Do you have an aversion to editing your stories? Have you ever wished that you could just write and skip the editing? Yeah, me too.
It’s not that I hate editing, I don’t usually dread it like I dread most things with numbers, but it’s still not my favorite thing to do.
That’s one reason I write 1,000 words.
Okay, you’re probably thinking, “Huh? What does 1,000 words have to do with editing?”
I’ll explain.
For me, the thought of writing a full novel and then having to edit it all at once is more than a tad bit overwhelming, it’s down right frightening! I would much rather break that story up and work on the editing as I go along. For me, it works best in thousand word parts. I will write my entire novel (yes, all Triple Creek Ranch books have been written this way) in parts. Each part is one thousand words long. (It may vary by 5 words more or less, but no more.) After each part is written, I’ll send it to my editor. (My mom.) Usually she has 3 or more to check at a time, but occasionally she is busy and ends up more. (I think she had 9-10 parts of “Through the Tunnel” to do at one time!)
Not only does this give me smaller bites to edit at a time, but it also gives me regular feedback as I write the story. I couldn’t tell you the number of times I’ve gotten stuck on a story, but when I get the pages back to edit, Mom will make some comment or mention something that sparks the next part of the story.
It also really helps when I can fix mistakes like a storm blowing in from the wrong direction, before I get too far and end up with an entire section that needs rewritten because of it.
It also really helps when I can fix mistakes like a storm blowing in from the wrong direction, before I get too far and end up with an entire section that needs rewritten because of it.
These thousand word parts are also helpful because I post one thousand words at a time on my Friday blog.
Often when writing a part, I have to go back and edit it so I can make that thousand word mark. Sometimes I have to add more words, other times I have to cut out words and shorten things. That makes not only a better part, but often less editing I have to do later.
I know some authors who say you should never edit your story until it is finished. Perhaps that is what works best for them, and maybe for you.
But for me––
I need my thousand words.
What about you? Do you wait until your story/book is written before you edit? Do you edit as you go? I’d love to hear your thoughts. And if you’ve never tried it, I’d encourage you to give One Thousand Words a try. Let me know what you think.
Great post! I've never done it this way before, but it would probably be easier on my editor-mom. ; )
Yes, those editor-moms might have an easier time with shorter parts. 🙂 Besides, when it is all written they can read the entire thing after it's been edited the first time and it won't be such a challenge. 🙂
I normally edit after a write a part, but it's normally more then 1,000 words. Usually between 2,000-3,000 words. The only time I didn't do it this way was when I participated in NaNo last November. . .I didn't edit and focused only on writing. I will NEVER do that again. Never! I now have a 65,000 page document, and editing it looks just about as fun as hiking Mt. Everest. It is sooo much easier to edit in parts. Even if it takes you longer to write, it's still so worth it!
Thanks for the post! I really enjoyed reading it and finding another person who edits as they write. 🙂
Oh, I agree, Jesseca! That document doesn't sound like fun at all to have to edit it! 1,000-3,000 is much more manageable.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post. It is always nice to find another writer who writes in the same sort of way you do. Thanks for commenting.
Whoops, I meant 65,000 word document! Wow, can't imagine a 65,00 page document. ;P
Yeah, it is a ton more manageable! 🙂
I rather figured you meant words instead of pages. 🙂