Writers and their written work have a special bond. We write something to life, but then to edit our work, we tear it apart without mercy. After that, it is beautiful again. It isn't easy to criticize the story you spent months writing. Let's talk about it. Join me in discussing the hardships of editing.
Writing is energizing and fun for me. Editing, on the other hand, is the exact opposite. It takes energy to do it. While necessary, it also means I need to edit in a way that gives me breaks periodically. Good editing shouldn't be rushed. Good editors also cost some money. I have found, personally, that you should edit your work yourself - to the point that you can't see anything wrong with it - and then hire an editor. From there you give an editor a better manuscript to look over.
There are many ways you can go about editing your writing. Whatever you do, make sure you show it to someone else for a fresh edit. Entrust it to a human who doesn't know it backward and forward. This blog post is all about the many ways you can put your work through the wringer to make it polished and pretty.
Tips and Tricks
There are editing programs all over the internet. Some can even give you human editors to work with. You can get a free version with less features or the premium version that gives you fancy stuff. You determine if that is worth your money and if you can afford it. Grammarly is very nice and I use it often in the free version. I am still deciding if I want to pay for premium, but the free version is quite nice by itself.
Line by line will take a long time. This can be done in sections, where you can take breaks in between. If you are going insane doing this stop and rest. Come back later. You can learn a lot by going line by line. You may find common mistakes this way. Along with this you should have a style guide, which will help your manuscript be uniform.
Don't rely on your computer to catch everything. This applies to every part of editing. Your computer will flag stuff that isn't wrong or won't catch something that is wrong. Be aware of this. In this spirit, it is suggested you read it backwards to catch the spelling errors. Make your brain think twice and it will catch stuff you don't see when reading it in order.
Reading out loud also catches words you thought you typed - but didn't type - before. We all do it. Our brain autocorrects in ways that make us unaware of our mistakes or wordiness. If you read it from a piece of paper it might make a difference (especially if you change font). Even ask a friend or use a text reader to find awkward wording or missed words. Computers will only see what you typed, in this case, so use a computer to find the mistake here.
Phone a friend. Hire an editor. Have someone else look at your work (if only to give yourself a break). I know it is hard to give your precious book to someone else, lest they hate it, but do it anyway. It will still be beautiful in the end. If you must hear it is awful, hear it when you can fix it - not when you released it into the world and it can hurt your reputation. Reward anyone who volunteers to help - because they are worth more than gold!!!!!!!
Let it sit in a drawer or be ignored for a bit. Why? Because you need to not stare at it daily. The more time spent away from it, the more mistakes you can spot. Do take a break from it to work on something else. It helps immensely. Fresh perspective after a month or two weeks away from your manuscript is important. A fresh mind sees more than a stressed mind.
Editing in rounds is a good way to hit the big things and small things. I, personally, go through the plot holes first, then the small grammar and spelling mistakes last, and each type of mistake is one round. Between the rounds take a short writing break and reward yourself with something you enjoy doing, that isn't stressful. Again, a fresh mind is better than a stressed mind when editing. Stressed minds miss mistakes.
Make sure you correct wordiness on one of your rounds. Readers are not fond of wordiness - at least, some of them aren't, anyway. Please look at the audience when figuring out what words you don't need and what details your plot doesn't need. Your first draft may have some wordiness in it. Your choice of how wordy your sentences are is yours, as long your readers understand you. Cliches are also something to cut out.
Print it out. Break out the red pens and highlighters. Get your eyes off the screen and onto paper. Mark it up however you like. The old fashioned way is sometimes the best way to mark mistakes. If you are helping a friend edit give them a printed draft that is marked with red pen and page numbers, so that they can go through the electronic copy with the editing marks and page references.
Most of all, get your first sentence right and learn from the mistakes that you make. Don't make them over and over again (in life and writing!). Learn from your writing journey and study the writers you love, how they write and their style. Mimic what you like and experiment (even if you never intend to send it to publishing). Free-write and edit that for practice, if you like. Proofread last, for sure.
Uncommon words can confuse an audience. Our modern audience is not going to know archaic words (use them if you like - just have them defined in some way). If you use a word make sure the readers in your sights know the word. You can lose readers that get confused. Writers have bigger vocabulary than average, much like avid readers. Know your target audience.
Passive voice is to be avoided. Also, describe as much as possible. Put your reader in the scene. Make passive voice and description a round of editing by itself. That's the best way to target this type of mistake. Don't be passive or dull. Readers stop reading when they get bored. Another round of editing is repetition, which can get tiring, too. Find synonyms.
You can get a free editing checklist here: https://jerryjenkins.com/self-editing/
Writing in general
For general writing advice, click this link: https://becomeawritertoday.com/improve-your-writing/
As a writer, I know that your manuscript is practically your child. Editing is hard. You need the time and a peaceful place to write, edit, and research (three different tasks that are not the same). Research often comes before writing. Writing always comes before editing. Do not edit while your write or you will go insane. Do not research while you write or you will face the same thing. Create a structure and place for yourself to do all three things. Writers need this. Even if you are sitting in a coffee shop with a laptop, you need a private space.
Since editing is the focus of the blog today, I'll let you click the link in this section. I hope I helped my fellow writers and have a good day!
Sources:
https://www.grammarly.com/blog/advice-on-editing/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwsLWDBhCmARIsAPSL3_2MRPdm2OVApH2Uw2_Xrda5btI77zE9MDKtLTYR0rjKIWYIUN7QCt8aAuHJEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
https://www.forbes.com/sites/joeescobedo/2017/07/24/forbes-new-york-times-the-10-best-ways-to-edit-your-copy/?sh=5ccb69fe253e
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/tips-for-editing-your-own-writing
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