Note #2: How Developmental Editors Help Authors Claim Their Voice

This one’s for nonfiction writers who’ve ever felt like their voice got lost somewhere between draft one and the final edit—and for editors who know their job is to bring that voice back to life, not bury it.

Last week I addressed a fear I sometimes hear from authors: that an editor will drown out their voice with directives and even alternative visions for their manuscript. What’s interesting is that this concern often coexists with another fear: that they themselves have lost their voice along the way.

Writers usually confess when they first make contact: they know that their manuscript lacks voice in certain areas, but that they don't know how to begin to address it.

In more extreme cases, some authors reach out to me during drawn-out editorial processes in which they have followed revision advice from multiple editors and like Ariel in The Little Mermaid, they suddenly find themselves struck mute on dry land wondering how they got there.

‘Wait… did I even write this?’

Luckily in this case, a deal hasn’t been made with a cunning sea witch. The culprit is far more straightforward and something I’ve experienced many times as a writer: somewhere between the outline, the edits, and the deadlines, even the most earnest voice can get a little lost.

But why does lack of voice often feel so intractable?

Author voice can be overpowered by the citation of information, data, outside opinions

We all know that the best nonfiction absorbs us with facts of some sort. But what if an author feels pressured to provide a constant stream of outside information and has lost their voice in the process?

The solution could start by understanding the reasons behind this impulse. In The Dissertation-to-Book Workbook, Katelyn E. Knox and Allison Van Deventer argue that authors may cite excessively because they fear the reader is “waiting to attack you for the one source you cite.” Luckily, Knox and Van Deventer say, “Nobody has time for that.”

In They Say / I Say: Moves that Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein move past this anxiety and argue that instead of fighting against working with outside sources, engagement is key factor: “… the best academic writing has one underlying feature: it is deeply engaged in some way with other people’s views.”

Graff and Birkstein’s point could be augmented to state that good nonfiction writing deeply engages with outside information, whether historical research in memoir or data in a business book.

But what is engagement in a text, and how does it connect to voice? Well, They Say / I Say, a genius book I taught for years, spends many chapters explaining that it is not enough to repeat what others have said (they say). An author must constantly make it clear where they stand on any given issue (I say).

Enter a developmental editor: we scrutinize texts to be sure the author’s engagement is consistent throughout.

Begin by maximizing author stance

Developmental editors know how important author voice is to the success of a text and will work tirelessly to consistently enhance it. I use the word consistently because often manuscripts start strong and have heady, inspiring chapter closings but miss opportunities to assert voice, especially in areas that cite information or other scholars.

Graff and Birkenstein underscore this problem when they state: “Especially with texts that present a true dialogue of perspectives, readers need to be alert to the often subtle markers that indicate whose voice the writer is speaking in.”

Therefore, since developmental editors often focus on certain problematic zones of the text, we take the issue of voice a bit deeper into an interrelated concept: stance, which is the author’s attitude about the subject at hand.

As we work to show writers where we as readers aren’t clear on their attitude, developmental editors pinpoint where they are missing an opportunity to sway their reader.

Sometimes it is hard to remember that rather than deliver objective, journalistic accounts, the way in which most nonfiction authors unveil information should reveal something about their biases—no, strike that—their unveiling should push forward their biases.

Knox and Van Deventer discuss how this pivot in thinking is especially important for those transforming their dissertation into a monograph, where citation moves from demonstrating “what they know in the field” to citing “others’ ideas to advance your claims.”

Employ strategic rhetoric to make stance clear

In identifying areas where author stance is weak and suggest ways to make it more apparent, I often guide authors in borrowing techniques, such as these Graff and Birkenstein:

• Bringing your diction down a notch by shifting into more casual prose. This is especially key at junctures in the manuscript when the reader many be growing weary of facts and figures. In the chapter “Academic Writing Doesn’t Always Mean Setting Aside Your Own Voice,” Graff and Birkenstein offer several examples that argue that adding “…relaxed colloquial language can enliven academic writing and even enhance its rigor and precision.”

• Help the reader interpret your claims. Graff and Birkenstein brilliantly label this rhetorical move “metacommentary," but don’t get intimidated—this simply means doing something we do intuitively in everyday conversation, which is reading our audience’s mind on an ongoing basis and anticipating that they may not always grasp our point. Graff and Birkenstein argue “….we need metacommentary to keep misinterpretations and other communication misfires at bay.”

  By employing metacommentary, writers assert their stance and lead readers toward their conclusion or thrust. The book provides many helpful templates, such as:

  • “My point is not…., but rather….”

  • “Ultimately, my goal is to demonstrate that…”

I hope this letter has helped you find some new ways to approach voice. Join me next time, when I share how developmental editors can help authors publish excerpts from their book and build platforms while they’re still writing/producing the book. I will include a few examples from my memoir clients who’ve done just that. Nothing flashy—just useful ideas you can take and make your own.

Thanks for reading,

Natalie

Have questions on this post or want to chat about your manuscript? Reach out.

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the annotation room shares strategies on shaping nonfiction content that informs, persuades, and connects with readers. Natalie Tomlin—developmental editor, writing coach, and award-winning writer—hopes that this bi-weekly letter engages with a community of nonfiction writers and developmental editors and shares actionable advice on how to edit with purpose and precision. Click here to subscribe.