Host Your Own Event:
Host An Editing Sleepover

Author: Beth Vogt

The proverbial clock was ticking. Four weeks, 23 hours, 9 minutes until my book was due at the publishers. Months ago, I solemnly promised my editor I wouldn’t miss my deadline. Making the deadline was one thing. Turning in a polished manuscript was another.

My writing comrades had pushed, prodded, and cheered me from pitch sheet to book proposal to the rough draft of my book on late-in-life motherhood. I had labored over that draft, presenting them with a rather anemic looking manuscript weighing in at just under 20,000 words.

Before landing a book contract, my focus was on magazine articles that hovered in the 1,000 to 2,000 word range. The contracted word count for my book was 48,000 to 50,000 words. To paraphrase Robert Frost, “I had miles to go” on the writing road—and at least 28,000 words!

Writing a book was harder than I thought.

Working to hit my needed word count, I gave my writers group a single revised chapter every time we met. One week, they edited chapter three. Another week, they edited chapter ten. We focused on “Big Picture Edits,” where we brainstormed the overall flow of the chapter. They asked questions and pointed out where the chapter needed more detail, less fluff, or a stronger quote. Meanwhile, my deadline loomed closer and closer—like one of those scary creatures from a B-rated movie.

It was time for a “Fine Line Edit” of the book—a page by page critique of the manuscript. We needed to meet somewhere that allowed us to focus on editing the book—and nothing else. Time for an “Editing Sleepover.”

I knew the best resource I had was my writer’s group, Inkspired. But I needed more time than Inkspired’s regularly scheduled once-a-week-for-two-hours meeting.

It was time to host an "Editing Sleepover."

Send Those Invitations

I sent an e-mail invitation to all six members. Only three—Gloria, Scoti and Tiffany—could make it on the date I selected. Since the book was due three weeks later, I decided to press on.

Reserve That Room

I reserved a room in a nearby hotel with a decent continental breakfast—something more substantial than blueberry muffins, plain bagels and coffee. I also listened when my husband said, “You need space to spread out. Get a suite.”

Gather The Goodies

On the appointed sleepover day—a Friday—I gathered together the essentials: bags of pretzels and chips, bottles of water and soda, and an assortment of chocolate. Oh, yes—I also printed out three copies of the book. (I worked off a copy of the manuscript on my laptop.) This was not a girls’ night out—it was a writers’ weekend.

Go Over The Game Plan

Once we all arrived at the hotel, we got comfortable in the lounge area of our room. The game plan was simple: Go page by page through one chapter at a time. Look for everything from problems with the flow to missing commas to misspelled words. Once everyone read through the chapter, we regrouped and talked through each person’s critique. Then, I gathered up their comments and corrections and retired to my laptop to make changes while they critiqued the next chapter.

Other than discussing their edits, talking was minimal. After a series of “Ssshs!” and “Turn the music down!” the group vetoed my upbeat background music. I like to write while listening to the group Mercy Me—my writers’ group does not. Majority ruled.

Have Dinner Delivered

Not wanting to further break our concentration, my husband delivered dinner to us. Ever considerate of the whims of writers, he agreed to go pickup food from two different restaurants so each of us got what we wanted for dinner. He also brought my five-year-old daughter, Christa, along so she could get her hug and kiss goodnight.

We critiqued until our eyes crossed Friday night. It was time to hand out the “snore strips” and get some sleep.

Don't Forget Day Two

Saturday morning, we crawled out of bed by 6 AM and made a quick run for coffee, yogurt, cereal and—why not?—cinnamon rolls.

During breakfast, Scoti announced that she had squirreled away in the bathroom to continue critiquing while the rest of us slept. So, she started out the day ahead of Gloria and Tiffany. While they edited a chapter, Scoti—a.k.a. our “Research Guru”—compiled terms for the book’s medical glossary.

Listen To The Critiques

Everyone had a different pace when it came to reading and editing. Tiffany fretted that she was the “turtle” of the group—always the last one to finish. We told her not to worry because her questions helped me add detail to the book. While waiting for her to finish, Gloria and Scoti took a little breather or just moved on.

Taking advantage of a later check-out time, we critiqued until 1:30 PM. Before hauling our suitcases out to our cars, we accomplished the goal of reading each page of my now 250 page manuscript. Once I returned home, I finished polishing the manuscript while their comments were fresh in my mind.

Our time was well spent, with some major editing and a good dose of laughter and some serious munchies tossed together. With the help of my writers group, I sent the manuscript off—one day ahead of time—and with confidence that I’d done my best—and earned every penny of my advance!

Use Those Online Critique Groups

I know that some writers do not have the benefit of a committed team of writing comrades like I do. Perhaps you’re part of an online critique group. You could plan a once a year writers weekend—meeting in a central location and focusing on critiquing each other’s articles or manuscripts.

Attend A Paid Mentor Weekend

Another option? Take advantage of some mentoring weekends. American Christian Writers (ACW), a national organization, hosts mentoring clinics throughout the year. Mentors include experienced authors like Cec Murphy, Lin Johnson, and Dr. Dennis Hensley.

According to Dr. Hensley, the two-day mentoring retreats are “an experience in learning how to proofread, copyedit, critique, and evaluate manuscripts, as well as a chance to get your own manuscript completely edited and revised.”

I’ve heard Dr. Hensley teach at the Christian Writing Guild’s Writing for the Soul conferences for the past three years. Gleaning from his expertise alone is worth the price of admission for those conferences. I’m confident being involved in a mentoring weekend with him would be well worth your time and money. For more information, click here.

Host Your Own Event: Host An Editing Sleepover