So, How Many Kinds Of Edits Are There?
Some of what are called edits, I would put in the category of critique, preferably done by my writers group with notes and discussion I can revise from. Pace, consistent voice, plot, etc. are the kind of things you want to correct early, during the first or second revision. This is where I catch parts that need to be cut or expanded. I work on the flow and pace of the story. Changes here require actual rewriting, not simple corrections. Sometimes they require massive rewriting. Sometimes I get ruthless with the delete button. To me, editing is something else.
Not all edits are the same. I imagine everyone has their own way to break it down, but here’s my process. Being slightly OCD where my writing is concerned, I tend to correct typo’s at all points of the process, partly because if I don’t, I may not see it again. These disappear with distressing ease. Otherwise, I work on the big things and narrow down to the nitpicky details.
For the first edit, I read the entire thing out loud. I make notes and highlight as I go. This is usually for the second revision, after I have already made sure there are no loose plot threads or other major content things. Reading out loud is a great way to catch those awkward phrases. If I read it to someone it’s even better. I can see their reaction when something is not clear. This read will fine tune my paragraphs and sentences. I’ll note where I need to reword and refine the phrasing. Then I take my notes and do the revision from them.
I let it sit for at least a week or two and work on something else. I need to come at it fresh for the next run.
The next edit I usually do in hard copy. This is the first serious typo/spelling/punctuation/ grammar edit. I go slow. After I work through it front to back, I start at the end and take it paragraph by paragraph – backwards. This keeps you from getting caught up in the story and the technical errors are easier to see. This seems to help break the tendency to read what I intended to type, rather than what I actually typed. Once I correct the errors on the computer, it’s ready to go back to my team for their final nitpicky read.
Once I get the marked up file back, I go through and make what are, hopefully, the last corrections. They aren’t of course.
Next is the edit of galley proofs, or their ebook equivalent. For ebooks, you have to make sure there’s no formatting errors. The first time we reformatted a book for mobi, around 2/3 of the periods disappeared. Not all of them, which might at least have made sense in a techy sort of way. Do you have any idea how hard it is to make sure all your periods are there? It is the final nitpicky edit all over again. I can’t offer any specifics on galleys yet, as we haven’t done actual printed books at this time, but I suspect it’s the same kind of thing.
Something to note, Selarial’s Song was my first book and I had to learn as I went. This was not a single time going through the process, but what seemed like endless times. It spanned years. I once threw the manuscript in the closet for 5 years in disgust. There were some major shifts in the story as I decided what worked and what didn’t. Somehow, the meat of the story still stayed in line with the plan for the overall trilogy. The rest have been a walk in the park by comparison and the process gets faster the more I do it.
