Editing
For the past two weeks I have been off from my day job. It has been a wonderful break because I have gotten to live in Savannah’s world. Savannah and I have been working on book five and I am happy to say we have finished the first draft of the book. We have also wrote the first chapter of book six. I am itching to dive into book six. I want to know what happens next. I know some of the events but only a few of them. I also know I have research to do for the book. I have to find out where Savannah will be going. With that said I also know I have editing to do.
Editing is the un-fun stuff. It is the part where we have to critique what we have done. It is where we question if we have hit the mark or missed it. Each sentence must be examined for any mistakes. It is one of the toughest parts of writing. For me it is where I question if I am any good at this. This blog is going to be about editing and the work and time it takes.
For many people who are not writers they know little about the process. They think we as writers sit down and put words on paper and it all just kind of happens. In some ways that’s true. We spend hours with our characters working, fighting, and crying in order to create this magic. I honestly believe I wouldn’t be a published author if it was not for Savannah. She is the one who came to me and I am so grateful for her every day of my life. On the other hand, she can be quite difficult and there are days she nags me until I am so frustrated with her. During editing she is there but less loud. She seems to move to the background and lets me do what needs to be done. There are moments she will stand up and tell me you really screwed up that scene or hey, you forgot this piece. This is how it’s supposed to be in my opinion. There are other moments as I am editing, she throws me a scene for the next book or a scene for a book in the future. I instantly have to stop what I am doing, take notes, and find a way to write the scene as soon as possible. Those moments I believe are Savannah’s way of giving me a break from the editing. So let’s talk about the process of editing. For me I spend months editing. I have a system that works for me and I am going to share it with you. Before we dive into this you should know that I do not do these four edits back to back. I take breaks from each book in order to clear my head.
Every author does editing differently, just as they write. I go through four edits. The first one is important because its me doing it all by myself. It is a time I am forced to be completely honest with me. It is also where I do most of my adding to the book. The first edit is me reading the book out loud to myself and questioning if I have enough details. Did I make the picture for the reader clear enough? Right now I am reading book four, which will take me a couple of weeks. It will give my brain time to rest and let go of the drafting I have done on book five. Now back to what I was saying. I read the book out loud and I look at a scene as if it is new to me. Many times during this edit I will add anywhere from twenty to fifty pages of details. It’s important when you are drafting just to create. When editing, your goal is to make every scene count and ensure you have enough details so your reader can see what you are writing.
Once edit one is done I usually move to creating. I start the research and outline for the next book. I usually have the first chapter written which gives me a place to start from where the last book ended. Most times I do this because Savannah shows me where I’m supposed to go and it helps me to think about what I will be dealing with next. The second edit is all about looking for smaller mistakes. Grammar, spelling, and word usage. As an author we all have certain phrases or words we have a tendency to use. I try to look for those words and make changes. This edit takes less time than any of the other edits I put the book through. It is a lot of fine tuning.
The book usually gets to sit, waiting for the third edit for a month, sometimes more. Edit three is the edit where I turn to my editor. I can’t afford a professional editor but I have my mom. She reads obsessively and many different genres. She is brutally honest, which is what I need. It is what any author needs. She and I read the book together. We both have day jobs so we edit on days off and weekends. We read each chapter together and make changes, corrections, and sometimes adding to a scene. We spend hours on the phone looking at word usage, if the description I have written is clear, and from time to time some of this leads to arguments. There are moments she will say you should change this word to this or do this. Many times I see the reason for the change and agree, other times I don’t agree. We fight and argue and eventually one of us will give in. It is one of the most difficult edits the book goes through because it is another person telling you there is still work to be done. There are moments where you start to question how much more you can change. What the hell have I done for the past several months? Right now book three is going through this edit. I edit every weekend and on any days my mom and I have off together. It is hard work and at times feels like we are never going to finish. It is tedious work for both of us.
The last edit is like clean up. It is the edit that we do the quickest. My mom takes a week off from the book. She reads something else. We start the third edit on the next book just to cleanse the palate. She then goes back in by herself and makes notes for me. It is the edit that catches small things. Commas we may have missed, words that should be different, a tag that may need to be added, etcetera. She makes notes within the document and I go back through and make the changes that need to be made. This is the edit I am always so happy to reach, it means I am almost done and ready to publish. At this point, I am tired and just want to move on. I want the book out and to get started on the next thing. I’m itching to be done but it is just as important as the other edits.
The thing about editing is it’s a beautiful process in it’s own way. Yes it is hard on the writer but it is also necessary. No one writes a book perfect the first time around. Anyone that says they do is lying to you and themselves. The beauty part of editing is taking this piece of work and making better, clearer than it was. It is the difference between okay and great. Those edits I do for each book make that piece of work better than it was. There are moments I hate it. There are moments where I am ready to move on but I remind myself that rushing will only delay me later. It means the next edit will take longer. It means I failed to be honest with myself.
I read a quote once that said “Write without fear but edit mercilessly.” It’s true. Be honest with yourself, look at what you have done and ask can this be better. Generally speaking the answer is usually yes it can be. It doesn’t mean you failed as a writer it just means you created a starting place for yourself. I tend to look at draft one as that, a starting place. By the time I am done with all the edits, there is so much I have added that it almost seems like a different book. It’s not but it is better and that is the goal.
