FINALLY!
I just finished the first step in my editing process which is to go through my manuscript and edit it with a pen. When I started this process, oh so long ago (almost two years now), I wasn’t too sure about it. Manually editing then going back and editing the document a second time on the computer to fix the mistakes seemed like an effort in redundancy. It seemed more efficient to edit as I go on the computer. But I decided to edit from the hard copy since I had had two other people read and edit it as well on the same copy.
As I went along, I found that it was easier to do it on paper. I could just make a note to rewrite a paragraph or scribble in a corrected sentence. I realized that if I tried to do that on a computer I would get bogged down in writing the second draft and not focus on the meat of the editing process. So what’s the meat? Since I have been on a blog list kick for about a week now, I’ll make you a list of what I think a writer should focus on in editing.
- Be clear and specific – get rid of vague descriptions and actions. I really have to work at this one. I am terrible at descriptions and creating an environment that a reader can visualize.
- Be concise - don’t use three words when one will work. Again, I have to work at this one as well. As I write I have a tendency to get wordy and use three sentences that can be accomplished by one.
- Be consistent – everything has to flow. I found several mistakes where I wrote a response to something I thought I had written but never did.
- Cut rid of the fluff – get rid of everything that doesn’t help the story and some of the things that do but are unnecessary. I am considering cutting the first 1o or so chapters. My story doesn’t really get going until chapter 11. Everything before that is backs tory that can be summarized in 4-5 pages. Scary thought since it took me several months to write the first part.
- Check the typos and grammar – even with spell check there were A LOT of misspelled words that it missed along with tons of missing words and grammatical errors. Thankfully, I have a wife that is GREAT at pointing out my mistakes.
I am sure that my list will match some other suggestions on editing since I have read several books, websites and blogs on editing. If this list matches someone else’s, I apologize. It was inadvertent, but, really, how many things do you look for when you edit?
Congrats on finishing! Editing is hard hard work. I hear you about starting the story late–at a recent conference I went to, editor after editor the story should start AT the action, not a moment before. Hope it works out for you!