Ah, crud. I have to #edit all those pages too?

Posted on by Rainey Hall

WARNING:
THIS AUTHOR IS SUBJECT TO EMOTIONAL OUTBURSTS WHEN EDITING.

 Well then, how do you edit your own stuff? Here are ways I implement, but I’m always willing to learn.

  • SWALLOW your pride.
  • CRITIQUE GROUPS are invaluable. I pity mine.
  • Published on OneWildWord.com, https://writetodone.com/eight-simple-tips-for-editing-your-own-work/ Carol Despeaux Fawcett, a poet for over 30 years. instructs writers to “Edit for STRUCTURE AND CONTENT FIRST.” She goes on to teach, “It’s much more efficient to do your big picture editing first: that means looking for:”

Chapters or sections that need to be cut — perhaps they’re too advanced for the piece, or they’re a tangent to the main point.

Missing information that you need to add in, like a whole new section or chapter. (I wish I would’ve found this article before editing my first mystery in the Historical Fiction genre.)

Scenes or sections that need to be radically revised.

Major cuts, additions and rewrites need to happen before you start digging down into the individual sentences and words.

  • So far, the number one rule I’ve found at writing conferences and online is, “DON’T EDIT WHILE YOU WRITE”, unless it’s a spelling mistake, or a quick change of word choice. Tougher than chewing a football.
  • TAKE A BREAK — one day, five-days — once you’ve finished your manuscript. Edit with fresh eyes.
  • One of my mentors, (Sandi Sumner, Women Pilots of Alaska), often looked me in the eye and said, “CHOP.CHOP.CHOP.” Oh, the horror! She was correct. Thus far, I’ve cut at least 12% of words in one manuscript. Get rid of those adverbs, especially those ending in ly. For example, the first version: “Not wanting to wake her I drove past her and out the parking lot and onto 44th.” Compared to first edit: “I didn’t wake her and headed west on 44th.” The latter is less passive, as well as creating a place for your protagonist’s inner thoughts on why he/she left her.
  • When you’re ready to FINAL EDIT, PRINT each page of your manuscript. According to Caroline McMillian of the Charlotte Observer, “As any writer or editor will tell you, critiquing someone else’s work is much easier than deconstructing your own, because outside eyes bring a fresh perspective. To approach your own work critically, you need to simulate this ‘outsider’ perspective by viewing it in a form other than the one you wrote it in.”
  • I was READING ALOUD all my pages (not slowly or phonetically — I do this when I have a section that reads awkwardly/feels out of place), and right there in front of me was a major mistake — to the entire plot! Oh, the pain of defeat and defingers and deeyes and deego. Not only that, but I was wearied by page five. Choices as I saw them were to panic, trash most of my work, let self-doubt fill my very soul, or imagine and record options to make present plot work. Hmmm. Which brings me to a point made on the #EllenDegeneresShow. (Interview with #DJKhaled) Don’t let them get to you!
  • For those of you who want to “make your prose sing,” Ms. Carol Despeaux Fawcett suggests, “every single word needs to be polished and perfect — perfect for our intended meaning, the emotions we want to evoke and the music it brings to our ears…” A great way to learn how to improve your prose is to READ POETRY.
  • Let ’er go! STOP editing. What is better than a story which sits on your computer or flash drive? One that is read.

Still editing and my liver is quite healthy, thank you.

Category: Blog

4 thoughts on “Ah, crud. I have to #edit all those pages too?”

  1. “So far, the number one rule I’ve found at writing conferences and online is, “DON’T EDIT WHILE YOU WRITE”, unless it’s a spelling mistake, or a quick change of word choice. Tougher than chewing a football.”

    For me, it’s the total opposite. I finish a chapter, print it out, read it in bed and make sketchy notes. Most is the “little stuff” like typos, repeated words, flow, whether I can follow who’s speaking in the dialogue, but if I see something that isn’t working or might need to be somewhere else, I’ll make a note of that as well.
    Next morning, I start my writing day by fixing all my rough spots.
    It’s worked for me for over 20 novels, and it means my first full editing pass doesn’t take too long. If it IS a major story/character/plot issue, I might hold off until I’m confident those changes are needed. Or, when I’m stuck, either because I’m waiting on a piece of research, or reached a fork in the story and am not sure which way to go, I find those are good times to go back and address the bigger points.
    You have to find what works for you.

  2. I agree with Terry. When I start my writing session, the first thing I do is read the previous chapter and check for typos, clumsy sentences, etc. That also gets me back into the flow of the story. I’m a pantser, so it’s my “kick in the seat of the pants” to get me going. About every six weeks I’ll read the whole story and check for inconsistencies, places that need to be changed because of things I wrote later, and general flow and structure. By the time the book is finished it’s in pretty good shape. I run it through my style checkers (ProWritingAid and SmartEdit), give it a final read, and it’s ready for beta readers.

    I will also stop in the writing process to think about a line or word that I can’t get right. I can’t just put a “fix this later” marker in because I’ll just worry about it so much it interferes with my writing. Every once in a while I’ll put a marker in, like “[what’s another word for ‘thesaurus’?]” and fix it in my re-read the next day.

    I suspect that this works for me because I’m a pantser, and my characters will just stand around while I’m thinking. Kind of like football players while the commercials are running. If I take too long someone will shout, “Put a damned marker in and let’s get going!”

    I also don’t print my work because I can’t afford that much paper. But I’ve found a digital alternative. I write in Scrivener, and all the menus and sidebars and widgets are a signal that I’m a writer, not a reader. To get into reader mode, I found that converting the document to Word gives me a different perspective. And for a complete reader-like experience I convert it to epub and read it on my tablet.

    The one rule I follow in writing is, “Rules are meant to be broken.” They’re guidelines that may work for most writers. (Or for most teachers of writing!) If they work for you, fine. If they make you cranky, write however works for you, and apply them when necessary. Like those adverbs. They can get out of control, so in my review passes I begrudgingly kill most of my adverbs.

  3. Terry and Kurt-

    I love to learn how and what works for others. (Especially after 20 novels.)

    Terry, I will try your suggestion of editing by chapter, thus catching major boo-boos early in the process. Good idea.

    Kurt, I’ve heard a few published authors use the same pattern as you–read the previous chapter to refresh you the next day and help get back into the voices/heads of characters. Thank you for that reminder. I hate to burn through so much paper too, let alone the ink!

    Appreciate your comments.

    Thank you both,

    R

    PS The statement about my liver, you have to see the original blog for that to make sense. 🙂

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