Rewriting, Revising, and Editing: My Strategies

Considering this blog is "Cameron Chapman On Writing" and not "Cameron Chapman Promoting Her Books and Nothing Else", I thought it was time to get back to writing about writing. Besides, there's a nice, big, shiny link to where you can buy Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris in the sidebar.

So today I'd like to talk about my strategies for revising and editing my work. Some writers have very set techniques for editing their work. Others are sort of all over the place. I like to think I fall somewhere in the middle.

Now, the goal of editing any manuscript is to improve it. Some manuscripts need very little improvement, while others need a ton. I'm trying to get to the point where I write fairly clean first drafts, that don't need entire rewrites and only need minor, focused editing. I think I'm there, but we'll see after a few more first drafts.

Without further ado, here's my basic process for editing a novel (or novella), as it stands right now:

Finish the first draft. This is key. I don't edit while I'm writing the first draft. If I decide to change something partway through, I'll just leave a note for myself in [brackets] and move on with the rest of the manuscript as if I'd made the changes. I've also found that the faster I write the first draft, the better it will be, story-wise.
Let it sit for a few weeks (or a few months). I can't edit as soon as I've finished writing. Everything's too fresh in my head and I have very little objectivity. My ideal waiting time seems to be right around a month, though that varies based on the project. Sometimes, by the time I finish the first draft, I don't want to touch the thing again for months.
Print out a hard copy. My personal preference for printing format is to switch everything over to Courier New (I usually write in Cochin, Georgia, Baskerville, or Palatino, because I'm a typography nerd), 10pt. and double-spaced. I set my top and bottom margins to .25″, and side margins to .7″. Then, and this is the part that probably makes a lot of other writers feel faint, I print the pages 2-up (so there are two pages side-by-side on one sheet). I've found that this gives me just enough space to make notes in the margins (and I always have the back of each sheet for more extensive notes), as well as to insert proofreading marks and other minor edits between the lines. I've done it this way with four manuscripts, and have yet to run out of space on any of them. Plus, it uses a lot less paper this way (cheaper and more environmentally friendly). I would not, however, recommend this to anyone who has vision problems. Of course, now that I have a Nook Color, I may try doing this stage with that instead. This is also the stage where I find any notes I left for myself and incorporate those changes.
I re-type it. Once the entire thing has been gone through (preferably in one sitting, though that's tough with anything over about 60,000 words), I start retyping it into a fresh document, incorporating the changes from the hard copy. I inevitably find even more issues doing this, so it almost serves as a second round of editing.
I send it out to beta readers. If I'm fairly confident in the manuscript, this is usually a close friend and my husband, both of whom have no issue with being ruthless. If I'm less confident, I may seek out other writers to beta read as well.
I incorporate the changes the beta readers suggested, if I agree with them. If I don't agree, then I don't make changes, but I carefully consider everything they say. Sometimes they'll make suggestions, and while I don't use the exact suggestion, it makes me think of another way to fix whatever the problem is.
I proofread. This is my least-favorite part of the editing process for my own work. My technique for proofreading is to read the entire manuscript, paragraph-by-paragraph, from the end to the beginning. This causes a disconnect in your brain, and you pick up on a lot that isn't apparent when reading in order. I not only find typos this way, but also often find repetitive words or statements, and other language issues. I've done copyediting professionally, so I don't really have a problem proofing my own stuff, as long as I'm careful and take my time.

This seems to be the most streamlined way for me to make edits. This is the process I used when I edited Aboard the Unstoppable Aerostat Fenris. The entire editing process took me approximately a month. That was for a manuscript that was effectively written in about three weeks. (The original story it was based on only took around a month to write, though the new version is substantially different than the original, which was written two years ago.)

Overall, I can edit pretty much any length work in around a month with this method (not including the time it takes beta readers to get back to me). It's simple and effective, and I've been very pleased with the end results.

If your writing is more focused on language, rather than or in addition to character and story, then you may want to use a different technique. I use simple, plain language in my writing, so while word choice is important, it's not as important as it is in some genres. Those with a more lyrical or literary style may take additional passes to get everything perfect.

I'd love to hear about the editing process others use in the comments!