Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "punctuation"
Self Editing
You've written your first draft and typed those two little words--The End. Congratulations! You should be overjoyed, proud and thinking of how to reward your efforts. You deserve it. After all, writing a novel is hard work. Now comes the next step, self editing.
Self editing doesn't have to be hard and painful. But, it should be done right and a couple of times before you send your manuscript to an agent or publisher. Before you begin the first round, may I suggest you set your manuscript aside for a week or two, give your mind a break from the story and tend to other matters. When you come back to the story, you'll have fresh eyes, renewed energy and a different goal; to make the story better.
Spelling, punctuation, margins and neatness are a must when editing. Agents and publishers frown upon sloppy work. But there's more to editing than just fixing those red and green lines on your computer screen. This is your time to go through your story and make it the best it can be.
With honest eyes, pay attention to the following:
Does your story make sense? Is it believable? Do your scenes/chapters flow easily from one to the other? Do they move the plot? Or are they merely space fillers? Is there a gap in the middle of the story? Is the ending rushed? Perhaps something is missing, or not explained thoroughly or maybe you've repeated something from chapter two in chapter eleven. Is your POV correct? Do your characters stay true to form? Are they doing things because you want them to? Or is there good reason for the things they do and the decisions they make? Have you paid attention to detail? Is your heroine a blonde in one chapter and a redhead in the next? Did your hero board a train at the end of chapter two and is now on a ship at the beginning of chapter three? Have you flavored your story with enough, or too much, terminology? And have you used the five senses?
Don't be afraid, or against, making changes. You might have to explain something in greater detail or delete something that is not essential to the story. If you're unsure, ask someone you trust to read what you've written and give you honest feedback. A critique partner is great for this, but I don't suggest asking mom. Chances are, she'll love anything you've written, no matter how good or bad.
Once you've completed your first round of editing, again set it aside for a week or two and then go back and repeat the process. After that, the decision is up to you as to whether or not your work is ready to send to an agent or publisher. If you feel you've done the best you can, that your story works and flows at a good pace and your characters are true to themselves, then send it in. If there is something very wrong, a good editor will point out what, where and why.
I will caution you on one thing, don't over-edit yourself. There is such a thing as editing too much and you can spend years polishing the story until you no longer recognize it. Trust your instincts and then go for it. You've got nothing to lose and so much to gain.
Good luck to you in your endeavors and remember, it took me yeras to get published. But if you have the drive and the perseverence, good things will happen for you, too.
Julie
Self editing doesn't have to be hard and painful. But, it should be done right and a couple of times before you send your manuscript to an agent or publisher. Before you begin the first round, may I suggest you set your manuscript aside for a week or two, give your mind a break from the story and tend to other matters. When you come back to the story, you'll have fresh eyes, renewed energy and a different goal; to make the story better.
Spelling, punctuation, margins and neatness are a must when editing. Agents and publishers frown upon sloppy work. But there's more to editing than just fixing those red and green lines on your computer screen. This is your time to go through your story and make it the best it can be.
With honest eyes, pay attention to the following:
Does your story make sense? Is it believable? Do your scenes/chapters flow easily from one to the other? Do they move the plot? Or are they merely space fillers? Is there a gap in the middle of the story? Is the ending rushed? Perhaps something is missing, or not explained thoroughly or maybe you've repeated something from chapter two in chapter eleven. Is your POV correct? Do your characters stay true to form? Are they doing things because you want them to? Or is there good reason for the things they do and the decisions they make? Have you paid attention to detail? Is your heroine a blonde in one chapter and a redhead in the next? Did your hero board a train at the end of chapter two and is now on a ship at the beginning of chapter three? Have you flavored your story with enough, or too much, terminology? And have you used the five senses?
Don't be afraid, or against, making changes. You might have to explain something in greater detail or delete something that is not essential to the story. If you're unsure, ask someone you trust to read what you've written and give you honest feedback. A critique partner is great for this, but I don't suggest asking mom. Chances are, she'll love anything you've written, no matter how good or bad.
Once you've completed your first round of editing, again set it aside for a week or two and then go back and repeat the process. After that, the decision is up to you as to whether or not your work is ready to send to an agent or publisher. If you feel you've done the best you can, that your story works and flows at a good pace and your characters are true to themselves, then send it in. If there is something very wrong, a good editor will point out what, where and why.
