So you've finished your story. Now what? You edit, of course.
You might have your own editing process. Here are the steps I follow for mine.
- Put it away, the longer the better. A few days at least, or a week or even more. Time away gives me a fresh outlook when I return.
- Trim unnecessary and duplicate words. Simplify the language.
- Check for errors. This includes spell check, checking for the correct use of homonyms such as there/they're, and correcting passive voice.
- Check the formatting to make sure it is correct and consistent.
- Read it out loud. Even when I think I'm done, this little trick catches mistakes I missed.
Once the editing is done, it helps to have someone else read your story. Two sets of eyes are better than one.
Have your own editing process, or something to add? I'd love to hear it.
My A to Z Challenge on Writing Away
Ha.. I am hopeless. If I don't throw my posts out there at once.. they won't get posted.. but then again I am not a writer. LOL...
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a good plan. :-)
Good list, always need those second eyes.
ReplyDeleteWagging Tales
OK, so this is all good advice if you've FINISHED YOUR STORY. There's always that stickler point - FINISHING the story. Argggghhhh....
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though, I used to read my Friday Flash stories out loud to Dave every week. Poor him - he had to suffer through many stoppages as I paused to fix things - but it was the very best way of catching big boo-boos.
Second important tip not mentioned here: I always go to my fridge and peruse Laurita's Rule on Plurals. I do. I kid you not. Best thing ever to have on your fridge.
I do most of what you do except for the reading out loud.I have done it, but I find if called away I use it as an excuse to not continue. I am currently retyping a manuscript and rewriting it. Almost every paragraph needs to to be improved.
ReplyDeleteSimilar to use, though now I've added a simple bookmap into the mix. Very effective roadmap for revising a novel.
ReplyDeleteGood points.
ReplyDeleteI read that two eyes are better than one - closed one eye and saw the word sets... need coffee now
ReplyDeleteYou have a Rule on Plurals on Cathy's fridge?
ReplyDeleteOne other thing I do is when I think I'm all done I send it to my Kindle to read. It makes it an actual book experience for me and I catch things that slipped by me on the computer.
I always puts my MS away for a while once it's finished. It helps a lot. I also read aloud. I find I catch much more that way.
ReplyDeleteM.J. Fifield
My Pet Blog
It's good to let someone else read it as well. They will catch the mistakes that your brain skips over.
ReplyDeleteHi, Good points on editing. I have never published anything except my blog posts. But I do go back and reread some of them and say, "Wow! Did I write that? Hmmm"
ReplyDeleteBest regards to you, Ruby
I read somewhere that a good tip is to print it out in a different type and/or size of font - your eyes pick up things it got used to seeing before. (I haven't tried it yet but it sounds good.) :)
ReplyDeleteI have about 4-6 people read my story and send me their edits after I edit it three or four times myself.
ReplyDeleteGood tips! I am a writing teacher and a freelance editor. Definitely reading it aloud, having others read it, or reading it to them, putting it down for a few days at the very least, depending upon the time needed to submit.
ReplyDeleteVisiting from A to Z.
Found you through A to Z and enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a Pascal quote ""I have made this letter longer than usual because I lack the time to make it shorter." I remember the curse of editing well from a stack of different papers I wrote in my Masters Degrees. I wish I had your tips and tricks then!
Good luck with A to Z, I hope I can keep up too!
Paul
http://tasmancave.blogspot.com.au/
Great advice! Reading stuff aloud usually helps me the most when I'm editing.
ReplyDelete(Also, on an unrelated note, I love your header picture.)
The Golden Eagle
The Eagle's Aerial Perspective
Big believer in the "put it away" rule. It's the only thing that works. What I've found though, and what I'm working on, is that sometimes I'm too eager to get into the "right words" and I miss the big stuff, like ... continuity.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!
I am currently writing my first novel and, as eager as I am to have a draft finished, I am dreading editing it as I already know how much work it is going to need. I am forcing myself to not edit as I write like I usually do because I simply never get anything done when I do, but as a result the draft is going to be very, very rough.
ReplyDeleteStopping from A-to-Z to say hello:)
-- Katie