Editing: Complete re-write or not

Serious Desi · Nov 7, 2009

I've finished my first manuscript or story but I'm editing now.
I mostly like what I've written but I've had huge plot turns, I've cut characters out and I've made a lot of big changes.
People ask me:
"So how many drafts have you done?"
and I just say : I'm editing the first...

Anyways, what would be the best way to do this?

scarletpeaches · Nov 7, 2009

What I do is, I print out a hard copy of my first draft and mark it up with biro, highlighters, post-its, whatever grabs me and was on sale at the stationer's.

I then transfer all these edits onto my first draft on screen, re-save it as 'manuscript' or something similar, and I'm done.

A couple of weeks later I'll read over it on screen and tighten it with regard to commas, qualifiers, typos and the like and that's more or less it.

I too have deleted characters but still kept the corrections to once on hard copy, once on screen.

Kathleen42 · Nov 7, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
What I do is, I print out a hard copy of my first draft and mark it up with biro, highlighters, post-its, whatever grabs me and was on sale at the stationer's.

I then transfer all these edits onto my first draft on screen, re-save it as 'manuscript' or something similar, and I'm done.

A couple of weeks later I'll read over it on screen and tighten it with regard to commas, qualifiers, typos and the like and that's more or less it.

I too have deleted characters but still kept the corrections to once on hard copy, once on screen.

I do pretty much the same in but I do one final hard copy check because I'm just not as good at catching things on screen.

If I'm doing a lot of scene shifting or adding a lot of new scenes, sometimes I'll start over with a new, blank document and copy/paste what I need in.

Serious Desi · Nov 7, 2009

Their both sound pretty good ideas, the printing out sound like it could get kind of costly but I'll have to try it out.

Thanks

Kathleen42 · Nov 7, 2009

Serious Desi said:
Their both sound pretty good ideas, the printing out sound like it could get kind of costly but I'll have to try it out.

Thanks

Unless you have a laser printer, it can be. I think I average about $20 when I print it out at home (for about 300pgs) and a few dollars more if I take it to the local copy shop.

scarletpeaches · Nov 7, 2009

I get paper for nowt off my dad, and ink is dirt cheap. £10 gets me four sets (one colour, one black cart). One black cart would print out maybe a third of the manuscript. More, possibly.

Serious Desi · Nov 7, 2009

I don't have a printer, but I know a library that allows 70 pages free weekly....it's just a bit far from where I live. I'll just have to take a trip every week or so.

scarletpeaches · Nov 7, 2009

I print stuff out as I write it. That way it doesn't seem like such a huge amount of paper and ink to use all at once.

Serious Desi · Nov 7, 2009

scarletpeaches said:
I print stuff out as I write it. That way it doesn't seem like such a huge amount of paper and ink to use all at once.

I'll try doing that the next time around.

SeattleGhostWriter · Nov 7, 2009

Serious Desi said:
I've finished my first manuscript or story but I'm editing now.
I mostly like what I've written but I've had huge plot turns, I've cut characters out and I've made a lot of big changes.
People ask me:
"So how many drafts have you done?"
and I just say : I'm editing the first...

Anyways, what would be the best way to do this?

There is a big difference between Revising and Editing. Something that I did not know about until taking a college composition class.

In fact, there is a really good article on Revising and Editing that I am incorporating in all of my writing.

Here is a good suggestion here (while it deals with Academic Writing and Essays, I believe it is very applicable to any type of writing) about revising and Editing

Another resource on Revising and Editing that gives more clarity on the purpose of both and how to do both.

blacbird · Nov 7, 2009

Serious Desi said:
I've finished my first manuscript or story but I'm editing now.
I mostly like what I've written but I've had huge plot turns, I've cut characters out and I've made a lot of big changes.
People ask me:
"So how many drafts have you done?"
and I just say : I'm editing the first...

Anyways, what would be the best way to do this?

There isn't one. There are only less bad ways of doing it, and every one depends on the condtion of the manuscript to start with.

caw

Serious Desi · Nov 7, 2009

Read the articles the second one was especially helpful.

Thanks

There isn't one. There are only less bad ways of doing it, and every one depends on the condition of the manuscript to start with.

I wish I knew the condition.
I think I'll just edit the first draft.

Stijn Hommes · Nov 9, 2009

Serious Desi said:
I've finished my first manuscript or story but I'm editing now.
I mostly like what I've written but I've had huge plot turns, I've cut characters out and I've made a lot of big changes.
People ask me:
"So how many drafts have you done?"
and I just say : I'm editing the first...

Anyways, what would be the best way to do this?

If you're asking because you want to answer the people asking the drafts question, just count up all the times you've gone completely through the work and saved a new version after editing. If you're so caught up in getting it perfect that you've never actually reached the end, that might be a sign you need to change your approach...

Kalyke · Nov 9, 2009

The term re-write came from type-writer days when you simply couldn't copy, cut, and paste. The process meant a complete re-typing of the manuscript from start to finish.

I prefer the term "iteration" which is used by technical document companies. "Revision," is also an acurate term.

DrZoidberg · Nov 9, 2009

This is what I do. I take a backup and butcher the copy and fit in my plot turns. Then I go back and look at the original and compare. In the debris something new and better grows. Sometimes I learn that my new plot twist wasn't as good as I thought (or new). Constantly new ideas pop up. I go back and forward quite a bit and end up with dozens of backups, all with slightly different stories. It's a labour intensive method, but it works for me. I don't even keep 10% of what I write.

edwilson · Nov 9, 2009

It's funny. This is exactly where I find myself. I just completed the first draft of my manuscript and I'm trying to figure out how to tackle it one piece at a time. I'm beginning with "show vs. tell" and that's all I'll focus on until I get to the end and then focus on another category. I don't know if it's the right way, but I can't see any other way to tackle besides doing the editing in parts.

I know I'll do grammar last, because I think that would add the finishing touch at the end.

But trust me, I'm struggling right there with you.

[Edit:]I also read those to articles you posted. They were helpful... I was especially happy to read the suggestion to do grammar last.

Serious Desi · Nov 10, 2009

edwilson said:
It's funny. This is exactly where I find myself. I just completed the first draft of my manuscript and I'm trying to figure out how to tackle it one piece at a time. I'm beginning with "show vs. tell" and that's all I'll focus on until I get to the end and then focus on another category. I don't know if it's the right way, but I can't see any other way to tackle besides doing the editing in parts.

I know I'll do grammar last, because I think that would add the finishing touch at the end.

But trust me, I'm struggling right there with you.

[Edit:]I also read those to articles you posted. They were helpful... I was especially happy to read the suggestion to do grammar last.

I think I'm going to do the over all approach...but the separating part seems more through. ( Is that spelled write 0.o ? )

Thanks :Hug2:

Editing: Complete re-write or not

Serious Desi

I love coffee!

scarletpeaches

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

Serious Desi

I love coffee!

Kathleen42

crushing on fictional characters

scarletpeaches

Serious Desi

I love coffee!

scarletpeaches

Serious Desi

I love coffee!

SeattleGhostWriter

Obsessive is just a less complimentary term for "d

blacbird

Serious Desi

I love coffee!

Stijn Hommes

Know what you write...

Kalyke

DrZoidberg

aka TomOfSweden

edwilson

Serious Desi

I love coffee!