editing – A. R. Hurst

Proofreading the Professionals: What Editing Client Reports Taught Me About My Own Fiction

For those who didn’t know, I run my own business, Hurst Marketing Publishing, in which services are provided to small local businesses in digital marketing, proofreading and editing for academics and authors, and publishing for authors wishing to be published, including illustrations. Through my background expertise in English Language, Media Studies, and Computer Science, this analytical career has become my most rigorous form of creative professional development. I’ve discovered that the cold, hard discipline required for editing a formal business report is the exact discipline needed to turn a raw manuscript into a professional novel.

The Discipline of Consistency

Editing client reports and marketing materials demands meticulous attention to technical consistency across large documents. We must ensure every use of terminology is identical, every piece of data is accurate, and the brand tone remains uniform from start to finish. There is absolutely no room for error, as credibility hinges on this technical rigour.

This necessary discipline directly translates to my fiction writing. Consistency in a novel isn’t just about correct spelling: it’s about the technical rigour to maintain character names, eye colours, world rules, and plot threads across thousands of words. My professional training provides the objective, technical check required to spot these subtle narrative gaps that my excited, creative brain often misses.

Flow, Pacing, and Purpose

When editing academic essays, the primary goal is ruthless efficiency. Every sentence must serve the main argument, and if a section does not contribute definitively to the core purpose, it is cut without sentiment. This mindset treats prose as a tool: it must be sharp, direct, and functional, which trains a critical eye for wasted space.

This analytical efficiency makes applying the “kill your darlings” principle far easier in my own fiction. Scenes, characters, or descriptive passages that are enjoyable to write but do not serve the core emotional or plot trajectory are removed. My professional experience teaches me that true flow and strong pacing come not from adding more words, but from removing everything that doesn’t advance the story.

Technical Clarity Over Sentiment

My background in Computer Science and English Language has instilled a strong focus on technical clarity: unambiguous language, correct syntax, and structural logic. When dealing with formal reports, sentiment is always secondary to function; the reader must understand the information without having to interpret flowery prose or convoluted phrasing.

I apply this technical focus directly to my prose. It provides a necessary, almost ‘computer science’ check on the artistry of my writing, allowing me to identify where passive voice is hiding action, where weak verbs are diluting impact, or where overly complex sentence structures are clouding a crucial emotional moment. This objective analysis ensures that the emotional beat of the scene hits with maximum clarity.

Bridging the Dual Careers

Ultimately, the professional work is not a distraction from my fiction; it provides the essential final layer: the objective, analytical editor’s eye that the creative self can never truly develop alone. When I finish a draft, I rely on the disciplined focus I’ve honed editing client work to separate myself from the emotional attachment of creation.

My business is, therefore, the ultimate, continuous professional development course for my fiction writing. It forces me to become a master of the mechanics and the structure of language, allowing me to approach my final manuscript not as a subjective artist, but as the objective professional responsible for its quality and clarity.

From Chaos to Complete: The Final Journey of the Manuscript

Completing the first draft of a novel is an exhilarating moment, but as I’ve said before, that’s where the real work begins. The journey from a messy draft to a professional, published book is a marathon of meticulous checking, structural review, and technical preparation. It’s a multi-stage process that transforms the raw material of a story into a polished artefact ready for readers. This is the complete workflow of my post-draft process, right up to pressing ‘publish’ as an independent author.

The First Pass: Architect and Detective

Once the initial adrenaline wears off, I jump into the first major review, wearing two hats: that of an architect and a detective. The architect’s job is structural, looking for plot holes or inconsistencies. Does Character A know information in Chapter 10 that they shouldn’t have learned until Chapter 15? Have I maintained the political rules established for the story’s setting throughout the entire narrative?

The detective’s job is to focus on the fine print: an intense round of proofreading and continuity checks. This is where I ensure the spelling is correct, names are consistent, and details like eye colour or scene locations haven’t changed accidentally. This painstaking self-review is crucial for cleaning up the inevitable chaos of the initial creative burst, making sure the foundation of the story is solid before anyone else sees it.

The Fresh Eyes: Beta Reading and Feedback

With a clean-but-not-perfect draft ready, it’s time to bring in the outside world. I send the manuscript to my trusted beta readers (including my girlfriend and loyal followers), who provide invaluable feedback analysis. They aren’t looking for typos; they’re checking for pacing, character motivation, emotional resonance, and whether the climax actually pays off.

Managing this feedback requires discipline. I collect all the comments and look for patterns: if two or more readers point out the same confusing plot point or dull chapter, that section demands a rewrite. This process results in the final draft manuscript, which is the version I am confident is structurally sound and emotionally powerful, ready for the final, technical preparations.

