How to Write an Edit Letter
Greetings and salutations Scribblers!
If you’ve been keeping up with our beta reading series, today we’re going to tackle how to write and organize an edit letter. As you build your writing community, you’re going to be asked to read your peer’s work and provide feedback. Taking the time to think about how you’re going to organize that feedback will not only help you to be more effective in your reading, but it’s going to help the person you’re reading for better understand your feedback.
As you’re reading, I recommend taking notes to remind yourself of what’s standing out to you and what you want to share with the author. This includes notes on any specific questions they may have asked you to read for. Once you’ve finished reading and have all your notes, you’re ready to start writing the official edit letter. There are countless ways to organize this. I’m going to share one way. Feel free to make adjustments based on your feedback style and the needs of the author. Just like everything else in writing, this isn’t a one size fits all process.
The Opening
Your opening to your letter should have 3 parts.
Part one is to thank the author for allowing you to read and give feedback. I know, you’re thinking but they asked me! Why am I thanking them? Because they trusted you to read their work and offer feedback. And that’s a big deal. Thanking them for allowing you to read is a recognition of that trust and the sincerity that you have in approaching the task. No matter how you actually feel about the manuscript you’ve read, say thank you. You may choose to never beta-read for this person again because the two of you don’t mesh on a creative level, but that’s no reason to be discouraging or impolite.
Once you’ve thanked them, the second part is to give your overall impression or thoughts. What did you love? What did you want more of? Where do you feel they should focus their revision efforts? You’re not going to elaborate here, this is just a bit of a teaser for what’s to come. This section should be written with an emphasis on positivity & encouragement.
And finally, the third part of your opening is a reminder that you are only one reader and only one opinion. That the author should take what resonates with them and leave what doesn’t. This might seem like a no brainer, but putting it in the letter reminds the author that they ultimately have control of the story and you, as the beta-reader, acknowledge you aren’t the end all be all of feedback. Giving and receiving feedback can be touchy sometimes, this helps to remind both people that it’s just one person’s thoughts. Depending on your relationship with the author, you might offer for them to contact you with questions or offer to help them brainstorm or talk through any of the feedback.
Story Elements
Now, we’re ready to move into the meat of the edit letter. You’re going to want to hit on the main elements of plot, character, world building, and pacing. I recommend making a bold title and then typing up your notes in paragraph form beneath. You can put these in any order you want. I try to put them in order of most significant feedback to least. So, for example, if a manuscript I was reading needed to really focus on revising their world building, I would start there and then move through the rest in order from what i think needs the most attention to the least
As you get into these main story elements, there is going to be a significant amount of overlap–try to keep it organized between the elements your focused on. Characterization and character arcs are always closely related to plot points, for example. So as you write your letter, you’re going to want to try and keep the bits that are specifically about character arc in the character section and those that tie in more closely to the plot in the plot section. And you’ll probably allude to the issue you found in both sections.
As you work through this bit of the edit letter, make sure it’s balanced between what you liked and what worked and what you feel might need some revision. Always keep in mind that your goal with the edit letter is help the writer realize the truest vision of their story. You wan them to feel encouraged regardless of how much work might be needed.
The Small (but still important) Bits
Once you’ve finished the big story elements, you can dive into the more nuanced pieces. You’ll want to divide these up into sections as well. You might have a section specifically on religion or clothing or the romance in the story. These are pieces that stood out to you as needing work in some way.
Sometimes, depending on the story, I’ll make a list at the end of specific things I LOVED. This might a few quotes, character moments, or a specific plot point. This is a great way to end the edit letter on a positive note and it helps let the author know what you really jived with.
Don’t Send It! (Yet)
Alright, now that you have it all typed it, don’t send it! Save it, walk away and come back to it tomorrow. Read through it again and make sure that not only does it make sense, but that it is encouraging and positive. Again, this will vary based on who you’re beta-reading for and the relationship you have with them, but if there is anything in the edit letter you wouldn’t want said to you in that way, then you need to either rephrase it or take it out. This is always a tough one for me because I like things straightforward and blunt, so when I write an edit letter, I read back through it several times because I can’t necessarily use myself as a touchstone for whether or not the feedback is too intense.
Once you’ve let it sit for at least a day and you’ve reread it, now you can send it! Edit letter formatting is different than manuscript formatting. They tend to be single spaced and sections are divided by headers and extra spaces. Depending on the length of the work you’ve read, your edit letter is going to be several pages long. For a manuscript that is over 60k, I’m easily into the teens–thirteen to fifteen or more pages–although I do also tend to have a lot to say!
My final tip for writing a solid edit letter is to be clear and explain yourself. This is especially important when you start out with a new beta partner. Give your feedback, but do your best to explain your reasoning and thinking on why you felt that way. Being clear is always the way to go. And of course, continue to be kind! You’re building community and everyone is always learning. When one person succeeds, we all do!
As always, your mileage may vary! Take what helps and leave what doesn't! Comment below and tell us how you like to organize your edit letters!
