How do you edit your manuscript?

Here's what I do:

First, I edit as I write, re-reading the last few chapters before starting a new one. That picks up small inconsistencies and most grammar/spelling/typo problems.

Once I have a complete draft, I try to let it sit for at least a week or so to detach from it a bit. Then I read it straight through for the larger story, to see if I've got plot holes or lapses in logic. I probably won't fix them as I go, just make notes so I can rewrite those parts when I'm done.

Then I rewrite as necessary, and go through again to line-edit.

At that point I think I've got a pretty good draft, and I'll send it off to someone else to look at (usually my mother, who is a lifelong reader and great editor, but I've also used crit groups).

I haven't printed out a draft in ages. I think I used to find it valuable when I read virtually everything in paper, but now that I read on my Kindle at least half the time I don't have a problem editing on the computer.

I'm all for the print-it-out method. There's something about the printed page that exposes grammar/phrasing/structure mistakes. But if there are major plot/character problems, on-screen editing might be best... It's not as time-consuming to transfer edits from paper to computer as you might think.

The editing process varies from writer to writer, and my process is definitely far from perfect, but what works for me is...

1. Read through the MS without making ANY changes. In a separate document, make a list of major changes I need to make.

2. Go through the list and implement those changes. Every time I finish making a major plot edit, I get to cross that off the list, which is so very satisfactory.

3. Go through the MS again, this time editing for writing. I do this twice over. By the end of this step, I would have gone over the MS three times and am supremely sick of it.

4. Send it to two of my betas.

5. Tell them I hate them when they suggest major changes. Make the changes while cursing their ancestors.

6. Send to two more betas. Repeat the whining and hatred and MS-shredding. Do that again and again until I run out of betas or until betas say the book isn't completely terrible. Congratulations, you have come to the end of the editing process! ...not.

7. Send to agent. Agent suggests making an even bigger change. Gnaw on agent's leg until I realize she's right, then skulk off to make the changes. Edit MS, send back to agent, moar editing, send to agent, moarer editing, send to agent, and so on and so forth.

Aaaand done! Until the MS sells, that is, then I imagine there would be more editing with the publisher.

My editing process is similar to others...

I write for a few hours and after I'm done for the day, I reread everything I wrote plus a little bit before it to make sure I didn't flub up anywhere.

The next time I write, I will reread the last chapter or so before getting back into it, to be doubly sure I didn't mess up or miss anything.

That process continues throughout the time I am writing a first draft.

Once it is finished, I copy it and paste it into a new document. Once that's done, I go over it again with a fine toothed comb, write down any major edits that need to be done and I will do them. I go over it once more to be sure there isn't anything else I missed.

I'll leave it sit on the hard drive for a few weeks to a couple of months (the currently newly finished MS will be in "stasis" all summer), then I open it and reread it again, changing anything that needs it, then do another copy/paste into another document.

Then the alpha and beta readers get it, and we discuss what needs to be done to bring it fully up to spec.

I edit on the computer. The comment function in word is handy for note taking and cleanups can be handled right then and there. I don't find I miss story issues by reading on the computer. I usually go through three crit partners and they comment in the MS as well. I've never printed a page out.

Process is all abut what works for you. My method might not be right for anyone but me or it might make sense for a lot of people. Personally, I think trying to make edit notes in the MS is the simplest way to start. If it doesn't work, you can move on to printing. Much better than putting out the time and cost to print the manuscript then discovering you can't edit that way. Just my two cents.

Whatever you do, I do think it would be a good idea to read your first draft over before you start editing to see if there are any large-scale changes that need to be made. Though I'm sure there are many people who edit just fine without doing this.

What I do:

1. After letting it sit a while, I print it out and read the whole thing through, making a few rough notes as I go along.

2. Edit the printed manuscript. I begin each day by typing up the changes I made the previous day.

3. Repeat #1-2 at least once. Maybe 2-3 times.

4. Lately I've been doing my last draft directly on the computer. I'm mainly making small changes, so printing it out seems like a waste of paper. I don't always bother reading the whole thing over before doing the last draft, either.

GuitarShank said:

Finally, I was thinking maybe I should just rewrite the whole thing, reading from the MS and copying everything, editing as I go. This could possibly fire up my brain a bit more to make it easier to come up with and add/redact material because I'll be working with a blank slate, more or less.

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This is, more or less, how I approach intense revisions (i.e. edits/revisions that will significantly add/take away/rewrite material in a given chapter). It helps me keep the flow/voice of the original action while allowing me to change the content more naturally. It can, however, make revising an 80k word MS a bit time consuming. (I type pretty fast so it's not so much of an issue for me, but some folks work slowly so this method is not a good one for them.)

