Editing
How do I get my stories edited? And how did Jim Wood get edited?
I have found that my editing is a bit different than many other writers. But it works really well for me.
Yes, I’ve read the books that say:
“Never go back and edit as you write.”
“Write the entire story first and then go and rewrite it all and fix your plot holes.”
“Just keep writing. Don’t stop to fix things.”
Editing
If that works for you, great! For me it doesn’t. Each day when I start writing, I go back and reread what I wrote the day before, and edit as I go. Once I’m ready to transfer Jim Wood from NEO to my computer, I’ve already read things through twice and edited it it.
Next I skim it on the computer and fix all those typos that the computer has spotted. 🙂 I then print the 5k words (with Jim Wood it was usually 5k) and give them to my editor.
My editor reads them and marks them and gives them back and I correct them. (And keep writing new parts.) After correcting them I print them and put them in my notebook. Sometimes for Jim Wood I would go back and reread printed pages if I had a longer break between writing and needed refreshed on the story before I resumed writing. If I noticed any typos, I’d mark them.
I do have more rounds of editing later, but this is what I do during my actual writing of a book until I’ve reached the end.
Next week’s stop will be on preparing the proof. Same time, same place . . .
How do you edit your stories? Do you edit as you go? Do you write the entire story and then go back and edit the whole thing? Do you rewrite you entire story and then edit?
I LOVE EDITING. Snagging typos and suggesting possible revisions is my very most favorite hobby EVER. 🤗🤗🤗 I’ve helped tweak several manuscripts for others, and have done a fair amount on my own work as well. 😊
Thanks for sharing! 💜
How fun! It’s always good when you enjoy something that others don’t like because you can help them. 😀
Hi Rebekah! Thanks for sharing this. I had written my first drafts without going back to edit. However, I’m learning that this may not suit me as I’m overwhelmed by the work I had to fix afterwards. Thus, I’m going to try a new approach for my new book. I’ll allow myself to go back and edit; however, only to a certain extent (maybe adjusting characters and plot).
Great, Clarissa! It’s good to try different ways of writing, or editing, until you find out what works best for YOU.
I think editing while I write is a big reason I can’t seem to finish a draft. I can’t stop myself. If I write a paragraph, I pick it apart before moving on. Help me stop that, please! However, I do believe it’s best to do some editing in between writing sessions so it’s not a big ol’ mess when you’re done.
Perhaps if you make yourself NOT edit anything until the next day (unless it’s a typo) then you’d make progress. And the next day only allow yourself to edit what you wrote the day before and nothing else. And perhaps you should give yourself a certain amount of time to do that editing. 🙂
I do a little bit of both. Grammar and spelling problems really annoy me, so I fix those as I spot them. I put a lot of thought into the wording before I write it down, though, so I rarely have to edit that. For short stories, I write them first, then reread and do the edits. For longer pieces, I’ve been rereading and doing minor edits every seven pages. It’s been working good for me. 🙂
Yes, I tend to fix those when I spot them too.
Oh, I like the idea of every 7 pages for longer stories. It often depends on how long my short stories are. I usually edit them the same way, though there have been times I’ve just written the entire thing before editing.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the tip, Rebekah!
You’re welcome! 🙂