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Editing in another medium
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Another good practice is to read conversations out loud. It helps to identify when cadence is off, words are just wrong, out of character or out of place. It's amazing to find that what you thought was a smart comeback by your sassy character makes you want to crawl in a hole and die of embarrassment :)
Very true Susan. In fact I read all my text out loud. Apart from the pick-ups you mentioned, you also realise where there are gaps in the narrative thread and assumptions you made when writing that are just not there when reading.
I write on my desktop computer and edit on a Kindle. I use Calibre to convert it to an EPUB and load it directly from the computer to the Kindle, including the cover, so it'll look like a finished book. Seems to work well for me.
Ken wrote: "I write on my desktop computer and edit on a Kindle. I use Calibre to convert it to an EPUB and load it directly from the computer to the Kindle, including the cover, so it'll look like a finished..."I do this too. Write with Scrivener, then load onto Kindle and read, highlighting and making notes on the areas that need fixing. I go through those and revise in Scrivener.
Anthony wrote: "Very true Susan. In fact I read all my text out loud. Apart from the pick-ups you mentioned, you also realise where there are gaps in the narrative thread and assumptions you made when writing that..."That's true. I'm seeing a lot of issues with books lately, for instance, it's raining, but 2 seconds later the sun is blinding someone. How does no one catch that? I'm not sure I could read the whole book out loud, but if I can at least hit dialogue and parts that just don't sit right with me, I'm happy.
Susan, give it a try! It is painful at times, but reading the book aloud is a wonderful practice. Just throw everyone out of the house and go to it!
I edit over and over and over in Word, every time I get the book back from another beta reader. After my editor and proofreader have had their turns with it, I read the book in e-pub and find a few more missing words and instances of "though" for "through" that no one could see in Word. I think it's because it now looks like a Nook book and I see it as something new, not my WIP but a book.I not only try some dialogue out loud, but sometimes I act things out to get a sense of the character's body language, facial expressions and emotional experiences so I can write them. Yes, I do this alone. No one sees or hears me. :)
I like that acting out part, Amber. I think that getting across characters' looks and actions is my weak point. Maybe that would help.
Amber's comment about acting out the parts certainly rings true for me. When the action and dialogue really begins to excite, I'll get up from the desk, say the words (with expression), gesticulate, react and so on. Which is why - with reference to my recent post on working in peace and quiet - the library isn't always the best place to be. I was stage-struck at the age of three, and I still am. I always hoped to be an actor, until I realised I actually wanted to write the words the actors said. Now, as authors, we have the best of both worlds. Every book takes place on the stage or screen located in the mind, just behind the middle of the forehead.
Rebecca wrote: "Susan, give it a try! It is painful at times, but reading the book aloud is a wonderful practice. Just throw everyone out of the house and go to it!"Well, I do like the "throwing everyone out of the house" part. LOL
Amber wrote: "I edit over and over and over in Word, every time I get the book back from another beta reader. After my editor and proofreader have had their turns with it, I read the book in e-pub and find a few..."I do that (act out) sometimes too. Usually, during my long commute alone in the car. I've also recorded myself reading about ten chapters. It was exhausting, but enlightening.
I haven't been able to bring myself to record myself reading, though I think it would be helpful. But I have never been able to tolerate the sound of my own recorded voice. What's with that, anyway?
Rebecca, don't record it! I agree, the sound of one's recorded voice can be very disconcerting. Just read a section of the work out loud to yourself – with some expression – in the privacy of your own room, in the park, the garden or anywhere else you can be by yourself. You'll be surprised what editorial corrections you'll pick up. And make sure you have a pencil and notebook beside you to note them down and enter later into the ms.http://www.anthonyhillbooks.com
Anthony--Yeah, as I mentioned above, I already do that. I have wondered, though, if I'd get even more if I heard it. I'd have to have a friend record it, though!
I think that is something you could only discover by trying it. If you feel it might be helpful, I suggest you do several recordings. You may well get used to your own recorded voice, and once over the initial embarrassment might find it worthwhile. Keep a pencil and notebook handy, though, to write down any corrections that come to mind as you listen to the recording,
Whatever your preferred method of composition it’s a good idea to do the editing … or at any event the proof-reading … in another medium. If you compose on screen, print out the text and read it in hard copy. If you’re a pen and paper person, send an electronic version to yourself and read it on screen.
We all know the problem: after constantly re-reading the work, the mind begins to see what ought to be there, rather than what is on the page. By changing the format in which we edit or proof-read, the eye looks at the words differently – as if seeing them for the first time – and errors, repetitions and typos that were glossed over are properly noticed.
For the past 15 years or so I’ve been composing directly onto the computer keyboard: but I still print every version for editing. With the advent of the tablet, I’ve been sending the final second draft to myself by email to read on the iPad.
And I still find a dozen or more changes to make in each of the chapters. Awkward sentences. Words left in from previous edits. Words left out. Repetitions. Americanisms (if you’ll forgive me) that the wretched spell-checker has let in the back door when I prefer standard English. Labour. Harbour. Defence. Theatre. And so on. The constant battle with the grammar monitor (which won’t allow me to turn it off) over my stylistic preference for the occasional fragmented sentence and dangling participle.
Such matters can often glance off the retina when looked at for the umpteenth time on the page or computer screen. But they leap out at me on the iPad, and I return to the manuscript with another set of corrections.
I can recommend wholeheartedly this tip for editing and proofing in a medium that’s not your usual writing one. And even then mistakes still get through. Just ask your editor.