Editing question!

Baryonyx · May 14, 2010

So, I'm about to start editing on my first completed novel. Was gonna do it on the computer and edit as I read through it.

Now I'm thinking maybe it would be better if I print my completed novel out and read through it on paper, highlighting mistakes with a marker to go back and fix at a later date on the old computer.

Just thinking that I may notice more mistakes/plot holes/things that need changing if my minds on reading and not rewriting bits like it would be if I did it on the computer.

What way would be best do y'all think?

Jamesaritchie · May 14, 2010

Whichever works for you. Some swear that printing it out is the only way, and other edits just fine on the computer. Print a copy, and see how well it goes for you.

I prefer editing on the computer, but that's just me.

EagerReader · May 14, 2010

I have a harder time shifting things around on the computer, paper seems to shuffle easier and I can lay it all out to see where it sags, so that's my method. However, it gets expensive (ink cartridges) so I make a print copy with virtually no margins, single space, use a smaller font, close chapter breaks and stuff like that to get more bang for my buck. I wind up printing many times as I revise (it's ready! Dang, it's not). Good luck with whatever you decide!

SWest · May 14, 2010

Yeah, this is a sort of How Your Brain works thing. Experiment, and dig in!

midgedear · May 14, 2010

I've edited on the computer, and then, at the suggestion of a friend, went back and printed it out. I can't tell you how many, many more errors I caught. But, like EagerReader says, it can get a little expensive. See, I have to have room to make the corrections, so I may take the margin down, but I keep the double space.

Try editing a chapter on the computer, then print it off and see if you catch some more errors. I think you'll see a big difference.

Let us know how it goes.

ebennet68 · May 14, 2010

I've done it both ways. I think printing it out and editing worked a lot better. Saw a lot more mistakes. Another thing I also did when about to revise and edit was change the font of the story. That helped me to see it completely different as well.

Lydia Sharp · May 14, 2010

I do both. Usually, my final edit is on a hard copy. Stuff just seems to jump off the page for some reason, even after I've edited it a million times onscreen.

Baryonyx · May 14, 2010

I'll do both methods like others have suggested. Computer first, then a hard copy.

Thanls y'all

Kelsey · May 14, 2010

I'll do my first and last edits on a hard-copy. Everything in between is pretty focused, so the computer works well for me.

Linda Adams · May 14, 2010

It's really up to you and what works best. I usually do the majority of edits on the computer. Eventually I'll print the manuscript and mark any further edits with a flag.

Stanmiller · May 14, 2010

Zefiris said:
So, I'm about to start editing on my first completed novel. Was gonna do it on the computer and edit as I read through it.

Now I'm thinking maybe it would be better if I print my completed novel out and read through it on paper, highlighting mistakes with a marker to go back and fix at a later date on the old computer.

Just thinking that I may notice more mistakes/plot holes/things that need changing if my minds on reading and not rewriting bits like it would be if I did it on the computer.

What way would be best do y'all think?

There's a better way. Win XP, Vista, and Win 7 have a basic reader called Narrator, but it works only with rtf or txt files. NaturalReader 2009 is a free download that lets Sam or Annie, (MS reader voices) read doc and docx files.

Dunno about Macs, but there should be something similar.

I used to print, then found the reader lets me proof and edit in the pooter at the same time. It cuts the edit time by a third and catches just as many probs as when I printed.

--Stan

kaitie · May 15, 2010

I print out all my major revisions unless I'm doing a complete rewrite or only revising a small section. I just see things better in print, if that makes sense. Especially all those pesky little grammar problems where I've left out a word or accidentally used the wrong word somewhere, things like that. I do minor revisions on the computer, though, without any problems.

Dr.Gonzo · May 15, 2010

I print it out and read it through without doing anything at all. Then I go through it again with a blue pen and a highlighter. I'll do a couple of drafts like this then if there's still problem areas - there almost always is - I'll rewrite certain sections and then print it off one final time for another read through. Hopefully, then, I can put my feet up.

I don't know what it is, but I can never get completely into the story when I read something on screen.

scarletpeaches · May 15, 2010

I do the first draft on the computer, then print it all out and do the mark-ups on hard copy (single or 1.5 line spacing to save paper), transfer the corrections to the computer copy and I'm done.

brainstorm77 · May 15, 2010

I find printing it out helps me find the flaws best.

PoppysInARow · May 15, 2010

I'll jump on board with the printing out. I do that once or twice to get all the hard plotholes out and then read through a few more times on computer to look for smaller errors and bad writing.

