"So why couldn't Malfoy have brought that necklace into the school -?"

"Oh, Harry, not that again..."

Many readers, myself included, echoed Hermione Grangers' frustration at that point in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

For the past few weeks we have been looking at the best-selling Harry Potter books, and the lessons that aspiring authors can learn from them. We talked about when to hold back detail, how to drop hints, and the importance of believable characters and creative worlds.

But before you think that we see Harry Potter as the Holy Grail of fiction, let's move on to Number Five: everyone needs an editor.

When Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone first released, it was a quick-read novel at just over 200 pages. As the popularity of the series grew, so did the page counts. The plots grew darker, the subplots more intricate, and at least from this editor's perspective, the characters started to repeat themselves. How many times does a reader need to hear that Harry thinks Draco Malfoy is planning something sinister? Or see the Weasley twins plotting a prank? And do we really need all those adverbs to tell us how the characters are feeling?

Sacrilege, I know. And here's another observation: there are plot holes in the Harry Potter stories. How did Harry get the Marauder's Map back in The Half Blood Prince? The Mad Eye Moody imposter had taken it from him in The Goblet of Fire, and the reader never sees it returned. Yet just when Harry needs it again, he seems to have it.*

How does this relate to your own writing journey? Just like this: not even the Harry Potter books, the fastest selling novels in history, are perfect. And not even the much-admired JK Rowling can write alone. She had beta readers and, most importantly, an editor-just like every other major novel in print. An editor's skill lies in finding the plot holes, catching the repetitions, and polishing the prose while letting the author's unique style and word choices shine. Good editors are a book's invisible helper, and no author should have to go it alone.

So if you have a manuscript you have been writing for years, and if you're starting to feel stuck, consider asking for help. If you're up to your ears in plot twists and interior monologues, get a second opinion from someone you trust. Ask your local library or bookstore if there are critique groups, or find a writing conference in your genre. Or consider investing in an outside editor to help you see what works and what could still use work. Editors don't exist to crush writers' spirits and nitpick punctuation-they are people who love the written word and want to help authors put their best work forward. (See "What Editors (Really) Do" for a more in-depth look at the process).

No matter which path you take, keep writing. Carve out time for your novel and keep at it. You never know when an idea scribbled on a napkin will become the story of a century.

*There might be an explanation for the map return that I missed. If you saw it, please drop a note on our Facebook page to let me know.

Other articles in this series:

• Five Great Storytelling Lessons from Harry Potter
• Chekov's Gun
  
• Heroes Have Hormones
  
• A World to Remember

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