Bisky's Twitterling's Scribbles! discussion
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Editing Process
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lol I edit something to death myself and then ask one of my writer friends who are more grammar nazis than anything and they help :3 I always print out a copy so they can write on it and really mark it up. The more the better, I say ^^ Although hopefully at that time there isn't as much since I already scanned it over haha
As for habits…hmm…I try really hard to pay attention to words that have multiple spellings (i.e. than/then, conscious/conscience, etc) and make sure I'm using the right word. I don't really check websites all that much anymore, but I used to go to http://grammarist.com a lot. it's very helpful ^^
Editing my first book has been a challenge for me. Websites? This is something I'll need to research. Generally, I read over what I've written several times and make edits along the way. Then I have a few friends read my work to catch anything I may have missed.
Gah! I hate editing! I'm lucky I have an awesome CP who helps me, and an amazing editor at my publisher. She makes me better with each book and I really would cry if I lost her. The relationship between author and editor is almost as deep and sacred as marriage, lol!
You can also hire an editor on wattpad. Most will do it for commenting on their story or following them or something similar that doesn't cost any actual money. I don't worry about it on wattpad. Half the stuff on there is riddled with terrible grammar and even worse spelling. I am posting mostly 1st draft stuff, and I have a few fans that let me know almost immediately if it's jacked up. I had to do a bit of rewriting on one part a couple weeks ago to fix it.
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I have an extensive word search list based on words known to weaken prose e.g. He had gone to the store --> He WENT to the store). I search and replace in large font and make revisions. My last one or two or three revisions are reading every sentence carefully to make it the best it can be. Of course that is obviously based on my opinion. I also use ProWritingAid as a tool - only $30.00 lifetime for the license.
Personally I LOVE the revision process because I can see the improvement with each revision.
@Nicole don't get overly excited. Most of the writers and editors haven't made it out of high school yet. Wattpad.com is the website. It's a great place to work on your craft, and possibly gain some fans. If you're interested in 1D fanfiction, You'll find tons of it there.
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I'm sure they'll look into it :p
I usually do a first full read through to revise heavily, adding things I feel are missing or changing what isn't effective. A lot of times on this first read through I look for major things like pov shifts, change to passive voice, big grammar problems, and of course misspellings. 2nd read through I'm editing out extraneous stuff, and really focusing on grammar and odd errors that spell check doesn't catch, like "he" instead of "she". While I do my 3rd read through I usually hand it off to a couple of trusted ppl to beta read. Then my last read through I really just read it and make sure everything "sounds" right.True story: ONE time I printed a manuscript for my mom to check for me. I asked her to circle spelling & grammar errors for me while she read. She circled literally, and I'm not kidding here, EVERY single comma in the entire manuscript. Probably 1% were actual comma splices or commas that shouldn't be there. The rest were just your average everyday commas. I have no idea why she would think every comma was a mistake, but she did. lol
I don't let her grammar check anymore. :)
@J I have a friend who was helping me edit. He has an unnatural love for the comma. He took out about a third of my periods and replaced them with commas.
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I kinda know, but I'm always too nervous to use it. Just one of those things that won't stick.
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Like misspelling weird :p
What's the average length that everyone spends on editing? I find that it's a love-hate process. I hate the fact that it takes forever for me because I can't let go sometimes or move on, but I love the end result:)
I hate editing. I have been down in the editing cave for the last 2 weeks and it has consumed all of my free time. No, that's a lie; promotion stuff has also consumed much of my time. I think I hate promoting more than editing. Anyway, I have my husband edit for me, but he misses many things that I find later. I really hope I make enough money to be able to hire an editor some day. Then again, I have read things that were professionally edited and contained errors that made me cringe.@Bisky. I used that semicolon just for you.
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lan, editing by myself I take about half a year :]
Linda and I go through the manuscript by reading it aloud to each other. I HIGHLY recommend this method; you catch a ton of stuff, not just editing but how it 'scans' and if the text flows naturally.Then we send it to a few Beta readers and see what they catch. Then we send it to a copy-editor (a friend.) Then we send it to a proof-reader.
Bisky- I know what you mean about the half year- I think mine was creeping 1 year:( I HATE promoting!!!! It's so time consuming and sometimes hopeless:/
I checked out Prowritingaid. Love it. I'll have to check out SmartEdit too. I'm actually not editing anymore, release is 3/25 but prowriting tool could have saved me hours. Love that it finds mismatched quotes and works as an add on for Word.
Lan wrote: "Bisky- I know what you mean about the half year- I think mine was creeping 1 year:( I HATE promoting!!!! It's so time consuming and sometimes hopeless:/"Ian, you are making me even more depressed about the promoting part. I didn't do anything with my other 2 books and I'm hoping that I haven't totally wasted my time doing promotion stuff with this one.
Cassandra- I've learned that you have to promote! I did it all WRONG with the release of my first book which was three weeks ago. I finally called a promoting blog and had them throw a release blitz for me. It makes all the difference in the world because they have the connections. Don't let the frustration get to you:) We're all in the same boat and we're here to help each other- at least I am so you can ask me to share anything for you. I'm good at sharing:) Editing is tough when I have to keep rereading the same story over and over again- it looses that shiny luster after awhile:(
@Lan Don't think of it as hopeless. Think of it as an investment in future earnings. That little trickle that starts at the top of the mountain you just climbed will turn into a stream then a river then a lake and so on.
