Not editing as I go

I would say that's spot on. What you're doing is the best way to achieve that (often elusive) first draft. It's also what I'm doing these days.

Onward ho!

celticroots said:

I feel it is better to safe editing/rewriting for when the first draft is finished. Is it okay that I do this?

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It sounds like you're asking permission. The answer is 'whatever works for you'.

I'm a believer in not editing until the first draft is done. Even so, I can't help going back and correcting some things, especially errors of fact, because I'm afraid I'll forget them later.

I've partly overcome this urge by keeping an up to date printout of my story close at hand, and I mark any ideas, errors, and updates in that. Later, I'll come back and do a proper repair job when the first draft is done. It's worked on two novels so far.

"Editing" is a big word, encompassing a broad spectrum of writing activity. I tend to do little nitpicky edits as I go, because when I catch something of that sort (clumsy grammar, misused word, run-on sentence, etc.) it's easier to fix it then and there than it is to put it off till later. Any purely factual mistake I take care of as soon as I recognize it, for the same reason.

Bigger editing, however, the process of restructuring plot flow, and so forth, I just make notes about, and do those after completion, or at least once a sufficient amount of the work is done.

caw

I think each writer's process depends on what works best for him or her. Some writers do best with the "sh!tty first drafts" mentality, which can be very freeing. Silence your inner editor and focus on getting the story out first. Others prefer to edit as they go.

Some outline first and writer linearly from chapter one to the end. Others write whatever scene is most vivid in their minds at the moment.

There's no one "best" way to do this. So is it "okay"? If it works for you, then absolutely yes. And what works best for you may change, depending on the project or even on your mood, as long as you are making progress.

I don't edit until I'm done with the first draft. I, too, get stuck on a sentence or paragraph structure issue and it hinders my writing the actual story. I even put **** when I can't think of the exact word I want to use.

I consider my first draft a "vomit" of just getting the initial story written. However, I am fairly good at grammar, mechanics, spelling, etc., as I go. I don't even hardly read a book when I'm committed to doing my first draft. I just focus on getting my story out of my head and onto the paper. When it's done, I'll put it away for a couple weeks and read as many books as I can get my hands on.

After typing this, maybe I'm just weird

celticroots said:

When writing, I don't edit as I go, but I do expect first drafts to be of a reasonable standard. I don't edit as I write because I'll get stuck tinkering with a sentence or a paragraph, and not get the rest of the story written.

I feel it is better to safe editing/rewriting for when the first draft is finished. Is it okay that I do this?

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Absolutely! You need to do whatever works for you.

I edit as I go, but I do end up going back through the entire manuscript again.

I admire those who have mastered the skill of editing as they go and having a publishable manuscript at the end. It's a skill I am trying to learn.

The only best way is what works for you - ie, what allows you to finish the book so you're happy with it. If that's waiting to edit/revise until you've finished the first draft, then that's what you do. If it's edit/revise as you go so you just have the polishing left when you finish, then that's what you do.

And always remember - sometimes what worked for one story won't work at all for the next. Don't be afraid to try something new if you find yourself in difficulty.

cleaverton said:

I don't edit until I'm done with the first draft. I, too, get stuck on a sentence or paragraph structure issue and it hinders my writing the actual story. I even put **** when I can't think of the exact word I want to use.

I consider my first draft a "vomit" of just getting the initial story written. However, I am fairly good at grammar, mechanics, spelling, etc., as I go. I don't even hardly read a book when I'm committed to doing my first draft. I just focus on getting my story out of my head and onto the paper. When it's done, I'll put it away for a couple weeks and read as many books as I can get my hands on.

After typing this, maybe I'm just weird

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You're not weird at all. I do the *** too--or I'll type something like the following and highlight it: "Insert blah blah blah" or "Have MC say something witty." I refuse to let creative constipation slow me down!

There are no rules. Do whatever works for you!

celticroots said:

Is it okay that I do this?

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Does it work for you? If so, it's okay.

I tend to edit as I write, but that's what works for me.

Jeff

Rowan said:

You're not weird at all. I do the *** too--or I'll type something like the following and highlight it: "Insert blah blah blah" or "Have MC say something witty." I refuse to let creative constipation slow me down!

There are no rules. Do whatever works for you!

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LOL At least I'm not alone I type "in order" and when I'm finishing with one scene, a wrap it up kind of thing, and I've got the next scene I'm dying to start on, I'll type "finish morning breakfast scene" or something like that.

Absolutely, do whatever works for you!

Veteran NaNoWriMo participant here. I don't edit during the first draft either, either on the macro- or micro-level. If I think of something, I'll leave notes for later, usually in brackets, like so: [MAKE THIS PARAGRAPH COOLER LATER]

I do very little editing as I go. It's much easier to deal with a completed draft. If you never complete the draft, all that editing won't do you any good.

Thanks to NaNoWriMo I have gone from edit as I go to throwing what ever onto the page as long as it gets my plot moving. Thanks to the change I finally managed to finish my very first first-draft. I would get hung up on a sentence, or trying to find the proper synonym or something else silly. Just have to figure out what works for you.

I read what I wrote the other day and check for errors. But unless the scene was stabbing me as I lay awake at night, I won't change it.

I find that too much editing as you go can be paralyzing. It plants in me an obsession with perfection, not to mention giving me a "good" excuse to procrastinate.

