Michelle Davies: 'Embrace the fact that editing is where the magic happens'
BY Maya Fernandes
10th Sep 2026
In this interview Michelle Davies, author, editor and mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript programme, shares her editing process.
'Make sure during the edit that your protagonist is memorable enough to carry the novel. The most memorable characters in fiction are the ones who are fully formed in every sense, so don’t skimp on detail.'
We spoke to Michelle about her love for crime fiction, her writing routine and what she enjoys most about working with aspiring authors.
As a freelance editor, you’ve worked with manuscripts at many different stages. How would you describe your approach to editing, and how do you adapt that approach depending on what a manuscript needs?
It doesn’t matter whether I’m reading a completed manuscript or the opening few chapters to one, my approach as an editor is always to focus on the big picture. It’s about helping the author I’m working with stress-test their plot so that when their manuscript is ready to go out on submission, they can answer a genuine “yes” to the following question:
- Is your story the most compelling it can be?
Characterisation, dialogue, pace, structure, etc can be finessed during the editing process, but if your plot is weak and the storytelling doesn’t make sense, it won’t matter how good those other elements are. The plot and its ability to grip the reader from beginning to end is ultimately what matters. So, as an editor I will highlight the strands I don’t think are working, but I always try to suggest alternatives. Authors I work with are used to me asking “What if… x/y/z happens instead?” a lot!
You’ve written across several strands of crime fiction, from police procedurals and legal thrillers to psychological suspense. What first drew you to the genre, and what keeps bringing you back to it?
The first crime novel I read was Secret Seven Win Through by Enid Blyton when I was in primary school. It was a “locked room” mystery about someone stealing provisions from a cave that the Secret Seven gang used as a meeting place. To catch the person they rigged red string across the entrance – only to find the string still intact but more things missing from inside the cave when they went back the next day. I remember trying to work out how that could possibly happen and from that moment I became hooked on crime fiction. I’m an armchair detective at heart! Now I work really hard on my own plots to wrong-foot readers: nothing pleases me more when they were thrown by the reveal/twist and didn’t see it coming.
When you’re working on a novel, do you have a writing routine or any rituals?
I’m a plotter, so my one ritual is to write an entire outline before I begin each manuscript. The outline can end up being anything between 4,000 and 8,000 words and sometimes will take me a month or so to finish. Then I send it to my agent to get her feedback and my partner, a former journalist, also reads it. While the finished manuscript may deviate in parts, it does usually parrot the outline. I just find comfort in knowing exactly where the story is going and it makes the writing process much quicker; I can lock in to write whenever and wherever because I already know what needs to come next.
As both an editor and an author, you have the unusual perspective of seeing a manuscript from both sides of the desk. Do you find it challenging to separate your editorial eye from your creative voice, or do you feel that having a knowledge of both perspectives strengthens your work?
I think it strengthens it. I tend to write very polished first drafts now because I’m attuned to what needs to be done in the edit stage. I’m focused on getting the story down but I’m also making sure that the elements I mention earlier – characterisation, pace etc – are in good shape too. I also send the most recent chapters in a Word doc to my Kindle to read them back in book form, as it’s a really helpful way of spotting issues. Then I’ll spend a few minutes doing those revisions on my WIP at the start of my next writing session.
What novel do you most frequently find yourself recommending to others?
Clare Mackintosh’s debut, I Let You Go. It has the best gasp-out-loud twist of any psychological thriller I’ve read and every would-be thriller writer should study it as a masterclass in misdirection.
We're so excited to have you on board as an editor and mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript – One-to-One Programme! What do you find most rewarding about supporting budding writers?
Lightbulb moments! Because of the big picture approach I take to editing, what I love most is witnessing budding writers having a breakthrough on a plot point that hasn’t been working. The excitement of them solving the issue is catching! It’s a privilege to support them developing their storytelling skills and watch their novels take shape, so I’m really excited to be working with the programme.
Could you share your top three tips for writers who have completed their manuscript and are just beginning the editing process?
- First tip is definitely to download your manuscript to a device where you can read it back like a book. Make notes as you go along about what needs to change, but don’t start editing until you’ve read it through once from start to finish.
- Second tip is to make sure during the edit that your protagonist is memorable enough to carry the novel. By that, I mean are they well drawn? I know I bang on about the plot being key, but I still want to know what your protagonist looks like and how old they are by the end of the novel, and too many first-time authors forget to include the little things that make a protagonist human. So make sure you describe what they look like as well as where they come from, what their personality traits are, what they’re wearing, how old they are, how tall or short. The most memorable characters in fiction are the ones who are fully formed in every sense, from Frodo Baggins to Bridget Jones, Reacher to Rebecca, so don’t skimp on detail.
- My final tip is to embrace the fact that editing is where the magic happens. Your first draft is for you to nail the story, the second draft is where you polish your prose, develop the characters, improve dialogue (a good tip for that is to read it aloud – if it sounds clunky to your ear, then it will read clunky on the page), sort out the structure/timeline etc. It’s also important to embrace the fact that editing takes as long as it takes and shouldn’t be a rush job. If you don’t take the time to get it right it will show, and your novel’s success on submission could hinge on it.
Michelle Davies is a critically acclaimed crime fiction author. Her back list includes police procedurals and psychological thriller standalones, while her two most recent novels are bestselling legal thrillers. Michelle has coached hundreds of writers, including Sunday Times bestsellers, on crafting gripping page-turners, both as a Reader/Editor and as an independent writing mentor. Michelle is a trained journalist with a background in editing and production and has a sharp eye for detail, structure and consistency. She’s also edited non-fiction for a Big 5 publisher.
We're delighted to welcome Michelle as a new addition to our expert mentoring team. She’s now a mentor on our Complete Your Manuscript – One-to-One Programme.
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