@Brian- I love your insightful point! Thank you:)
Lan wrote: "Bisky- I know what you mean about the half year- I think mine was creeping 1 year:( I HATE promoting!!!! It's so time consuming and sometimes hopeless:/"Promoting is the worst. And personally, I still see virtually no result from it. So I know what you mean about it feeling hopeless. But keep soldiering on and hopefully a work will break through and find its audience and then things will begin to take a shift for the better.
Ian, I'm glad the release blitz worked for you. This time, I decided to try the blog tour. I've also sent out requests for reviews to about 30 blogs. Eight asked for ARCs, so I consider that a good start. I also sent out requests yesterday to have some blogs do cover reveals. I offered up some free Ebooks for giveaways on some blogs release week. Oh, and I've been trying to keep up with the book blog pages on Facebook so I can post on their author questions. Man, do I hate Facebook stuff. I made spreadsheets (yes, I'm a total dork) so I shouldn't have as much research to do next time. Hoping it pays off in the end.
Ah bejesus, the pain of editing. I found a really neat programme called Natural Reader that has taken the sting out of it for me. Sounds like a robot reading your MS, but it's great for picking up run on sentences etc.Now I just need to find Natural Promoter software....
The hardest thing about promoting to me is that you can do a boatload of work and reach all the same people over and over again.
Julie wrote: "The hardest thing about promoting to me is that you can do a boatload of work and reach all the same people over and over again."Too true. I'm a super shy introvert, promoting and marketing are well out of my comfort zone. If I could afford to - I would pay someone to do it for me. :)
You are so right Julie! I sometimes work up the energy to post on several Facebook pages about my book. When I go back to check the post, the same people liked it on multiple pages.I really shouldn't complain though. I'm not a big time author, but I love what I do. Okay, I hate editing and promoting but I can do it. I have a few very loyal fans who make me feel loved. Life is pretty good.
Being an introvert makes it really hard. I'm not shy, but get really embarassed patting myself on the back in any way, so promoting has been tough for me, too. What did help me immensely is building relationships on Twitter, actually. One on one conversations with people who are like me, and helping them out by reading their work, bouncing ideas off each other, interviewing each other for our blogs, etc... I found that this was the most helpful way to promote, as these people were all too eager to spread the word about my book when the time came. It's made it the most painless way possible for me. Are you on Twitter?
I ABHOR Facebook!I find it did absolutely zero for me, but Twitter was amazing, and the friends I've made there made promotion something I didn't have to really think about. And it felt GOOD, to not have to push my work, to have people that wanted to help me. I found FB to be totally one-sided, like talking to a wall.
I join this group so I could talk about writing and figure out Twitter. I am ashamed to say, that i still have no freakin' idea what I'm doing on there.
That's great advice, Julie. I'm on Twitter @BoBrennanWriter. I have met some wonderful people on GoodReads but find it really hard to navigate. I wish I could find people like that on Twitter - I love the simplicity of it. When it comes to FB, I find it much the same as you. :)
Cassandra wrote: "I join this group so I could talk about writing and figure out Twitter. I am ashamed to say, that i still have no freakin' idea what I'm doing on there."Lol! I find Twitter the easiest to use out of all of them. But I still don't know how to make it work for me. :)
I won't lie, I only opened a Facebook account under duress. I'm not big on social media. I kind of like blogging but I get the most attention when I post recipes there.I will get the hang of Twitter this year. It seems easier than Facebook.
Facebook was the last place I opened an account too. I find it really hard to talk about my books - stupid I know - but everything feels so 'spammy' when I do. I really have to get to grips with all this social media, there's so much of it. :/
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Bisky wrote: "Bo, there is a Twitterling thread to post your handle. If you guys want to follow the people in the group, it's in Off Topic :]"Eek, sorry Bisky. I need to poke around the group some more. :) Should I delete the post?
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Ah bejesus, I'm such a techtard - I thought I was 'Off Topic.' I just realised that if I click the 'Off Topic' header it reveals so much more! *face palm*
....It's 1982 where I live. I need to catch up with the world.
Bo wrote: "Ah bejesus, I'm such a techtard - I thought I was 'Off Topic.' I just realised that if I click the 'Off Topic' header it reveals so much more! *face palm*
....It's 1982 where I live. I need to c..."
LOL! I know the feeling. I still have a flip phone. When my son was in high school, he and his friends used to sneak onto my computer to download porn. My husband (boyfriend at that time) said they were idiots because I was the only person in the world who still had dial up. The only reason I got DSL is that my husband insisted when we got married.
How many of you edit as you write? Does anyone do free writing and then go back to beautifying it? My ideas flow so quickly when I don't have to stop and make it all 'perfect'I think we need a support group during the editing and promoting process;)
@Lan: I do that sometimes when I have a sudden burst of inspiration and I'm afraid it will slip away. Most of the time, though, my ideas comes so slowly, I beautify them in my mind before I type them.I'd be all for an editing support group. I've never edited anything novel-length before, as I've never finished anything novel-length before. All that will change within the next couple of months (so close, so close...)
I usually edit as I write because I can't help myself, except for the times when I do get a big burst of inspiration/motivation. Then I just write like the wind to get the scene down while it's still fresh in my mind. :)
But I'm going to post it anyway, ha. But I was wondering, what do you do to check? Do you have habits you know to look out for? Do you check websites?