So don’t fear editing. Don’t rush through or sugar coat it for yourself. Be honest, be hard on yourself and keep going. Until next time!
Editing is the un-fun stuff. It is the part where we have to critique what we have done. It is where we question if we have hit the mark or missed it. Each sentence must be examined for any mistakes. It is one of the toughest parts of writing. For me it is where I question if I am any good at this. This blog is going to be about editing and the work and time it takes.
For many people who are not writers they know little about the process. They think we as writers sit down and put words on paper and it all just kind of happens. In some ways that’s true. We spend hours with our characters working, fighting, and crying in order to create this magic. I honestly believe I wouldn’t be a published author if it was not for Savannah. She is the one who came to me and I am so grateful for her every day of my life. On the other hand, she can be quite difficult and there are days she nags me until I am so frustrated with her. During editing she is there but less loud. She seems to move to the background and lets me do what needs to be done. There are moments she will stand up and tell me you really screwed up that scene or hey, you forgot this piece. This is how it’s supposed to be in my opinion. There are other moments as I am editing, she throws me a scene for the next book or a scene for a book in the future. I instantly have to stop what I am doing, take notes, and find a way to write the scene as soon as possible. Those moments I believe are Savannah’s way of giving me a break from the editing. So let’s talk about the process of editing. For me I spend months editing. I have a system that works for me and I am going to share it with you. Before we dive into this you should know that I do not do these four edits back to back. I take breaks from each book in order to clear my head.
Every author does editing differently, just as they write. I go through four edits. The first one is important because its me doing it all by myself. It is a time I am forced to be completely honest with me. It is also where I do most of my adding to the book. The first edit is me reading the book out loud to myself and questioning if I have enough details. Did I make the picture for the reader clear enough? Right now I am reading book four, which will take me a couple of weeks. It will give my brain time to rest and let go of the drafting I have done on book five. Now back to what I was saying. I read the book out loud and I look at a scene as if it is new to me. Many times during this edit I will add anywhere from twenty to fifty pages of details. It’s important when you are drafting just to create. When editing, your goal is to make every scene count and ensure you have enough details so your reader can see what you are writing.
Once edit one is done I usually move to creating. I start the research and outline for the next book. I usually have the first chapter written which gives me a place to start from where the last book ended. Most times I do this because Savannah shows me where I’m supposed to go and it helps me to think about what I will be dealing with next. The second edit is all about looking for smaller mistakes. Grammar, spelling, and word usage. As an author we all have certain phrases or words we have a tendency to use. I try to look for those words and make changes. This edit takes less time than any of the other edits I put the book through. It is a lot of fine tuning.
The book usually gets to sit, waiting for the third edit for a month, sometimes more. Edit three is the edit where I turn to my editor. I can’t afford a professional editor but I have my mom. She reads obsessively and many different genres. She is brutally honest, which is what I need. It is what any author needs. She and I read the book together. We both have day jobs so we edit on days off and weekends. We read each chapter together and make changes, corrections, and sometimes adding to a scene. We spend hours on the phone looking at word usage, if the description I have written is clear, and from time to time some of this leads to arguments. There are moments she will say you should change this word to this or do this. Many times I see the reason for the change and agree, other times I don’t agree. We fight and argue and eventually one of us will give in. It is one of the most difficult edits the book goes through because it is another person telling you there is still work to be done. There are moments where you start to question how much more you can change. What the hell have I done for the past several months? Right now book three is going through this edit. I edit every weekend and on any days my mom and I have off together. It is hard work and at times feels like we are never going to finish. It is tedious work for both of us.
The last edit is like clean up. It is the edit that we do the quickest. My mom takes a week off from the book. She reads something else. We start the third edit on the next book just to cleanse the palate. She then goes back in by herself and makes notes for me. It is the edit that catches small things. Commas we may have missed, words that should be different, a tag that may need to be added, etcetera. She makes notes within the document and I go back through and make the changes that need to be made. This is the edit I am always so happy to reach, it means I am almost done and ready to publish. At this point, I am tired and just want to move on. I want the book out and to get started on the next thing. I’m itching to be done but it is just as important as the other edits.
The thing about editing is it’s a beautiful process in it’s own way. Yes it is hard on the writer but it is also necessary. No one writes a book perfect the first time around. Anyone that says they do is lying to you and themselves. The beauty part of editing is taking this piece of work and making better, clearer than it was. It is the difference between okay and great. Those edits I do for each book make that piece of work better than it was. There are moments I hate it. There are moments where I am ready to move on but I remind myself that rushing will only delay me later. It means the next edit will take longer. It means I failed to be honest with myself.
I read a quote once that said “Write without fear but edit mercilessly.” It’s true. Be honest with yourself, look at what you have done and ask can this be better. Generally speaking the answer is usually yes it can be. It doesn’t mean you failed as a writer it just means you created a starting place for yourself. I tend to look at draft one as that, a starting place. By the time I am done with all the edits, there is so much I have added that it almost seems like a different book. It’s not but it is better and that is the goal.
So don’t fear editing. Don’t rush through or sugar coat it for yourself. Be honest, be hard on yourself and keep going. Until next time!
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