Writing vs. Editing

RocketFoot · Jul 31, 2009

When you are writing, do you pay a lot of attention to your overall structure? (ie. paragraphs, quote indents, etc...) Or do you just let it flow? Sometimes, I feel like my paragraphs are too long and I might even go back and adjust my chapters.

I'm starting to scare myself because as I write, I have let a few things slide. I figure i can go back and do the editing later. I do, however, try to stay on top of my grammar and punctuation as I go.

Any advice for this first time writer?

scarletpeaches · Jul 31, 2009

I wouldn't say I pay attention to spelling and grammar; they're such a part of me I don't have to, even on first drafts.

Aside from that, my first drafts are one long brainvomit. Editing is for...well, the editing stage.

C.M.C. · Jul 31, 2009

I don't pay attention to anything when I'm writing, except to make sure that I'm not wasting my time on junk.

Aggy B. · Jul 31, 2009

I pay attention to the basics. (Breaking up dialogue, separating distinct actions into different paragraphs, putting periods at the ends of sentences, etc.) That way when I go to edit the rough draft into something... better, I can understand it.

Other than that, I leave any nitpicky grammatical/spelling crap for later drafts.

seun · Jul 31, 2009

Because first drafts are exactly that, I don't worry too much about them as I write. The important thing is to get the words down. Not that I'm saying rules don't matter at this point, more that I'm OK if I make really stupid mistakes in the first draft. I'll get to them in the edits.

Kathleen42 · Jul 31, 2009

Aggy B. said:
I pay attention to the basics. (Breaking up dialogue, separating distinct actions into different paragraphs, putting periods at the ends of sentences, etc.) That way when I go to edit the rough draft into something... better, I can understand it.

Other than that, I leave any nitpicky grammatical/spelling crap for later drafts.

Same here. As scarletpeaches said, though, I don't really think about it.

I also use standard ms format with indents and double spacing.

RocketFoot · Jul 31, 2009

Cool, that eases my mind. I also set office2007 to new courier 12 pt, double spaces and paragraph indent, but that is the extent of my formatting. I'll worry about the rest in the 2nd draft!

RJK · Jul 31, 2009

As long as you have the word processor power that will format the document the way it needs to be, you should take advantage of that. Modify your "Novel" style to Indent the first line 1/2 inch. Double space your lines. Set your margins to 1 inch all around. Uncheck the Widow/Orphan control.
Create headers starting with page 2 to list your name/ title/ page # right justified. (When you start a new WIP, insert the title in the header.)
These are all things the finished document will need, and will help you visualize your finished work as you type.

nitaworm · Jul 31, 2009

It really depends on my writing mood. It's funny but when I go back to edit I find that there are parts that are very well written for a first run draft, then there are parts where I have all kinds of tense issues, and structure issues. I realized that it totally depended on the mood I was in when I happened to be writing.

DeleyanLee · Jul 31, 2009

I don't double-space my ms format. I set line spacing to "Exactly 25 pt" which will guarantee me 25 lines per page. If you're calculating word count by page count, it's a little more accurate. Since the vast majority of publishers don't do that anymore, it's not as big a deal, but there is something estetically pleasing about having all the lines match up exactly, page after page.

Wark · Jul 31, 2009

It's not Writing vs Editing. It's writing and editing.

As I write, I write. The passive verbs and 'that' abound. But, if I need to read the beginning of the chapter to get settled and know what's going on, I change things here and there. Not big stuff, just the little stuff.

I've recently discovered printing it out, and that is amazing.

Libbie · Jul 31, 2009

I don't necessarily *pay attention to* paragraph breaks, punctuation, spelling, etc. It's just so ingrained in my head that I hit that stuff as I write the first draft. Editing for me is improving prose, removing unnecessary words, and fixing minor typos.

jjacobs · Jul 31, 2009

I do things quite different than the other users who have posted. I write a chapter at a time. While I am working on a chapter, I format it correctly and pay attention to the basics of spelling and grammar, but mostly let it flow; no point in slowing yourself down when you're in the writing mood.

Once I finish a chapter, I reread it and edit it before moving onto the next. This isn't the most in depth edit, but at this point, I begin trimming paragraphs, eliminating unnecessary words, checking for consistency, etc. I have found that by doing this it not only makes the 2nd draft much easier to write, but it also helps my chapters flow together far more smoothly. I didn't do this when I wrote my first novel and it was obvious. The chapters didn't flow, there was little consistency in the pace, and the mistakes were overwhelming.