I usually start by reading through what I have in the previous draft, and making notes in a notebook about what I want to change. If there are major plot changes I try and write a new outline or synopsis to give me an overview of what direction I want to take the next draft. I also make notes on the hard copy pages - everything from small punctuation issues to *insert conflict here* to *needs more mushy love story*. That way I don't get caught up in the retyping and forget to put something in that I wanted to change.

Then I open a brand new document, label it Best Novel Evar Draft 2, and start working.

Then rinse and repeat 'til I'm satisfied. (Usually the number of chapters that need to be rewritten diminishes with each pass and I'll start just copy/pasting any chapter that doesn't need major work, but continue to rewrite anything that changes by more than 25%-ish percent.)

Aggy, did I mention time consuming?

I force myself to retype the entire manuscript.

I open a doc window to the left of my screen, then bring up my draft. Then, i open another window to the right and start typing it over. It helps me to focus on what I have already written, and makes it easier for me to make changes along the way.

Not sure how much help I can be, as I'm coming up to a novel edit for the first time (as well? Is this your first finished WIP?) However, if it's of any benefit, here's what I plan to do:

A read through/edit as I go. Here I'll iron out any changes that have occurred since chapter one, catch inconsistencies, rephrase anything obviously clumsy and fix blatant typos/spelling errors.

Then it will go off to my 'alpha' readers (a trusted selection of family and friends - I know they won't be brutal, but they're harsh enough to pick apart any big plot holes/character inconsistencies). While they're reading, it will give me time to write something else, and distance myself from the manuscript.

When they're done, I'll do my line edit (and probably be extremely cranky and depressed about my writing while I'm at it).

Finally, it will hit my beta readers, and I'll make any changes necessary.

Yeah, it's a stupidly long system. But since this is my first novel I'll be submitting, I need it to be as perfect as it will ever be. It might not be the best system, but I hope it'll work... good luck!

I envy those that have first drafts that simply needs line edits.
Mine has loose threads all over the place. Characters that disappear after a scene never to return and plot holes the size of the Grand Canyon.

I'd love to just read my first draft all the way through to check for story flow, but I know it's a broken path that only leads to head-to-desk moments.

I think I'll be able to do a read-through after the revised draft (which is where I am now) but I've only just started repairing this disaster.

Some of the above mentioned techniques will be adopted for the next for sure.

A.

I edit each page as I go, so when I reach the last page, it's done, no more editing required. But for those who don't work this way, I think Holly Lisle's method is very, very good. http://hollylisle.com/one-pass-manuscript-revision-from-first-draft-to-last-in-one-cycle/

Ok, I'll just preface this by saying that this method is one I use for fanfiction as well as original work. Feel free to adopt the parts you like and discard the ones you don't.

Step.1) Write first draft, possibly swearing along the way. Let sit anywhere from a day to a few months. Reread the piece. This step also counts for any rewrites.

Step.2) Comb out all kinks, rechecking on multiple occassions just to be safe.

Step.3) Send to alpha/beta reader, and make sugested changes. If needed do this multiple times.

Step.4) Repeat first three steps until final draft. In the case of fanfiction I then post the piece or chapter, for original work I plan to set it aside till I find the right markets to persue.

I tend to read through a chapter at a time on my computer just to check the flow and iron out any glaring issues.

I then put it to one side for a week or so, print it out (once again, a chapter at a time) and get a set of highlighters and pens and just read through it and make notes and highlight every possible thing I can think of.

If I want to rewrite something I tend to write "RW" next to it, go on editing the chapter and then come back to it and rewrite it out straight on to the paper.This helps me get a feel of what flows naturally instead of what I had originally!

GuitarShank said:

I don't really get how that works... I immediately edit each chapter when I finish it, but I don't think that when I finish the last chapter, that since I edited each chapter once already, that the whole thing is done. I expect to go back and edit everything once more with a fresh eye.

Unless you're a multi-published author who's mastered the craft down to a science, I suppose... I think I may need more specifics here.

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The natural assumption is that this is something only multi- published writers can do, and that it takes great mastery of the craft, but the opposite is true.

I've known or read abut a lot of writers who do the same as I do, and a bunch who don't even have to edit this much. Dean Koontz and Kurt Vonnegut but write/wrote pretty much exactly as I do, and there are many others.

All started using this method right from the beginning. When I first started writing I knew nothing at all about the process, or even about grammar. I read a grammar book, and just started writing. With no knowledge of what I was supposed to do, I just wrote a story and submitted it to the address I found on the inside cover page of a magazine.

I submitted a true first draft, and they bought it. I didn't even know you were supposed to do more than one draft, or that an "editing" pass even existed. So I tried my best to make that first draft good. I did the same with several more short stories, and with a novel, all with the same results.

