Different styles of editing

So you’ve finished a draft of your book, had a bit of a read through and decided it’s time to do some editing.

Editing is undoubtedly one of the most crucial stages of the writing process – for most of us, it’s the make or break stage, where we try and elevate our writing from adequate to amazing. It encompasses a wide range of issues, from the plot to style to characterisation, so it’s vital we get it right, no matter which editing method we eventually choose…

When to edit?

One of the first issues to think about, no matter how you decide to edit, is when you are actually going to do it. Do you want to go straight into the editing process once you’ve finished the draft of your book, or do you want to leave it a while before taking the plunge?

There is something to be said for keeping up the momentum of your writing project, but then again it can be useful to give yourself a bit of space and distance before starting to edit. Whichever you decide, make sure you make the right choice…

Tear it apart

One means of editing it to essentially tear the whole book apart. Now you’ve already got a draft done, you’ll have a good idea of what you want to achieve and how the story works, so you’ll be able to be brutal with what you’ve already got. This essentially means putting aside most of your work so far and almost starting again, but this time with the knowledge of what you need to do to fix the issues that plagued you first time around.

Dismantle the plot

Let’s say you’re quite happy with much of your draft, but have found some issues with your plot. This method of editing means spending some time making sure your plot is watertight – in a way, it’s like going back to the planning stage, but this time with the knowledge of where the weaknesses are. Then go back to your draft and carefully change what you need to, while leaving most of what you’ve got intact.

The line edit

A method of editing that can be very useful is to do a line edit – go through the text and highlight and make notes on things that you want to change. You can either do this on your computer, or print everything off and go over it with a red pen (this can be useful so you can physically see where the issues are when you’re going back over it). This is a particularly good method of editing if you don’t want to make major changes but rather just want to brush up on what you’ve got and make it as good as you possibly can.

Get a professional editor

You don’t always have to do the editing yourself. Often, the eye of a professional can offer insights that we’d never have ourselves, and they can provide structure and guidance when it comes to fixing those niggling issues. Using a professional editor isn’t for everyone, but once you’ve got as far as you can on your own, it can be worth it to take your novel to the next level.

What are your favourite editing methods and tips?