re refreshing your email like it’s a toxic situationship you swear you’re done with… but also you’re absolutely not done with because what if they emailed back in the last 14 seconds?

Welcome to the glamorous, unhinged, emotionally athletic phase known as editing and it’s a ride no one warns you about, but everyone survives. Barely. With snacks and maybe some wine. This is the part of the writing journey where your confidence, your ego, and your caffeine tolerance all get tested at the same time. It’s like a triathlon, but instead of running, swimming, and biking, you’re spiraling, overthinking, and rereading your editor’s comments like they’re ancient runes. Let’s break it down.

What Your Editor Is Actually Doing

While you’re pacing your living room like a Victorian widow waiting for news from the front, your editor is…..

• Reading your book once for vibe
• Reading it again for structure
• Reading it a third time for line level nuance
• Mapping your strengths
• Identifying your patterns
• Whispering “bless her heart” at your overuse of commas

This is not a quick skim. This is a forensic investigation. Your editor is basically CSI: Manuscript Edition and they’re dusting for fingerprints, analyzing DNA, and figuring out why your protagonist suddenly changed eye color in chapter 14.

What You Will Feel

Editing is an emotional buffet. You will experience….

• Excitement. Someone is finally reading your book.
• Fear. Someone is finally reading your book.
• Defensiveness. “But I meant to do that.”
• Relief. “Oh… that actually makes it better.”
• Ego death. Temporary.
• Ego rebirth. Glorious.

It’s giving phoenix energy. You burn, you rise, you revise.

Types of Edits You Might Receive

Each type of edit hits a different part of your soul….

• Developmental edits. Big picture story, pacing, character arcs. (Feels like therapy.)
• Line edits. Voice, clarity, emotional resonance. (Feels like a makeover montage.)
• Copyedits. Grammar, consistency, continuity. (Feels like a dental cleaning.)
• Proofreading. The final polish. (Feels like a spa day.)

By the end, your manuscript will be glowing, hydrated, and emotionally stable…even if you aren’t.

How to Prepare Yourself

A few survival tips from someone who has absolutely opened an edit letter at the wrong time….

• Don’t open the document when you’re tired, hungry, or emotionally fragile.
• Read the editor’s letter first, it’s the map.
• Take a walk before diving into comments.
• Remember: edits are not a critique of you. They’re a conversation with the book.

Your editor is not attacking you. They’re helping your story become the version it’s been trying to be all along.The truth is editing is not about perfection. It’s about evolution. It’s about letting go of the draft you wrote in survival mode and stepping into the writer you’re becoming. The one who can handle critique, refine their craft, and still keep their voice intact.  And you, my dear, are evolving.

Edits aren’t meant to break you, they’re meant to build you. They stretch you. They challenge you. They humble you just enough to grow, but not enough to crush your spirit. So, when you come out the other side? You’re shinier. You’re sharper. You’re stronger. You’re the writer who survived the emotional Olympics of revision and did it in heels. So take a breath. Open the document. And remember…. this is the part where your book becomes real.

XOXO,

Savi Monroe