And in addition to those who write exactly as I do, there are also many writers out there who write good first drafts, who only make a minimalist second draft pass that's no more than a bit of clean up and tightening, who have to do no revision, and no rewriting, except perhaps fixing a clunky bit of dialogue, or combing two sentences into one, etc.

I honestly think most new writes are now taught to believe that the first draft will be bad, even that it's supposed to be bad, so they don't try to make it really, really good. They make it bad, and plan on doing draft after draft.

I'm not saying a second or third draft is bad, I'm just saying that if you plan on it, if you expect the first draft to be bad, if you count on having to do several drafts, it will happen, and you will have a mess to clean up.

For a time, I did a second draft, which was mostly just a cleanup and bit of tightening effort, much like Isaac Asimov said he did. Then I stumble on this method, and I've used it for a long, long time because it just works. But it works because I've always made an intense effort to write a good, clean, publishable as is, if need be, first draft.

So this method isn't much of a change. What I do now, editing each page as I go, is really what I always did, just with more awareness. I write the page as carefully, as well, and as matching to what came before as I possibly can, but now I go back to the top of the page and start over, rather than waiting until the draft is done.

I don't plot, either. I write by looking back at what I've already written, not by looking ahead to what I'm going to write. I don't want to know what happens on the next page until I'm writing that page. If I make what I write on this page fit what I've already written as perfectly as I can, I don't need to know what will happen on the next page.

You should listen to Dean Koontz's podcasts on the subject.

Jamesaritchie said:

And in addition to those who write exactly as I do, there are also many writers out there who write good first drafts, who only make a minimalist second draft pass that's no more than a bit of clean up and tightening, who have to do no revision, and no rewriting, except perhaps fixing a clunky bit of dialogue, or combing two sentences into one, etc.

I honestly think most new writes are now taught to believe that the first draft will be bad, even that it's supposed to be bad, so they don't try to make it really, really good. They make it bad, and plan on doing draft after draft.

I'm not saying a second or third draft is bad, I'm just saying that if you plan on it, if you expect the first draft to be bad, if you count on having to do several drafts, it will happen, and you will have a mess to clean up.

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I think this is so true. I started out doing it like mentioned above, where it's a reasonably clean first draft, then just editing for tightening, etc. No rewrites.

And then I found out about Nano. And everyone was saying, oh, just turn off your inner editor. The goal was the word count, who cares if it's a mess, you can fix it later.

Well, a mess was what I got. That was the ONLY story I'd ever had to rewrite. And it went against so much of my natural way of doing things that even with that rewrite, I'm STILL confused by what I wrote. I'm probably gonna have to do a second rewrite, and just start over from scratch. I have to wipe everything, or it's going to affect the rewrite again. I can see why a lot of them needed to do 10 drafts (whoa).

Luckily that was the only story where I did that and thus the only one that needs a massive overhaul. I made sure to leave on my inner editor for everything I'd written since then. I've never left it on drill sergeant mode for the first draft, to catch every little mistake and make sure I choose the perfect word -- that's for editing -- but at least I've got a story that makes sense and one I can follow along.

So what I learned: Do what feels most natural to you. What works for others may not work for you.

Jamesaritchie said:

And in addition to those who write exactly as I do, there are also many writers out there who write good first drafts, who only make a minimalist second draft pass that's no more than a bit of clean up and tightening, who have to do no revision, and no rewriting, except perhaps fixing a clunky bit of dialogue, or combing two sentences into one, etc.

I honestly think most new writes are now taught to believe that the first draft will be bad, even that it's supposed to be bad, so they don't try to make it really, really good. They make it bad, and plan on doing draft after draft.

I'm not saying a second or third draft is bad, I'm just saying that if you plan on it, if you expect the first draft to be bad, if you count on having to do several drafts, it will happen, and you will have a mess to clean up.

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chompers said:

I think this is so true. I started out doing it like mentioned above, where it's a reasonably clean first draft, then just editing for tightening, etc. No rewrites.

And then I found out about Nano. And everyone was saying, oh, just turn off your inner editor. The goal was the word count, who cares if it's a mess, you can fix it later.

Well, a mess was what I got. That was the ONLY story I'd ever had to rewrite. And it went against so much of my natural way of doing things that even with that rewrite, I'm STILL confused by what I wrote.
...
So what I learned: Do what feels most natural to you. What works for others may not work for you.

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I'll agree with this. I'm one of those that doesn't have to make a lot of adjustments after the first draft, because I do edit as I go. My first draft isn't ready to publish, but it is 80% of my final copy. I tend to be sparse with description so I always have to go back and add some, and I do have crit partners go over the manuscript to make sure it's as tight as I can get it before I send it in. My plotting is sound and I don't make major revisions, though.

