I was reading just yesterday about Holly Lisle's one-pass revision process, and it looks hugely overwhelming. She swears by it, though!
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Editing block?
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Exactly. I've edited this book using the "oyster" method
, and it felt pretty good.
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Go over it again and again until all the irritating bits are smoothed over, like an oyster creating a pearl. (Except I guess the analogy is imperfect, since it implies adding rather than mostly subtracting...)
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Ah, I see. This whole thread has been quite interesting. I know I have to limit myself to specific changes in each pass (easily overwhelmed!), but tackling the big structural changes in the first pass feels beyond my abilities. Right now, all I can fix is what I can clearly identify as wrong: character inconsistencies, weak motives/goals, etc. I have vague inklings towards bigger problems, but not the know-how to single them out and correct them at this stage. It's frustrating, as I feel I'm doing this out of order and will be chopping my MS up with much sharper scissors later, but for now, I'm at a 'fix what you know is wrong' level. I fear it's more painting and finishing than knocking out walls.
Ah, I see. This whole thread has been quite interesting. I know I have to limit myself to specific changes in each pass (easily overwhelmed!), but tackling the big structural changes in the first pass feels beyond my abilities. Right now, all I can fix is what I can clearly identify as wrong: character inconsistencies, weak motives/goals, etc. I have vague inklings towards bigger problems, but not the know-how to single them out and correct them at this stage. It's frustrating, as I feel I'm doing this out of order and will be chopping my MS up with much sharper scissors later, but for now, I'm at a 'fix what you know is wrong' level. I fear it's more painting and finishing than knocking out walls.
It is difficult, you're right. But have confidence in yourself. You've got this far, you can definitely do this.
Read through it, start to finish. Don't try to change anything yet, just circle typos or punctuation errors and keep reading. Make notes as you go, in a separate file (I prefer to edit on a paper ms with a notebook by my elbow). If something doesn't flow properly, make a note of it. If you spot a plot-hole, note it down. Keep going til you reach the end. Then read through your notes, look at all the plot holes etc you've seen, and have a think. Can you switch a few scenes around to make it work better? Do you need to write a new scene or two to sort things out? Or if you combine two characters into one, would that do the job? You might be surprised how clear things become if you do it this way. If you try to fix things as you go, you won't get an overview of the whole book so it's harder. At least, that's my experience.
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Thanks for the encouragement old hack!
Good suggestions. I have been hesitant to waste so much paper on so much crap (almost 400 pages--soooo overwhelming), but I think I need to do that soon. Maybe another read through on the kindle with note making first, see if I can cut it down a bit.
Good suggestions. I have been hesitant to waste so much paper on so much crap (almost 400 pages--soooo overwhelming), but I think I need to do that soon. Maybe another read through on the kindle with note making first, see if I can cut it down a bit.
Make passes into a game. Rush through at speed. If you are really stuck on a sentence then skip it, the same way you do as drafting. Sounds counterproductive, right? But I frequently encounter the same thing, and I'll do a dozen passes on an MS no matter how much nitpicking I do with each pass.
I usually start with pulling out my notebook for a story, and I start on a fresh page, and outline the story with ink as I go through it. My first couple of passes are focused completely on the story, and the notebook helps me keep up the pace. My first "edit" in fact, is nothing more than a note-taking read-through. Going fast helps me spot big plot holes and overall changes that need to be made to characters when they are acting "out of character." On that pass, faster is better, and I only fix easy, glaring issues.
My second pass targets the spots I've identified, and I work toward making the story consistent and seamless. This is also when I rip up unnecessary scenes and add needed ones. I move whole blocks of text, even chapters. Then I do another story pass at reading speed to see if everything I've done is working.
Once the big stuff is out of the way, I do 2 or 3 quick passes fixing sentences. As I said, if I can't fix it in five minutes, I move on, telling myself that I'll catch it on the next pass. Stories are always messy at first, but instead of making every single paragraph perfect, I focus on fixing what I can without wrecking my brain when I can't come up with a good verb.
This iterative process makes the story better and easier to read with each pass, freeing my brain up to be more fresh when I come back to the hard sentences, and they don't seem as difficult the next time around. It also keeps me actively involved in the story. I should be able to finish at least a chapter per day on each editing pass, and I work on other stories in between.
Another thing I notice is that I'll get better at editing with each pass. Just like writing, editing is a skill that develops a little more every time you go through a story. Looking up I see that some others have hinted at this, too. Maybe there's a nugget here that can help further though.
