Editorial tips at May workshop

AT ITS best, editing is a collaboration between a writer and editor, with the goal of guiding a story to excellence, free of mixed metaphors, muddled analogies, plot holes and character inconsistencies.

Whether editing a short story for an anthology or a whole novel, editing is essential to the process.

But what are the different types of editing, how does the process work, and what should you do if you and your editor disagree?

To help answer those questions, novelist, short story writer and editor of anthologies and novels Narelle Harris will share her insights at the Bendigo Writers Council Explore May event, What Does an Editor Do? on

May 29.

Harris’ more than 80 works include vampire novels, spy adventures, crime fiction, hetero and queer romances, fantasies set in Victorian-era Melbourne and Holmes/Watson mysteries, as well as songs and poetry.

Her recent works include Grounded, and Kitty and Cadaver, and the re-release of her Vampires of Melbourne novels.

She also edits anthologies, among them the Holmesian anthology The Only One in the World (2021), Clamour and Mischief (2022) and This Fresh Hell (2023) co-edited with Katya de Becerra, and Sherlock is a Girl’s Name, due this year, with Atlin Merrick.

Her own next book, The She-Wolf of Baker Street, is also due for publication this year.

The writers council, run by volunteers, is encouraging participants to “bring pens and paper and be inspired” as Harris shares insights from both sides of the red pencil.

The event will be held in Activity Room 1 at the Bendigo Library in Hargreaves Street and will run from 7pm to 9pm.

The cost is $10, which includes refreshments.