I think the worst mistake I ever made was listening to people who said to turn off the editor. Yeah, I got my 50K, and that story will never see the light of day because it was a huge, salvageable mess. What's the point of writing it if I can't do anything with it afterward? For me, it's better to take my time the first time through, do my cleanups as I go, usually on a scene-by-scene basis. Because I suck at leaning up big messes.

I like to walk a middle-of-the-road line on editing as I go - I keep notes, I change things as I go, but I also find that if I go back and edit between writing sessions, I lose momentum, and it's much harder to get back into it. So, for anything larger than "add a line or two of dialogue", I tend to just take a note and continue through

So, for editing, my usual process is something like this:
1. Let draft sit.
2. Reread draft; add to notes I made at the beginning.
3. Go through notes, starting with large changes (there are getting to be fewer of those as I revise my planning technique), and finishing with the "add a line, rewrite a scene" level. I don't care about typos at this stage.
4. Let sit, read through again, take more notes, implement notes.
5. Repeat. By this stage, I'm usually up to really finicky stuff, so I include a go-through of spelling and grammar.

6. Beta readers
7. Cry, doubt life choices.
8. Woman up, make changes
9. ??? (never got past this stage yet)

I expect after 9 is a couple more rounds of betas and crying. And then, I dunno, an agent is involved in the process somewhere? I'm basically winging it from there...


ETA: Also, the more I write, the more I have to admit that I am not a pantser. I make lists of upcoming plot points to keep myself on track, and I tend to start with a fair amount of "this is how things will probably go" before I start. It's not down to chapter level or anything, but yeah, I still keep a checklist and a "go this way next" plan, and holy crap has it cut down on the amount of editing I do.

GuitarShank said:

I know you're probably going to tell me that whatever works for me is best, but I've never done this before. I want the most thorough method available to me, the one that gets the most edits and most overall story changes done all at once. So would that be one of the options above? A combination of several of them? Or is there a better option that I haven't considered?

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You're right. We are going to tell you whatever works for you is best. Because it's the truth! And since you've never done it before, the best we can do is tell you how we go about it, you pick the method you like best and give it a shot.

Then on your next ms, if you didn't like how this edit went, you try a new one. And you keep doing that until you hit on how you work most efficiently.

I've gone through several ways of editing and so far nothing is really sticking for me. At least not for longer stories. Short stories I hit on a way that works for me that I use.

Scene by scene. I find that's the best way to work. Anything that needs fixing usually is pretty obvious to me by now. I guess it takes practise. Just doing it a number of times. Then you know what works and what doesn't. Much more so than when you first start editing. G'luck.

I asked this very same question a few months ago and got some great answers. My search-fu is weak but you can probably find it.

I'm still trying to figure out my own answer to this question but I really liked the advice here:
http://hollylisle.com/one-pass-manuscript-revision-from-first-draft-to-last-in-one-cycle/

It suits my own style and the preparations she suggested before starting your edit REALLY helped me clarify some things that I actually hadn't thought about.

I did end up making about 5 passes on my final manuscript, including one MAJOR revision where I deleted a major character. I found it useful to make passes focused on a specific issue. So, one pass focusing on my characters, their development, their arcs, their characterization, etc. Then another pass looking at word choice, eliminating overuse of my favorite words (really, suddenly, very...). A pass for pacing. A pass for writing in general including descriptions (that I tend to skim over on my first draft). And that's not including the edits I made after beta feedback. Seriously, by the end of that process I was ready to never see that damn book again.

Now, with some space, I'm really glad I feel like my best work is out there being read by agents as we speak

Hope that helps!

1st, and most important, I write the rough draft without making any changes. I can make a note on something to be changed later, but even names don't get changed until I'm done.

#2. Let it sit for at least a week. Sometimes several weeks.

#3. Try and muster enough interest in it to read it again.

#4. Read it over, making changes as I go. And keep reading it over and making changes until I think I've got it right.

#5. Print it out and start marking up the printed copy. It always looks different in print and sometimes I'll pick up things I didn't catch in the electronic version.

#6. Transfer the changes from the printed copy to the electronic copy.

#7. Send it out to my betas and breathe a sigh of relief that I don't have to keep reading it anymore.

#8. Receive it back from my betas and curse them unto the 9th level of hell as I make the changes they suggest because they're right.

#9. Send it out to my sharp eyed partner whom I share editing services with.

#10. Curse her because she points out a couple of scenes that need to be cut and a few missed typos.

#11. Start hyperventilating once it leaves my hands for good because I'm positive I've overlooked something major, but it's too late.