When the editing trimming shears become a chainsaw

Editing is about information first, then style and characterization. That's how I would evaluate this:

1) Information: is all the necessary information there for the reader to follow the story? Did you have the plot in tact? Are the secondary characters offering the right info at the right time?

2) Style: have you stripped the writing so completely that there is nothing left of your own personal style to make it distinct from other writers. I'm not talking about purple prose or adding in tons of descriptions, but are your particular 'flavors' well balanced in the word choices, sentence constuctions, etc. For instance, I write lean, but go back in and flesh out some of the sketchier parts--with lean details. (Meaning they didn't exist at all before.)

3) Characterization: I recently rewrote a paragraph for a secondary character because the dialogue could have come from anyone and been said to anyone. Are your characters inhabiting the world you created for them? Do they refer to one another and their histories outside the written pages? Do they reference past, present and future events to give that sense of being in a legitimate world?

Here are the two paragraphs I was talking about:

Original paragraph:

His father looked at him, considering.“I still don’t know if you got what it takes, boy. It’s a cutthroat world and I’m not sure you’re made of strong enough steel to handle this company. It might be better if I sold it before I’m too dotty to run things anymore.”

The Rewrite:

His father looked at him, considering. “I still don’t know if you got enough of a backbone, kid. These men don’t play at business, they are the business. This won’t be like your playground in college and not like those architectural people in New York either. I’d start paying attention, learning how they operate. They don’t say keep your friends close and you enemies closer for no reason, son. Now if you want to see someone born for this business, take a gander at Cody Graves. He knows how to take charge, make people sit up and pay attention.”

Now, the writing itself might not be the greatest, but you can see in the second example that this dialogue is world and character-specific to this particular novel. Hope that helps make sense of what I'm talking about

And I do hope that this information helps you solve your dilemma

Warmly,
Jenny

I know what you mean. I chopped a bunch from my book. In my opinion, it really improved my pacing. However, I know the story forwards and backwards, so it's hard to know if I left out something important.

Because of this, I had someone else read it. Not for edits, just to read it. Then I asked if they were ever confused. Yes means that I cut too much. No means I did just fine. Fortunately, I got a no.

Now I just need to focus on my current WIP and stop tinkering around with the one that I'm querying and have pages out on.

Time away from the pages also helps. Let it sit for a month (or two) and then go back and start reading it from page one. Don't look at it with an eye toward editing, just read it. Then after, jot down your impressions--what you remember, disliked, liked, etc. Then you can go back and start tweaking again.

Glad I helped some, Ellen

Danthia is absolutely correct. I like to write a draft, then work on a synopsis/outline for the next project, start researching that next book and fleshing out the characters and the world they'll be inhabiting. By the time I'm ready to begin the draft on that book, the previous book I was allowing to rest is ready for me to edit.

After immersing myself in the new project, it's amazing how objectively I can see the previous work and it really, really helps know exactly how that older work should read compared to how I have it written.

Then when I go back to the new project and re-read that outline/synopsis, I can see it better as well and know where I'm lacking in structure or any loose ends I may have neglected in the plannng stage.

However, you said you were a spurt writer, so I'm wondering if you plan at all? If you don't, then maybe focus on a few shorter works that you can use to build your writing portfolio. Maybe write two or three short stories and prepare them for submission--then go back to editing your full ms?

Just some thoughts

Warmly,
Jenny

Always save a copy before sawing. If you can get a beta reader who will do repeat reads, it can be very helpful. I've been yelled at for removing essential scenes. I copied them back in and then edited gently to tighten them and smooth the seams.

EFCollins said:

Danthia, I try to put some time between edits/revisions and the actual story writing. Try being the operative word. Once it's written, I just want to nit-pick and hack and tear... it's becoming an obsession. I may be over-compensating, something a friend of mine said, because of personal issues and discomforts with my education. It's a silly thing, but she hit it closer than I thought anyone would. I can't seem to be objective. I'll give it some time... maybe a week before I try to edit. I might be able to last that long, heh.

Click to expand...

I think nitpicking comes with the territory We read so much about how perfect our books have to be to get an agent or sell, so we treat every sentence like a bucket of hand grenades--one wrong move and bam! we're done for. It's hard to be objective, so you're not alone there.

If it helps, the nitpicky stuff never ends so try not to worry so much about it. Your agent will have their say, your editor will have theirs, the copy editors will do their thing, and then you'll do your thing again based on everything they did. Right now, focus on clean, solid prose that shows your voice and tells a great story. That's what matters most.

Perhaps try to do a short story or essay or something between rewrites? Or maybe even your query and synopsis? Something that lets you stay in the moment with the book but lets you tinker to your heart's content without affecting the book itself until you're ready to go back.