Surrey Group: The Dark Art of Editing by editor, ghostwriter and submission coach, Rebecca Rennie  

Join the Surrey Group on Tuesday 14 July from 12pm to hear from editor, ghostwriter and submission coach, Rebecca Rennie on the dark art of editing.

In this condensed 30-minute session, Rebecca will explore how an editor can transform your book. Rebecca will demonstrate some of the most common editorial pitfalls that can undermine your work and how editors change writing lives.

Rebecca works mostly, but not exclusively, with non-fiction, memoir, self-help and private family history books. She will use specific examples from a selection of books she has worked on from inception to publication: ‘The Many Faces of Crime: A True Detective’s Chronicle’ by Dennis McGookin, ‘Around the World with Dr Nina Simone: The Drummer’s Tale’, amongst others.

Feel free to ask Rebecca any questions over lunch regarding her more extended talk on The Dark Art of Editing, which includes:

• The different types of editors and what they do
• The ‘creative editor’ as writing partner and coach
• ‘Showing’ versus ‘telling’ with practical examples
• Common editorial pitfalls, including overused words, excessive adverbs and filler phrases
• Clunky, repetitive and inconsistent writing
• Dashes (there are 3!), house styles, consistency, and why copy editors matter
• Structural issues that affect clarity, pacing and reader engagement
• Useful resources, publications and organisations for writers

We’ll meet at The Seahorse, 52-54 The Street, Shalford, Guildford, GU4 8BU.

All writerly and bookish guests welcome!

To attend the meeting, click the Going button below and fill out the RSVP form. If you do not receive a confirmation email, or have trouble signing up, please contact localgroups@societyofauthors.org.

 Please email member-volunteer Howard Matthews with any questions.