EDITORS UNEDITED: Chloe Rayban

If you have a chance to work with Chloe Rayban, jump at it, says one of her former clients. Chloe is one of our fabulous MG/YA editors – we loved finding out more about her process:

Q: So that we can learn a bit about you, tell us about one writing-related thing you’re proud of, and one non-writing related thing you’re proud of.  

Writing related:  One of my YA novels “L.0.V.E in Cyberia” was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.  

Non-writing: I once appeared in a rather famous film: Yoko Ono’s “Bottoms”.   

Q: What brought you to the world of writing? What keeps you writing?  

My eldest daughter announced at the age of about seven that she didn’t like books. I wrote my first Middle Grade Book “The Tangled Spell” for her. She still prefers magazines. 

My husband won’t allow me to speak in the car – he tends to drive into things. We spend a lot of time travelling from our home in France to London or to Italy. Hours spent in silence, staring out of the window tend to generate plots.    

Q: Tell me about what you’re currently working on.  

Twenty years or so ago, my husband and I moved to an 18th Century ‘chateau’ in France. During the renovations, I found objects, lost, hidden or buried by its past occupants. I wrote a modern-day love story incorporating these people into the plot. I’m just about to self-publish it under the title: “My Escape to the Chateau”.   

Q: You’ve just received a new manuscript to critique: what’s the first thing you do? Walk us through your editing process.  

First of all, I read the synopsis. Then I read the whole manuscript without making notes, trying to get my head around the plot arc, main characters and general structure of the book. Next, I ponder for a couple of days, during which time I generally come up with what I think are the major things that need tackling. Then I settle down to the report, having the author’s manuscript open beside it, so that I can note page references etc. Once written, I like to have a day or two to read through my report two or three times, to make sure I have found the key things that are going to make the manuscript a better book.   

Q: How do you manage being on the other side of the editorial process – when your own writing is being edited? What should an author who is receiving critique for the first-time be aware of? 

Editors always start by saying something nice about your book. Then comes the fatal word: ‘But’ or ‘However’ and you get what they really think.  Having your book critiqued is rather like have your children (or pets) criticized. One’s immediate reaction is to try to justify what you’ve written. It’s hard to remember that your editor is doing their best to make your book better – or perhaps more saleable. I find it best to read what the editor has written, then go for a long walk or drive (not too fast) while I digest what they’ve said. I then leave it for at least a day. Then I go back and read what they’ve said again. By this time, I’ve cooled down enough to be objective. Over the years, I’ve come to realize that there is no perfect text and there’s very little written that can’t be improved by revision. So I’ve learned to enjoy the revision process and I generally find working on the new text prompted by the editor, has made a big improvement.   ‘However’ one doesn’t have to take everything an editor says as gospel. In the end it’s your book and you should always feel free to disagree with an editor if you feel strongly enough.   

Q: What writing do you get most excited about working as an editor on? What really makes you intrigued by a submission?  

What a difficult question! I get a lot of submissions with really intriguing plots, which make them seem exciting to start with but turn out to be disappointing. I think what most excites me is finding an original ‘voice’. It’s all very well to have a page-turning plot, a moving story and a set of fascinating characters, but if the prose is like pudding, it makes a tough read. Most manuscripts I’m sent are either written in the first person or in ‘limited third person’ this means the author has to convey the inner voice of the protagonist in an engaging way. If this voice is fresh, believable and hopefully amusing too, I’m generally hooked.   

Q: What do you read for pleasure? Is this different to the writing you enjoy working on?   I read an amazingly varied selection of books. I try to keep up with modern novels, snapping up the latest Murakami or Elena Ferrante but I’m constantly returning to the classics, I read both Middlemarch and War and Peace recently. I love virtually everything written in English in 1930’s. I really enjoy a good biography – the latest I read was of the Russian Art Collector Morozov. I like to dip into childrens’ and YA books, the best read recently was: “The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas and I picked up “The Painted Garden” by Noel Streatfield from the kids bookcase and had blissfully nostalgic re-read. Recently I’ve read a lot of French history as I’m currently working on a YA novel: “Diary of a Lost Princess” about Marie Antoinette’s daughter – Marie-Thérèse, Princess Royale of France.   

Q: Finally, if you could only give one piece of advice to all aspiring authors, what would it be?  

Enjoy the process. 

It sounds simple, but as long as you are setting your sights on finishing a book – counting the words you get down per day – worrying about getting it published – always trying to judge how brilliant or how hopeless it is – you are wasting time and energy. If you can relax and try and get every page as good as it can be and enjoy all the revising and rewriting for its own sake, you’ll get to the end in the end!  

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Is your manuscript ready for a professional critique? Chloe is one of 70+ Jericho Writers editors, so we’ll always find your perfect match. Head over to our editing hub to see the services that we have on offer. Not sure which service to opt for? Drop an email to info@jerichowriters.com and we’ll be happy to discuss which service would be right for you and your manuscript.