Lara Zielinsky has been a journalist, technical writer, educator, and fiction editor for more than 30 years. A member of the LGBTQ+ community, Lara is also an award-winning author of five sapphic novels. When I chanced upon her business site, LZ Edits, I knew her expertise would interest other (sapphic) writers and promptly asked her to do a Q&A. Luckily she accepted.

Welcome to the Bashful Blagger, Lara, and thanks for answering my questions on editing sapphic fiction.
Thanks for reaching out. I’d love to answer questions on the challenges of editing all those pronoun-filled scenes, and keeping everyone’s body parts “straight”, and the POV clear.

Okay, I know you’re into elevating the work of authors writing in LGBTQ+ genres, but first, what are some common writing challenges for all writers?
The challenges for all writers include:
a. writing dialogue heavy “talking heads”;
b. writing characters that all talk exactly the same way;
c. writing without awareness of how a reader will read it.

These pitfalls lead to:
a. stories that read like scripts with all the scene description at the beginning and then pages of dialogue with minimal movement or body language by the characters through their dialogue;

b. characters who sound too old, too young, too educated, too whatever, rather than reflecting them as individuals; and

c. sentences that are run-ons, or convoluted, or punctuated such that the meaning is unclear.

For sapphic authors, these three mistakes can cause even more confusion. The simple fact of a cast of characters, all with she/her pronouns means that scenes (all kinds, but particularly intimate scenes) can leave a reader confused about who is doing or saying what.

Creating unique characters should include giving unique patterns to their speech, including unique words based in their family and personal history, demographics, education, socialization, religious, and cultural heritage.

Unique characters don’t all sound the same

Characters should also sound like their ages and life experiences have made them slightly different. It is easy to say characters are different demographically, but when it comes to writing their dialogue, many authors have 30-somethings, and CEOs, who still sound like they’re 18, or 20-somethings who sound like they’re 50 trying to sound hip.

The last thing that sapphic authors fall victim to is something that general romance authors will also do—not show on the page how or why the two main characters are attracted beyond the physical to one another. So often it’s clear that the writer is thinking “I’ve set up that this person is a main character, and this other person is my other main character, so the reader will get it that they’re going to get together.” Emotional development may be skimped in erotica, but it cannot be skimped on in romance.

How do you approach fixing an author’s mistakes?
Since I do sample edits (1,500 words for free), I’ll find out quickly how an author reacts to constructive feedback, and then we figure out a way forward together. When I’m working through an author’s manuscript, I’ll ask “why?” or “how?” or “what does this mean?” I’m pointing out things that are not on the page. By phrasing them as questions, I’m inviting a conversation. The details I’m looking for may be in the author’s head and a conversation can usually get them out, whereupon I show where to put the details.

I’ve heard readers complain that the sapphic fiction market, especially self-published sapphic romance, is crowded with rubbish. Do you agree? What advice would you give to raise the quality of the sapphic genre?
I do agree that there are a lot of books out there in sapphic-bookdom. But the range of quality is the same as general fiction, from the poor to the outstanding. This is partially attributable to the ease of self-publishing. Specifically for sapphic books, though, I believe it’s the reality of diminishing returns that leaves many to skip hiring a professional. Getting the experts to help you put your best story forward costs money. But $US 1,500-2,000 for a developmental edit is often a non-starter in a niche market where making that kind of money back in sales can take several years.

Thankfully, the indie co-ops I’ve seen springing up are encouraging authors to build a network of beta readers. This is a good initial substitute for a developmental edit (the most expensive type). While many beta readers are writers, betas should first and foremost be readers and should be asked only to do reader-reaction story pacing and plot point types of feedback. If they are writers, too, they are learning what constitutes good writing by critically examining stories and learning what works and what doesn’t. But that’s very different from being a copy editor and an expert on grammar rules (both when they must apply, as well as when and how they can be flexed).

A fresh eye is the most important skill of a proofreader, though, who can be a “swap” with a writer friend. Their second most important skill is the ability to follow a style sheet to catch errors other passes through the manuscript have missed.

Indie authors should invest in experts for quality control

Publishers have a production process in place and employ editors all along for quality control. Indie authors control their own publishing process and get all the profit as a result, yes, but part of what they invest in should be developing a clear-cut production process that uses experts for quality control. Jills of all trades are very, very rare (I won’t say non-existent). Recognize what you do not have the expertise to do, and contract that task out to an expert who does, whether that’s one or more stages of editing, book cover design, or book interior design (formatting). To find those experts, ask other authors who they use. Then get samples and quotes and do some comparison shopping. No, it’s not a quick process, but the sales of your work over your lifetime will be higher, so slow down and make your work the best possible BEFORE you ask readers to pay for it.

To finish on a personal note, how did you go from being a beta reader and contract copy editor to launching your own editing business?
Beta readers are actually a tradition that comes over from the fanfiction world. It’s a “give to get” environment where, if you want feedback, you have to be willing to give feedback. I was a beta reader in the Xena: Warrior Princess fandom and then the Star Trek: Voyager fandom, and also a writer of fanfics in both. My journalist training (BA, 1992) meant I was also a stickler for grammar and canon and asked for a logical explanation when anything deviated from either. Gradually, I began being asked to proofread before stories were posted, too.

I transitioned to being paid as a copy editor in 2008. I started working with the small lesbian press that published my first two novels. This press was “kitchen table” sized, a married couple ran it, and they contracted book covers and editors to manage the production flow. Since books were printed in bulk, called “print runs,” it was cost prohibitive to have books riddled with errors make it to print. The expense would be catastrophic if inferior product had to be destroyed. So the publisher wanted as many different eyes as possible on books before they went to the printer. Anyway, I copy edited a couple books for them. The proofreader behind me–and the authors–all had good things to say to the publisher about my work. So I worked on a dozen books before the publisher folded. The income was way too little to call it more than a supplement, but it enhanced my understanding of story and genre.

When that publisher folded, I worked with a few other publishers and was even chief editor for a charity anthology, asked by fellow authors to lead the project. I did ad hoc editing around my teaching until 2020.

By June 2020, I wanted to work full time at editing stories and I wanted out of public school teaching with its politics and daily no-win scenarios. I set up a DBA and LZ Edits was born. My first clients got steep discounts so that I could have reviews. Then I started getting not only their repeat business, but they referred other author friends to me. I also worked with a group of writers online (Zoom), as just a fellow writer during the pandemic, but often giving more detailed feedback and even a few “lessons” simply because of my experience as an editor. About half the group now is repeat clients. I treasure their trust in my judgment.▼

Lara’s affiliations

In addition to Editorial Freelancers Association, Lara is a member of LGBTQ+ Editors Association. As a writer and an editor she is a member of OPUS Literary Alliance, Golden Crown Literary Society, and Romance Writers of America.

Learn more

In “From Draft to Done” Lara sets out the steps of book publishing, from first draft, through revisions, edits, all the way to publication.

In “Editing Prep” Lara presents guidelines on preparing your manuscript to send to an editor.

Join Lara’s books pages on Facebook, Instagram and Goodreads. Sign up for Lara’s free monthly newsletter with writing and editing tips. Visit Lara’s Fan Shop for her collection of own book-related merchandise.