Is there such a thing as overdone editing?

[Angel]

My novel is completed and is currently in the editing process. I've had several betas read it. I've had editing done numerous times already. I'm painstakingly willing to go through this process with this novel and every novel I write after this because I'm not a person who likes to go back after it is published and won't. Because I make sure I do all that needs to be done before publication no matter how long it takes. I have been writing this novel for three years and have taken it through the editing process several times within the three years and I'm going to give it another 3 to 4 months of editing including formatting to ready it for publication. Is there such a thing as overdone editing? Or is it just being too much of a perfectionist or paranoia?

[Iffix]

First off, I cannot commend enough those who take the editing process seriously. So kudos to you.

For me, I generally will read the book myself about half a dozen times to get out the kinks, and read through it with Grammarly to pick up those few issues I would not have thought about (particularly, Grammarly picks up my overused commas). But as a general rule, the editing does get easier with each pass. If you've read it enough that nothing jumps out at you, I would say you should feel comfortable with your work.

Even in the best writers' works, there is generally a typo or two. So make the same allowances for yourself that you would give the big guy who paid an editor $5,000 to fix his book and failed.

Wishing you the best.

[Angel]

Iffix wrote: "First off, I cannot commend enough those who take the editing process seriously. So kudos to you.

For me, I generally will read the book myself about half a dozen times to get out the kinks, and ..."

Thanks, I appreciate your candor.

[Tim]

Too much editing can kill the heart and soul of the work. I firmly believe that when a writer develops his or her own authentic voice, there is no need for the constant obsession for "perfection." Developing one's own authentic voice simply means that your writing rings true to you--to who you are and to the message you want to convey. You will know when you are there because you will be in that "zone" that athletes speak about when they are operating at peak performance. You will not feel the need for constantly "messing" with it because essentially you will like what you wrote the first time. Complete your first draft, put it in a drawer, and come back to it several weeks (at least) later and look at it again. At that point, you will sense what needs changing or reworking. Make the changes. And there you are. Have someone with editing skills look at it to detect any grammatical, spelling, or formatting issues, and you are ready to go. .

[Angel]

Tim wrote: "Too much editing can kill the heart and soul of the work. I firmly believe that when a writer develops his or her own authentic voice, there is no need for the constant obsession for "perfection." ..."

Thanks!

Of course, I like what I wrote and I know the originality of my own voice but, I have found some things that need fine tuning. I'm not new at the whole writing process. I've been doing this 25 years. I'm not trying to be perfect just astutely aware.

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

Yes, you can over-edit and it's much as Tim said. You don't want to kill the spirit of your book or your unique voice by making sure every grammatical mistake is gone. Spelling, punctuation, etc. do your very best to get these as perfect as possible. And it's one of those things that's going to be different for every author. Only you will know when your book is ready.

[Eric]

It may have been said to varying degrees, but "over-editing" CAN be dangerous when one considers more creative aspects of expression. A prime example being the intentionally misspelled word within a character's dialogue as a means of reflecting maturity/intellect of the given character. We all wish to be polished with our published work, but it must be balanced with accurate portrayal of our characters.

[Alp]

I commend you for your dedication

Alp

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

Comment deleted. We have other threads for offering books.

[Ken]

Angel wrote: "My novel is completed and is currently in the editing process. I've had several betas read it. I've had editing done numerous times already. I'm painstakingly willing to go through this process wit..."

For my first book, I went through 11 drafts before finally sending it off to my copy editor. As others mentioned, each round should get progressively easier. At some point, I decided it was enough, but it can take a while to get there.

[Angel]

Thanks! Everyone for all the good advice. I will take it into consideration.

[April]

Yes, it's possible to overedit a novel. It can become too sterilized and the life stripped out of it. However, a book can also be edited a thousand times and still not be ready for publication. Each case is different, depending on the novel and the author.

Show the book to someone you trust, someone who's expert enough to give you an accurate opinion of the book's readiness - someone who will be entirely honest with you. Then you'll know if it's time to stop editing or not.

Best of luck to you, Angel!! :)

[[deleted user]]

Can you edit too much? I guarantee you that no matter how many times you read your ms, you will find a mistake. The question becomes, how much editing is necessary before publishing? I say, as much as you can get.proofreaders are helpful, but they are not editors. They generally tell you about conflicts in the plot, pacing, or anachronisms. What they will not do, is do line item edits. Both editors and proofreaders are needed. How much editing? As much as you can get. Edit until your eyes bleed.

[Riley, Viking Extraordinaire]

I say edit until your satisfied, and if you can't get satisfied, wait awhile abd rewrite. Sometimes you just have to change approach.

[Dwayne, Head of Lettuce]

I usually edit until I'm bored and I realize that the changes I'm making are just nitpicky things. I do my own editing. I don't trust anyone with the raw manuscript... sometimes not even myself.

[M.L.]

The 'rule' I'm following is: are the changes just changes (because that can go on forever), or will the changes make it better. If better, then yes, keep editing. However, if it's more a feel that something isn't working, then as mentioned above, it may need a rewrite, but only after letting it sit for a while.

Good luck! :-)

[Angel]

Thanks again, everybody!