Sue Bahr
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Editing- step one

8/9/2015

4 Comments

 
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Ah, the joy of editing (read: ripping those treasures apart until they barely resemble the original.) It's tempting to scroll back to page one and start fixing messy little phrases and tidying up word choice before a draft is complete. I know. I used to do this. 

So much wasted time and effort!

I thought I was a good enough author to edit as I wrote. It took an "aha" moment to finally smarten up and change my strategy. So, in hopes of saving you time, effort and aggravation, here is my (new) process. 

Step one: FINISH YOUR MANUSCRIPT BEFORE EDITING.

No way to say this in lower case letters. I blundered through too many stories, always swinging back to the first chapters, trying to get everything perfect before moving forward. 


Just call me "Tidy Sue." 

When I began Fairless, I had no outline, no idea where the plot was heading--nothing but an idea to chase. I have strong panster inclinations and have only recently learned my lesson. My next novel is already plotted. But, I digress. 

Having panstered my way through half the novel, I stumbled onto a strong plot line. Back to page one I went and oh, what a joy to finally know where this story needed to begin. If only I'd just jumped back to the middle and kept on drafting... Alas, the tidy freak in me decided to edit those rough chapters. 

Did I end up with a strong manuscript? I wish.
Maybe I did more harm than good editing as I went along. At the very least, I dragged out the first draft to an entire year!

Lesson for Sue: tidy is for after the story is complete.

Got some sage wisdom to share? I'd love to hear it!

Happy Writing!
Sue



4 Comments
Ellen Best link
9/16/2015 05:04:45 pm

I have my first draft all but 'the end' written. I go back, tweak, then get afraid to actually end it because I know it isn't finished or doesn't have perfection before THE END.I now don't know where to begin... or end how can you write those final closing words if you KNOW some of what is before it 'or a lot' is not quite... Okay I hear you I will do it Are you shouting in my ear? I am sure I hear you but what if I ruin all the weeks, months, time I have devoted... I hear you don't shout so loud! Un finished work is just that unfinished. P.s. Thank you I will pick up my work and stop hiding behind the first draft. Thank you.

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Susan Bahr
9/16/2015 05:46:05 pm

Ha! Its probably the hardest lesson I've learned. Finish the dang thing before editing the beginning.
Take a deep breath, Ellen. Press through. Keep going and know every generation of edits makes your story richer, stronger and more alive. You'll get there. We all will!
Cheers to you!
Sue

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Heena Rathore P. link
9/23/2015 03:52:48 am

Haha! Great post, Sue!
I'm no sage, but I guess I got lucky in this department. I have this crazy OCD that didn't let me start my novel unless I had a proper plan to begin with. And I'll tell you what, I stuck to the Snow Flake Method to the word! By the time I started my first draft (thought it took me 3 months to sit and write the first draft) I had everything planned along with ending. Though I had 2 endings, I was armed and ready and in June I started my first draft (I participated in JuNo) and by the end of the month I hard pressed myself to get it done with and viola! I had my first draft ready in 1st month :)
In NaNo Camp (July) I revised and edited it and by the end of July I had my second one. My Manuscript is ready (just doing the final changes with my proofreader) and I've already sent the first 4 chapters to my publisher :)
It's insane how that I actually wrote the entire book from scratch in just 4 months... :D But I'd say all this was possible only because I planned out everything (3 months of planning and waiting was worth before starting the FD.)
And as you mentioned, I never edited while writing the drafts. I stuck to my plan of having separate time for editing after completing the drafts.
Thanks to your post here, now I'll never even try to edit while writing.
Thanks for sharing your experience, dear. It always helps to learn from other writers' experiences :)
Have a great day!

Reply
Susan Bahr
9/23/2015 07:39:53 pm

You're not lucky - you're smart! It took me forever to figure editing out!

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