How heavily do you edit your 1st draft?

No. Editing as you go is not advised against--many people here do exactly that (I'm one of them). But since this is your first, you may still have more work to do than more experienced writers would at this point. You seem to be doing the right thing by getting fresh eyes on it now. And once you get to 50 posts, you can put an excerpt up in Share Your Work to see if maybe you're making common beginning-writer mistakes.

Best of luck with it!

There's nothing wrong with editing as you go. Quite often when I want to work on my WIP and don't have the motivation to continue the story itself, I'll jump back to a random chapter/scene and pick it at. Change a word here, fix up a mistake there.

I'm kind of in the same boat though, I'm thinking of doing a full edit of the earlier chapters and getting some people to read them - even though I'm only two thirds of the way through writing it.

I would recommend, and I've seen a lot of people on here say the same thing, and that is to leave it alone for a week or two after it's done before going back over it.

Good luck with it!

I think advice to produce a SFD (sh*tty first draft) is aimed more at people who cannot progress because they get stuck on minor details--those folks really do need to stop worrying and forge ahead, or risk never finishing a draft. But since that wasn't your case, it doesn't apply to you.

noraline said:

I know this is advised against, and it is preferred to just write the draft in one fell swoop and go back and edit the heck out of it.

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Many people edit as they go along, and it works just fine for them. I could never do it, because it's hard for me to figure out if the plot works without having the whole thing written, but many people do.

So my question is, does this mean I've saved myself some work?

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You mean, will you have less editing to do now then someone who didn't edit as they wrote?

Hard to say. I mean, if there are major structural problems, you could still have a lot of work to do.

I'm rereading old chapters (even though it's a bit too soon), and they seem to be in pretty good shape, just some cleaning of phrasing/dialogue. I'm nervous that I might be doing something wrong, however, because all I've read about is how long/grueling editing is. I'm scared I'm missing something, basically.

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The editing process varies a lot for different writers. Some people do write pretty clean first drafts. Some people have 10+ drafts.

If I were you, I would put it aside for a few weeks. Maybe more. Then read the whole thing through and see what you think now that you've had a little distance. While reading, I'd focus on the overall story and structure. After deciding what changes need to be made and making them, I'd send it to unbiased beta readers and see what they think.

Extremely heavily. By the time I'm satisfied with the end result, the writing is mostly if not totally unrecognizable from the oldest content. I edit continuously rather than in complete drafts so it takes me forever X.X but now I can read through what I've got and not want to gouge out my eyes, so that's a plus.

I also edit as I go so I turn out quite clean first drafts. Once completed, I then go over it several times for various things! Also good to get the beta readers in.

I run all the way through, then attack it with a red pen. Just how I've been trained, don't know that it's the best idea but it works for me. And my editing is very heavy, but that's just because I'm not a terribly natural writer. I'm wordy, convoluted, repetitious, all sorts of stuff, and I need to get some distance before I try to go back at it or I'll miss a lot.

The thing about this kind of question is that you will probably get as many different answers as there are writers. Everyone does it differently, and what works for one person may not work for someone else. Me, I like to vomit as many words out as I can in my first draft, then go back and rewrite, rewrite, rewrite later. But I know there are writers on these boards that absolutely edit as they go and end up with a very clean first draft. There's no right or wrong way to do it - just the way that works for you.

Every writer is different and no way is the wrong way if it gets the job done. I write my first drafts from beginning to end without looking back at what I've done. Then I let it sit for at least six weeks (often longer) before looking at anything. That way, when I'm ready to revise, I'm not so emotionally attached to it. Then I edit with an iron fist - no mercy!

Not every one produces a poor first draft the time around. I wrote a story, read it over, then sent it off and sold it. Of course I had no idea what I was doing then, so...

Now I have one trusted person read it, mostly for grammar and continuity, then after reading his comments, make a few edits and send if off. I sell most of the things I write.

