How Do I Edit?
As part of a showcase of blogs from the forum, Absolute Write Water Cooler I thought I’d go through, step by step how I generally edit my writing.
The keyword is ‘generally’ because sometimes the steps vary, and this mainly applies to short fiction and flash fiction. I’ve never finished a novel-length manuscript so don’t know how I’d go about editing that. Perhaps in the same way.
Firstly, if I’ve written various scenes in separate files, I compile them together into one Word document, now with the intention of moving it from the ‘First Draft’ folder to the ‘Editing’ folder in my Writing folder on my laptop.
I then go through the story quickly on screen, to quickly remove any glaring typos or if there’s a major inconsistency in the story, it’d be hard to avoid fixing that up on the spot.
I then try and let it sit (in the past I’ve let it sit for too long) to gain some distance from it. At this point I may show it to my First Reader, Margo.
When I’m ready to edit it, I print it out go through it with a red pen and try to find major changes that need to be made in both plot and technical writing. I then make the relevant changes to the file on the computer.
Now, I show it to my First Reader if I haven’t already, any beta readers I’ve found and/or a critique forum like on Absolute Write’s Share Your Work.
I then compile all of the advice, critiques and points together, go through the print out again and make changes to the file on the computer.
If I’m satisfied with the story then, I might send it out; otherwise it might go back to my First Reader, beta readers or critique groups to get another going over until I’m satisfied.
If it comes back rejected from a market (I’ve only gotten to this stage with one story) then I’ll make minor changes, particularly if the editor has given me a personalised rejection letter outlining what were the negative points of my work.
I then sound it again, and repeat the above step if it gets rejected again – to a point. There’s a point where you will realise continuous editing will do more harm then good and it’s at that point you just send the story out again without making changes, until it’s published or you realize it’s not worth it anymore.
For some shorter works, like flash fiction, I will sometimes skip the sitting and initial edit stage and send it right on to my First Reader, beta readers and/or critique groups.
If you would like to be included in the showcase, feel free to write a post about how you edit and send me a link to benjamin [at] benjaminsolah [dot] com
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Other peoples’ opinions are very necessary, aren’t they? They have the advantage of having no emotional investment in the work and no familiarity with it.
Isaac’s last blog post..And another day flashes past
Definitely. My writing really started coming forward when I began seeking thorough critical edits other than this is good, or this is bad.
They point out things and patterns in your writing that you don’t notice exactly because they are patterns and you get used to them.
I really need to get one of those red pens. They sound snazzy : )
Thanks Nat. They are! I’m a stationary junky and the red pens look so bright on the page.
Readers/Reviewers are a must. My first Beta stage was somewhat lackluster in that only one person gave me a detailed analysis of what I wrote and I heard little or nothing from the rest. I hope to have better luck the next time around.
Ralph Pines’s last blog post..It’s a mistake! Time to edit.