I will caution you on one thing, don't over-edit yourself. There is such a thing as editing too much and you can spend years polishing the story until you no longer recognize it. Trust your instincts and then go for it. You've got nothing to lose and so much to gain.
Good luck to you in your endeavors and remember, it took me yeras to get published. But if you have the drive and the perseverence, good things will happen for you, too.
Julie
Editing
This week I'm in editing mode. I finished the first draft of Zanna's Outlaw, the first book in a new series set in Texas, and gave myself last week to let the story sit, give my mind a chance to refresh and take care of home and family stuff. That was one week I should have wrote, as my muse was flowing and I found myself writing notes and leaving them on my desk. This week, I was pumped and ready to go, but the muse wasn't. It finally kicked in yesterday, and I got more accomplished in one day than I did in two.
Editing can be a blessing and a hassle, at the same time. Spelling and punctuation are easy. Your eyes are fresh and reading material you haven't in a while, so those mistakes leap out at you. Tightening your scenes and chapters and polishing your characters and plot can sometimes make you crazy. Or, at least they do for me.
It's the little things I obsess over; a paragraph that doesn't flow the way I'd like, a point I'm trying to make, not repeating something that I've written in a previous chapter, clearly expressing my character's thoughts and feelings. But I don't give up. I keep at it, and eventually what I'm trying to express works its way out of my mind and onto the computer screen.
Sometimes, I have a good day and breeze thru chapters. Some may require a slight bit of tweaking, and others require nothing at all. I wish I had more days like that, but in my heart, I want the story to be the best it can be. This is my chance to correct what I think is wrong. I'll grumble and get agitated, but in the end, I'll be satisfied.
I don't have a list of do's and don't's for editing and the order to do them. I think for everyone the process differs. I usually jump right in at page one and go. I have my notes and a good of idea of my weak spots. I put my notes in order so that when I get to that part in the story, I can see what I wanted to add or delete. As for the weak spots, I look for ways to make them better; word choice, adding something to the scene or strengthening my character's actions. I do a lot of flipping back and forth between the pages, paying attention to setting and plot details and points that move the story forward. I also look for things that don't work or could be better explained.
Obsess over minor things. Get frustrated. Change a whole scene. Add one or delete one. But whatever you do, keep going and enjoy this time of the creative process. Once you reach the end, your story will be better and your writing stronger. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment and know in that moment that the sweat and the laboring were well worth it. I know I do.
Editing can be a blessing and a hassle, at the same time. Spelling and punctuation are easy. Your eyes are fresh and reading material you haven't in a while, so those mistakes leap out at you. Tightening your scenes and chapters and polishing your characters and plot can sometimes make you crazy. Or, at least they do for me.
It's the little things I obsess over; a paragraph that doesn't flow the way I'd like, a point I'm trying to make, not repeating something that I've written in a previous chapter, clearly expressing my character's thoughts and feelings. But I don't give up. I keep at it, and eventually what I'm trying to express works its way out of my mind and onto the computer screen.
Sometimes, I have a good day and breeze thru chapters. Some may require a slight bit of tweaking, and others require nothing at all. I wish I had more days like that, but in my heart, I want the story to be the best it can be. This is my chance to correct what I think is wrong. I'll grumble and get agitated, but in the end, I'll be satisfied.
I don't have a list of do's and don't's for editing and the order to do them. I think for everyone the process differs. I usually jump right in at page one and go. I have my notes and a good of idea of my weak spots. I put my notes in order so that when I get to that part in the story, I can see what I wanted to add or delete. As for the weak spots, I look for ways to make them better; word choice, adding something to the scene or strengthening my character's actions. I do a lot of flipping back and forth between the pages, paying attention to setting and plot details and points that move the story forward. I also look for things that don't work or could be better explained.
Obsess over minor things. Get frustrated. Change a whole scene. Add one or delete one. But whatever you do, keep going and enjoy this time of the creative process. Once you reach the end, your story will be better and your writing stronger. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment and know in that moment that the sweat and the laboring were well worth it. I know I do.