Captcha · May 15, 2010

I do it all on computer, but one thing that I recently discovered and that helps me catch small things is to use the 'magnify' function on the computer. I think I miss punctuation, etc. when the print is smaller b/c a comma looks like a period and a colon looks like a semi-colon when they're tiny. When they're bigger, the problems are more obvious.

Snowstorm · May 15, 2010

When the first draft is safely in the computer, I do a hard line-by-line edit on the computer. Then I print it out. I catch so much more on paper than I do on the computer.

Congrats on your first novel!

cbenoi1 · May 15, 2010

Various electronic ways.

Text-to-speech. Comes with Win7. yWriter has is too (free). Several other free packages.

Editing software (as opposed to writing software). Various pricey packages. Microsoft Word can be setup to add a few more features to the basic grammar check. I use the AutoCrit free wizard.

-cb

Gillhoughly · May 15, 2010

Try a read-through on the computer to change as you go.

But change the font.

If I change from Times New Roman to anything else readable it's amazing how much stuff I spot.

THEN print a hard copy and do a fine-tooth comb edit--READING THE WHOLE DANGED THING ALOUD to yourself.

If you can't say a sentence in one breath, it's too long. Stilted dialogue jumps at you, along with word reps and boring info dumps and other flaws. Read it in a flat monotone. Boring bits can be enlivened by a good dramatic reading--but you don't want that. You want to find the boring bits and fix them!

I save paper on the hard copy by reducing it to a smaller font, using the smallest margins and two columns. I call it magazine format--it allows me to put more words on a page. I've been able to reduce a 400-page MS down to 100 pages using this trick.

Corrections go in after I'm done reading. It's too easy to get distracted and start tweaking as you go. Turn off the monitor and leave the room so you're not tempted.

kaitie · May 15, 2010

Oh yeah, I do single spaced with small margins as well, and an 11-point font when I print stuff off. I also print front and back. Then I carry a notebook and some tape with me just in case I want to make a really major change or add paragraphs and don't have enough space, and tape the pages to the printout.

Diana W. · May 16, 2010

First off congratulations on finishing your first novel. It's great feeling, huh?

I tend to find it easier to print and read. I guess it's because we're used to reading novels on the printed page that so many of us find it easier to spot mistakes that way. But yeah, it does use a lot of ink. And paper.

ComicBent · May 16, 2010

Editing

Whatever works best for you, of course.

In skimming through all the posts above, I did not see any mention of the "Track Changes" feature available in Word and OpenOffice.org.

My preferred way of editing is to use Track Changes. With it you can delete text by changing its color and striking it out with a line, and insert new text in a different color. Later you decide whether to accept or reject the changes, whether one at a time or all at once. It is an enormously helpful feature.

If you have never used it, I explain how in this illustrated PDF article available for download.

My own experience is that editing on paper has its advantages but also has one big drawback that outweighs all the advantages: I always end up making extensive revisions that are long, semi-legible scrawls across the margins, with arrows pointing off to the reverse side of the previous page, and so forth. For me, nothing works as well as editing on the computer.

Jamesaritchie · May 16, 2010

ComicBent said:
Whatever works best for you, of course.

In skimming through all the posts above, I did not see any mention of the "Track Changes" feature available in Word and OpenOffice.org.

My preferred way of editing is to use Track Changes. With it you can delete text by changing its color and striking it out with a line, and insert new text in a different color. Later you decide whether to accept or reject the changes, whether one at a time or all at once. It is an enormously helpful feature.

If you have never used it, I explain how in this illustrated PDF article available for download.

My own experience is that editing on paper has its advantages but also has one big drawback that outweighs all the advantages: I always end up making extensive revisions that are long, semi-legible scrawls across the margins, with arrows pointing off to the reverse side of the previous page, and so forth. For me, nothing works as well as editing on the computer.

Good point. I use Track Changes with every edit. It works very, very well.

Fresie · May 16, 2010

Me too, I'm amazed how many more errors I notice -- including things like plotting, voice and pacing, not just grammar and spelling -- when I print the pages out. It gives a much more realistic view of my work than just reading it off the screen.

Talking about expensive, Courier takes a fraction of the ink other fonts use. A complete novel printout takes less than a quarter of a cartridge in Courier. I hear that Garamond is even more economical, but I haven't tried it yet.

Editing question!

commaholic and adverb junkie

In the garden...

Fictionista

Avoids editing by procrastinating

for the love of love

Book Slut

Soldier, Storyteller

With great power comes

Wonderfully Irreverent

practical experience, FTW

Baby plot bunneh sniffs out a clue

Grumpy writer and editor

With great power comes

I'm evolving

She Who Runs The Waves