I usually start with pulling out my notebook for a story, and I start on a fresh page, and outline the story with ink as I go through it. My first couple of passes are focused completely on the story, and the notebook helps me keep up the pace. My first "edit" in fact, is nothing more than a note-taking read-through. Going fast helps me spot big plot holes and overall changes that need to be made to characters when they are acting "out of character." On that pass, faster is better, and I only fix easy, glaring issues.
My second pass targets the spots I've identified, and I work toward making the story consistent and seamless. This is also when I rip up unnecessary scenes and add needed ones. I move whole blocks of text, even chapters. Then I do another story pass at reading speed to see if everything I've done is working.
Once the big stuff is out of the way, I do 2 or 3 quick passes fixing sentences. As I said, if I can't fix it in five minutes, I move on, telling myself that I'll catch it on the next pass. Stories are always messy at first, but instead of making every single paragraph perfect, I focus on fixing what I can without wrecking my brain when I can't come up with a good verb.
This iterative process makes the story better and easier to read with each pass, freeing my brain up to be more fresh when I come back to the hard sentences, and they don't seem as difficult the next time around. It also keeps me actively involved in the story. I should be able to finish at least a chapter per day on each editing pass, and I work on other stories in between.
Another thing I notice is that I'll get better at editing with each pass. Just like writing, editing is a skill that develops a little more every time you go through a story. Looking up I see that some others have hinted at this, too. Maybe there's a nugget here that can help further though.
Has anyone tried Fiction University's Revise your Novel in 31 Days Challenge? I am attempting it this month. I am a little behind, but I am hoping it will be helpful.
I feel your pain. Editing is a really drag sometimes especially when you read your manuscript over and ove until your eyes cross. It can get very daunting.
I always have another project ready and I jump between the two to get my mind off editing. Sometimes I'll keep writing and completely ignore my editing which is bad
I hope things pick up. Good luck editing to everyone
Cheers
I always have another project ready and I jump between the two to get my mind off editing. Sometimes I'll keep writing and completely ignore my editing which is bad
I hope things pick up
. Good luck editing to everyone Cheers
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Lots of great advice here! I ran into a MAJOR issue with a manuscript and I never have been able to really properly sort it out. I think I know what needs to be done but the changes would cause a ripple effect and there would be dozens and dozens of other changes and, frankly, the prospect was so daunting, I began to question whether or not the manuscript was even worth it or if it would be better to start something entirely new.
Honestly, I still don't know. :/
I don't have a problem going into my work and polishing. That is, I enjoy fixing errors, tweaking dialogue, adding or subtracting details to make the writing more vivid, etc. But facing such a major change (in this case it was a big, big character change along with a fairly large change in the order and nature of the pivotal action) just knocked me down.
If anyone has any good advice for facing up to that sort of problem, I'd be very grateful.
Honestly, I still don't know. :/
I don't have a problem going into my work and polishing. That is, I enjoy fixing errors, tweaking dialogue, adding or subtracting details to make the writing more vivid, etc. But facing such a major change (in this case it was a big, big character change along with a fairly large change in the order and nature of the pivotal action) just knocked me down.
If anyone has any good advice for facing up to that sort of problem, I'd be very grateful.
You can only address it one bite at a time.
Work out what needs to be done. Make a list of changes, as detailed as you can get it.
Then just get to work. Make the changes, one at a time, and don't be overwhelmed by it. Cross each item off your list as you go. Work from big to small so that you do the hardest things first, then the rest seems much easier to deal with.
You can do this.
Work out what needs to be done. Make a list of changes, as detailed as you can get it.
Then just get to work. Make the changes, one at a time, and don't be overwhelmed by it. Cross each item off your list as you go. Work from big to small so that you do the hardest things first, then the rest seems much easier to deal with.
You can do this.
1000 words a day means you can edit a 90k book in 3 months. That's not terribly slow, I think.
If you want to go faster, you can set yourself daily goals. Let's say edit 2500 words a day, and allow yourself a couple of 'cheat' days in any given week. I think you'll find yourself editing more if you cut the work in bite-sized chunks.
This worked for me at least, and some days when I felt like it, I edited way above the minimum I've set for myself.
If you want to go faster, you can set yourself daily goals. Let's say edit 2500 words a day, and allow yourself a couple of 'cheat' days in any given week. I think you'll find yourself editing more if you cut the work in bite-sized chunks.
This worked for me at least, and some days when I felt like it, I edited way above the minimum I've set for myself.
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