But as I write I edit, I guess. I write a bunch of pages, then go back and look them over. Then I write a bunch more and do the same.

Not very scientific, is it?

I write my first draft all the way through, and then I go back to edit it. I do edit it heavily, though. I'm not one of those "write a whole new draft" writers. I have three stages.

First Draft

Revisions/Editing

Final Draft

I've never identified something as my second, third, or fourth draft.

noraline said:

Forgive me if there is already a thread on this!

So, I just finished my 1st manuscript . Currently I'm testing it out on friends and family (I know, haha, not a very unbiased form of critique, but no one I know really chooses to pull any punches). It took me about 9 months to write the 63,000 word draft, mostly because I edited the piece several times over throughout the entire process. I switched tenses, POV, sentence structures.

I know this is advised against, and it is preferred to just write the draft in one fell swoop and go back and edit the heck out of it. So my question is, does this mean I've saved myself some work? I'm rereading old chapters (even though it's a bit too soon), and they seem to be in pretty good shape, just some cleaning of phrasing/dialogue. I'm nervous that I might be doing something wrong, however, because all I've read about is how long/grueling editing is. I'm scared I'm missing something, basically.

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Don't be scared.

MonkeyPants is on the money, everybody has their own way of doing things, so do what feels right for you.

Congrats on finishing your story, first draft. That's something to be proud of. Good advice to maybe set it aside for a bit now. It's so weird but you do that, come back and stuff stands out you didn't see before. Kind of like not seeing the forest for the trees, you're so immersed in it. So maybe do that, peruse this place, crit some. Or write something else. Then come back to it.

And SYW can be really helpful. Not sure how you feel about critiques, you can ask folks to be gentle or ask them to rip you a new one. Quite the experience.

As for saving yourself work by editing as you go, I don't know the answer to that. I edit as I go, compulsively. But once beta readers got a hold of my novels, I quickly came to the conclusion that I had significant work to do. Or not, totally up to me but I decided to make some changes to my mss, and I think it was the right decision--no, I know it was.

I would say, embrace your process and keep an open mind. And good luck in your writing, noraline.

I edit as I go. Usually I realize that the way I'm writing the story isn't working out and go back, remove chapters, and set the plot back on course.

Now, what I do, is almost everything I cut, I save. I have a separate document titled 'Scraps' and any dialog or paragraphs I cut that I think are important or I might want to replace, I cut and paste it in my scrap document. With chapters I have a separate folder titled 'Void' where I put the chapters. (I open up a new Microsoft Document for every new chapter I write. I find it easier to separate chapters that way instead of having one continuous file with my chapters in it)

I can't sit and write and not go back to edit. If something bothers me, I fix it as soon as possible. There's nothing wrong with your writing process. Everyone picks a process that works for them and their personality. In the end, as long as there are words on paper, the story is finished, and it makes sense--that's all that matters. How you got there is irrelevant so long as the story's done!

Oh, and I edit pretty heavy! I need to do a lot of cosmetic surgery on my children before they look beautiful! I wish I could produce beautiful children by fiat, but alas--bad genetics, I guess.

I think Vonnegut explained it best:

"Tellers of stories with ink on paper, not that they matter any more, have been either swoopers or bashers. Swoopers write a story quickly, higgledy-piggledy, crinkum-crankum, any which way. Then they go over it again painstakingly, fixing everything that is just plain awful or doesn’t work. Bashers go one sentence at a time, getting it exactly right before they go on to the next one. When they’re done they’re done."

Personally, I used to be a swooper, but as I've gotten better, I'm a basher. I tend to divide my books into quarters--and as I go, I will write 3-4 chapters, then start at the beginning of that quarter and edit the hell out of it up to my end point and then keep writing--rinse and repeat. If I get stuck--I just go back a few chapters/the beginning of the quarter, and start reading/editing. By the time I get to my sticking point, I either know where the story needs to go--or I know what/have already changed whatever it is that led me to the hang-up.