Hope this helps.

maestrowork · Jul 31, 2009

I do pay attention. For me, if I start off with just a bunch of dirt, it makes it so much harder to make it into gems during rewrite. My first draft is not just an "outline" -- I'd say 70% of the prose and structure stay through the various stages of rewrites. I also believe in "garbage in, garbage out" so I'd rather start with something halfway decent.

That doesn't mean I obsess over the first draft. I used to be quite a perfectionist but now I realize, there's no such thing as perfect. I also try not to edit until I'm done with the first draft.

But rewriting is writing. I just want the rewrite process to be as painless as possible, so I try to front-load the process.

Barrett · Jul 31, 2009

I try to pay attention to the first draft, but I couldn't get anything done if I didn't just 'brainvomit', as Scarlet said.

For me, there is no editing vs. writing. Editing IS writing. The first draft is improvisation for me, and it's writing. Formatting is writing. Outlining (if you do it, I don't) is writing.

But if the issue is whether or not to edit as you spew out the first draft? Well, you'll likely reword a recent sentence during the first draft, but you can't keep going back and polishing. You'll chase your tail.
Most of the folks here suggest most editing after the first draft for a reason. You'll get the main plot on paper, you'll learn aspects about characters you hadn't considered, you'll write the rare sentence that really kicks butt, and you'll have a better idea of how to edit each chapter when you have the whole work completed.

JoshPatton · Jul 31, 2009

I definitely agree with those that say write it all down first. The beauty of editing in the digital age is that you can do anything with your text once it is down.

Now if only I could take my own advice...

cooeedownunder · Jul 31, 2009

I can't help but edit a bit as I go. I like the story to be flowing from chapter to chapter.

NedC · Jul 31, 2009

JoshPatton said:
I definitely agree with those that say write it all down first. The beauty of editing in the digital age is that you can do anything with your text once it is down.

The trouble is that what you've written changes what you write next.

maestrowork · Jul 31, 2009

NedC said:
The trouble is that what you've written changes what you write next.

Not really. That's what notes are for. And we CAN write out of sequence. What's on paper does not have the final say; it can be changed. What's in your head (and notes, etc.) is the key.

I have changed directions many times while writing this WIP. All I need is to put in a note like (this needs to be rewritten/added: blah blah blah...) and then move on from there. And if I change my mind again, I put in another note and then move on from there again...

nitaworm · Jul 31, 2009

Wow, that's a good idea. I have lots of time to read and rework while going to kids sports activities. I never considered doing that, and it may actually save me some time. I am stealing your idea. Thanks.

jjacobs said:
I do things quite different than the other users who have posted. I write a chapter at a time. While I am working on a chapter, I format it correctly and pay attention to the basics of spelling and grammar, but mostly let it flow; no point in slowing yourself down when you're in the writing mood.

Once I finish a chapter, I reread it and edit it before moving onto the next. This isn't the most in depth edit, but at this point, I begin trimming paragraphs, eliminating unnecessary words, checking for consistency, etc. I have found that by doing this it not only makes the 2nd draft much easier to write, but it also helps my chapters flow together far more smoothly. I didn't do this when I wrote my first novel and it was obvious. The chapters didn't flow, there was little consistency in the pace, and the mistakes were overwhelming.

Hope this helps.

Brutal Mustang · Jul 31, 2009

I try writing the first draft as well as I can, simply because I enjoy it. Plus doing so makes my second draft better in the end. I suppose because something good improved has a head start over something bad improved.

NedC · Aug 1, 2009

maestrowork said:
And we CAN write out of sequence.

Now that's true. I find it helpful to have a version of the last chapter finished quite early in the process. Then you know where you're going.

It's hard to imagine how people managed when everything had to be written out in longhand. The sheer labour of re-drafting must have been a big incentive to get it right the first time.

Vanny · Aug 1, 2009

I pay attention to speech marks and commas only .And I write in chapters ,naming them as I go

Reginald · Aug 2, 2009

Anne Lamott calls it "The crappy first draft." No one is meant to read it except you. This allows the creative person in you to come out. Just write. Go back and revise and research later. I find this part boring and a lot less fun. I am on this step now with my manuscript.

Matera the Mad · Aug 2, 2009

I rearrange mega paragraphs in the edits. While writing, I don't let them run on because with my crappy eyesight I need frequent breaks, so they aren't too bad anyway. Dialog gets done right the first time (and edited to the bone later too). Only my personal habits are completely slobby.

Indentation is irrelevant. That's for final formatting, not on-the-fly writing. It's better not to do it at all than to do it inconsistently and try to fix it later.

Of course I don't write in a word processor, so it's irrelevant for me until I concatenate the mess and stuff it into acky Word. All I need to worry about is punctuation and visually separating paragraphs so I can edit them later.

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