I'd say whatever works for you! Personally, I like to work on my first draft without "editing" too much, but if I'm a bit stuck or worn out sometimes I'll go back to a scene I wrote a while ago and do some light edits and make notes for future, more in-depth edits. For me, it often helps spark inspiration to keep going. But if you feel more comfortable just plowing through and then editing, then that's fine! There are no hard and fast rules.

I'd also be aware that editing too much before the first draft is done can also be detrimental; for example, messing with sentence structure for hours when you may end up cutting or reorganizing the paragraph. If you do edit, I'd stick to correcting errors/typos, making sure that there aren't any glaring plot holes, and making notes for future reference.

WillSauger said:

I read what I wrote the other day and check for errors. But unless the scene was stabbing me as I lay awake at night, I won't change it.

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I fully agree! This is what I strive to do, although sometimes I get a little carried away...

As many pointed out, it's a matter of personal preference.
I edit as I go, and I edit many many times after the first drat. Sometimes, I take it through scores of passes, and even then I go back to it again.
Good writing requires hours of polishing.

elfpoet said:

Veteran NaNoWriMo participant here. I don't edit during the first draft either, either on the macro- or micro-level. If I think of something, I'll leave notes for later, usually in brackets, like so: [MAKE THIS PARAGRAPH COOLER LATER]

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Ha! That's pretty much exactly what I did for this year's Nano. Sometimes I'd forget certain street names, so I'd put down [THAT STREET].

It worked really well for me as it kept me writing until my first draft was done. I'll probably keep doing that in the fewcher.

I'm in agreement with the others--whatever works or you is the best way.

In my case, I guess you could say I fly and edit at the same time. I'll write as many words as I can get out of my head, and that can be as little as 300 or many thousands depending on the 'mood' I'm in, then take a break. Then I'll go back through whatever hit the page and edit, fluff, cut, whatever. Many times the process will spark another writing marathon, and so it goes. I still go through the whole thing again though. At that point I'm looking for cohesiveness, the repeated words/phrases that inevitably sneak in, and plot holes, along with anything grammar/spelling that I may have missed. Sometimes many times if the story is complicated, such as my current WIP.

Lunabird said:

I find that too much editing as you go can be paralyzing. It plants in me an obsession with perfection, not to mention giving me a "good" excuse to procrastinate.

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Same here. If I keep fussing over copyediting what's there, I can ignore my lack of progress in the actual story. I've got a number of half-finished stories with impeccable spelling and grammar.

Wow, I love that people have so many different ways of working. I have a kind of pedantic style. I write in small chunks of about 250 words and then spend lots of time polishing that bit before I move on to the next bit. Occasionally I have so much to say that I write almost in note form, straight onto the computer, and then flesh it out later....but again only in 250 word chunks.

I spend lots of time writing chapter summaries and character maps that I continually refer to an add as needed.

I always read my work aloud (this drives my husband insane). Personally I think all literature should read well aloud, but I write YA and I think that this especially must work when read aloud.....you never know some lovely teacher may oneday decide to read my book to a class or (even better) study it as a class text.

Is editing ever finished?? I wonder if I will ever leave it be since I am constantly finding ways of improving it.

Okay. Um...how to say this without sounding like a bitch. I can't possibly conceive of a way.

celticroots, do you read any of the other discussions on this forum? I mean, like any of them? You've been around long enough that many of the conversations are really not new first time discussions for you.

It almost every discussion about editing/rewrites/editors/betas...anything that has to do with writing the first draft, this gets mentioned almost every. single. time.

There are writers here who chime in that they blaze through the first draft leaving typos and mangled grammar in their wake. There are writers who say that they are thoughtful in getting their first drafts down and don't do too much editing as they go but they still try to work on a clean first. There are writers who have said they don't leave a sentence/paragraph/scene chapter until it's the best they can make it.

It's not once or twice this gets discussed. It's discussed all the time. All the time. And the consensus every single time is that different things work for differnt writers.

Your questions more and more sound like you need permission to write, that you're searching for some sort of validation that what you're doing is the way to do it.

Is it working for you? Then the way you're doing it is the way to do it.

WillSauger said:

I read what I wrote the other day and check for errors. But unless the scene was stabbing me as I lay awake at night, I won't change it.

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Yep, that's what I do; I reread what I did the night before and fix errors/make whatever changes need making, then move on. It's not really an edit, per se, just a little messing around.

Putputt said:

Ha! That's pretty much exactly what I did for this year's Nano. Sometimes I'd forget certain street names, so I'd put down [THAT STREET].

It worked really well for me as it kept me writing until my first draft was done. I'll probably keep doing that in the fewcher.

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Ha, I do that, too! {Housekeepername} or {streetname} or whatever; then I can easily do a find-and-replace, because I know I haven't used that phrase or those brackets in the actual work.



But as others have said, if it works for you it's a good thing.

bearilou said:

Okay. Um...how to say this without sounding...

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Um....how do I ask this without sounding um....yeah. The real question for me is, WHY did you even go here? Apparently there are many others, including a mod and some long-time, very active members who feel the topic IS worth discussing AGAIN. And considering about 50% of the 20+ replies are by very new members, probably a bit insecure, seeking reassurance, I'm sure your rant made all those inquiring minds feel really comfy about posing questions of any kind on AW...

Not.

And singling out one member to state your peeve? *cringe* Perhaps your time would have been better spent making a thread suggesting ways to FIND the answers 'green' members need to avoid the dupe topics that find their way onto the forum, no? The community is so large, and let's not forget active, that it's often difficult to find what one is looking for, even using the search options.

Food for thought. Chew thoroughly.

Okay, rant over.