Swoopers and Bashers ^_^

My editing process changes with each story. I edit as I go, but I edit some parts more heavily than others, so my first round of editing is spent focusing on those parts I decided could wait until later. How much work is needed varies because sometimes I flag something for review and it's fine, I was just being crazy.

But I guess to answer the question: not very heavily. I do as much heavy lifting with the first draft as I can. Editing is more the relaxing part of the process for me. ^_^ I went through a story without stopping to edit a couple of years ago to see how much of a difference it would make, and I will never do that again. Lol!

noraline said:

I know this is advised against, and it is preferred to just write the draft in one fell swoop and go back and edit the heck out of it. So my question is, does this mean I've saved myself some work? I'm rereading old chapters (even though it's a bit too soon), and they seem to be in pretty good shape, just some cleaning of phrasing/dialogue. I'm nervous that I might be doing something wrong, however, because all I've read about is how long/grueling editing is. I'm scared I'm missing something, basically.

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There is no wrong or right. Some people prefer to write a first draft straight through without revising and some revise as they go. I'm a revise-as-you-go kind of writer too and it works best for me. Editing isn't long, gruelling work once I'm finished, it's long, gruelling work while I'm writing my first draft.

Still editing. I'm a messy drafter. Been working on this novel for a few years now. (Have a full time job and am in school full-time, so do not have a lot of opportunities to work on it.)

But, I spend most of my time in the editing process. I work it like dough, I guess. Have to get it right. I'm a perfectionist about the final product, and dangit, I want to be a published writer. That means going over your work. And over it again. And over it.

Totally depends on you. I tend to have to revise after, have a fellow writer who revises as she goes along. Still put it aside for a bit and I at least would recommend looking it after you have a bit of distance. When you've done everything you can think of, then have someone, not family, look at it. You do want someone who has a bit more distance from the project even if your family is mean like mine.

I've started calling my first draft Draft Zero. It's just basically a brain dump, and then from that I work out an outline. It works for me because it allows a huge degree of freedom and then some order.

I refrain from revising as I go. I tend to edit so thoroughly, that by the time I get to the part where I gotta write new stuff, I've either exhausted my will, or I'm too disappointed about how bad it all is.

I open the .doc, write until I can't, close it down. I come in the next night, open, write, close.

I'll edit when it's all done. Usually I edit at Act Breaks. Get the key features sorted out, then move on to writing the next act.

To answer you more specifically, OP: I beat my first draft bloody.

I write out of order. I don't usually edit as I go (but it's relatively clean). Once all the scenes are done I download it into one sequential document and flesh out anything missing that I'm able to see more clearly with it as one cohesive document, and also add in transitions where needed. Then I edit.

noraline said:

I know this is advised against, and it is preferred to just write the draft in one fell swoop and go back and edit the heck out of it. So my question is, does this mean I've saved myself some work?

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You're not alone. I revise as I go. It just comes down to what works for you.

noraline said:

I know this is advised against, and it is preferred to just write the draft in one fell swoop and go back and edit the heck out of it. So my question is, does this mean I've saved myself some work? I'm rereading old chapters (even though it's a bit too soon), and they seem to be in pretty good shape, just some cleaning of phrasing/dialogue. I'm nervous that I might be doing something wrong, however, because all I've read about is how long/grueling editing is. I'm scared I'm missing something, basically.

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Nope, you haven't saved yourself any work. You've just done it at a different time than you might have. If you'd drafted straight through without editing you might have done the draft in three months or less. But you might then have spent several months on the editing.

Different writers do the work at different phases of the writing. Some do lots of work outlining, and less work editing. Others do no outlining, but have to do a long editing and rewriting phase.

But basically, there is no trick to save yourself any work. (But there are plenty of ways to mess up and give yourself extra work.) Some people will find editing as they go works fine for them. Others will find it means they do double the work! Work the way that's most effective for you to get the best end result.