Preparing for Publication: The Front and Back Matter

Before the manuscript can become a book, it needs the required front and back matter. These are the elements that give the novel a professional, finished structure. I start by finalising the Contents Page, ensuring all chapter titles and numbers are accurate. This is immediately followed by the Dedication and the Author’s Note, where I get a chance to directly speak to the reader and thank those who helped the project along.

The back matter is just as important. This includes the “Also By” page, which is a vital piece of marketing that directs readers to my other published works. Crucially, I also finalise the marketing visuals I’ve been designing, using Photoshop for detailed image work and Canva for creating clean, professional promotional graphics. All of these pages and visuals must be meticulously prepared for the final step.

Publishing Day: Submitting and Marketing

The very final stage is a rigorous final proofread and edit for any lingering errors, often using text-to-speech software to catch mistakes my eyes have missed. Once I’m completely satisfied, I prepare the file for publishing. I upload the single, complete file, including all front and back matter, to Draft2Digital (D2D). D2D handles the technical conversion and distribution, sending my book out to major retailers like Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble Nook.

As an independent author, once the book is published, the work shifts entirely to marketing and promotion. My involvement doesn’t end when the files go live; it’s just the start of the next phase. I rely on the graphics created in Photoshop and Canva for all my social media campaigns, driving awareness and sales. That final click of the publish button is the start of the book’s life in the world, and I’m there every step of the way to promote the story I’ve spent so long creating.

Beyond the First Draft: My Editing and Revision Process

The blank page can be a daunting thing, but for me, nothing is more terrifying than a completed first draft. It’s the literary equivalent of a messy first-floor apartment, a place with a solid foundation but overflowing with clutter, questionable design choices, and a hundred tiny things that need to be fixed. It’s up to me to transform it into a functional and beautiful living space—a place where a reader would actually want to spend time. For me, the real work of writing begins after I’ve typed the final word of the first draft. It’s in the editing and revision process that I find the true heart of the story and meticulously polish the prose until it shines.

The “Big Picture” Pass

Before I even think about fixing a misplaced comma or a run-on sentence, I take a step back to look at the entire manuscript. I print out the entire thing, grab a pen, and read it from start to finish without making any corrections. I’m not looking for errors at this stage; I’m looking for the big stuff, the structural integrity of the story. Does the plot make sense? Are the character arcs believable and consistent? Are there any gaping holes in the logic or timeline? I make notes on a separate document, jotting down things like “Character X’s motivation for doing Y seems weak” or “Chapter 5 feels rushed and needs a scene to build tension.” This is a pass where I put on my reader hat and try to experience the story as if it were the very first time, seeing it from an outsider’s perspective.

The “Line-by-Line” Pass

Once I have a solid plan for addressing the major structural issues, I start the painstaking work of a line-by-line edit. I pull up the manuscript on my computer and read every single sentence out loud. This is my secret weapon for catching awkward phrasing, repetitive language, and unnatural dialogue that just doesn’t sound right. My cat thinks I’ve gone completely mad, but it works every time. This is where I look for all the nitty-gritty details: typos, grammatical errors, and clunky sentences. I often use the “find and replace” feature to check for overused words or phrases. I once had a draft where I used the word “suddenly” over fifty times—a little embarrassing, but an easy fix that makes the prose so much stronger. It’s a slow and deliberate process, but it’s essential for creating a smooth reading experience.

The “Fresh Eyes” Pass

After I’ve done all I can on my own, it’s time to bring in the cavalry: my girlfriend and my TikTok followers. As an independent author, I don’t have a professional editor to lean on, so their feedback is absolutely crucial. Having fresh eyes on the manuscript is invaluable, especially for the intricate scenes and unexpected plot twists that my followers love. They will catch things that I’ve become completely blind to after reading the same words countless times. The feedback I receive from them is invaluable, whether it’s a simple typo or a comment that a certain character’s reaction doesn’t feel authentic. While I handle all the professional editing myself, their insights help me make the manuscript as strong as it can be before it’s released into the world.

The Final Polish

The final stage is the last polish, the one that can take a good story and make it great. I incorporate the feedback from my girlfriend and my followers, and then I do one last comprehensive read-through. This pass is all about the little things. It’s about ensuring consistency in the story—that a character’s eye colour hasn’t changed, or that the timeline holds up. I also check for any lingering formatting errors and make sure the language is as crisp and clean as possible. This is also where I check to make sure my em dashes are used correctly! Once I’m fully satisfied and confident in the manuscript, I send it off, knowing that I’ve done everything I can to transform that messy first draft into a story I’m truly proud of.