Reframing Editing – Why I love the editing process
Some people hate the editing process… some people love it.
I used to be more toward the hate end of the spectrum in the beginning until I had a big AHA moment about editing.
Editing let’s me “off the hook” !!
Now, what do I mean by off the hook?
Although I tend to have the big picture idea of my story before I write it (you know me, not a huge outliner! LOL)… I still have to fight against that perfectionist mindset. I still have to stop myself from editing right then. I still have to stop myself from listening to that Inner “B”, that inner critic that tells me what I’m writing is crap and will never be good enough.
But… editing let’s me off the hook.
All I have to do is remind myself that there is an editing and revising process…
Like an old friend that I can call up and visit anytime… maybe even after months apart… and it’s just there like there was never a break… still my friend, still ready to listen, to help, to support.
It takes away the pressure (well, a good chunk of the pressure) from the first draft process.
Because it DOES NOT MATTER if it’s crap…
My editing-process-BFF is there to fix it all and listen to me whine about it later.
In fact, with each next book I’m becoming more and more comfortable with the first draft being sub-standard…
BECAUSE IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE SUBSTANDARD.
If first drafts were magically perfect, editors wouldn’t exist… and editors have always existed for probably almost as long as people have been writing stories.
The first draft is all about just word vomiting all the ideas onto the page. Get them ALLLLLL out of your head and onto the page. That’s it.
Your editing-process-BFF is waiting patiently for you to call it up, brew some coffee, pull out the red pen and get to work.
It doesn’t have to be pretty right now.
Your self-editing and revising process will grow and evolve as you grow and evolve as a writer. None of what we do is done in a vacuum or is stagnant – we should always be learning, growing, improving, etc.
My current editing process looks a little something like this:
- Do a FULL manuscript read-through as a READER – and do this quickly, in as few sittings as possible.
- Make notes on the overall story – places that were weak, places that didn’t seem congruent with the overall storyline, places that needed MORE description, etc., those big plot areas
- Then I fix those – I don’t wait, I fix them now.
- Then I go back and start my chapter-by-chapter edits. This will be several passes:
- ProWritingAid for any big, obvious problems
- A sentence-by-sentence deep read through where I make sure the story is progressing, add (or take away) details, strengthen the prose (power verbs)
- A second ProWritingAid pass on that chapter to make sure my changes/revisions didn’t create more grammatical problems – and if so, fix those
- After I go through the chapters, I do a full-book read through again IN A DIFFERENT FORMAT (epub on my Kindle) and feel for any other weak spots I may have missed – I highlight them in my Kindle, send those ‘notes’ to myself, and then fix them.
- IF I feel it still needs some love & attention, I will have my computer read it out loud back to me. All computers have accessibility features that will read your screen (document) to you – use it to find those awkward spots that your eyes may miss!
- Another ProWritingAid pass – on the entire manuscript – fixing any issues that need fixed.
Having a professional editor is hugely important
– but, in the beginning that may not be an option. AND even when you do have an editor you love, you still want to give them the best work you can – which means doing some self-editing & revisions before the manuscript even makes it to your editor.
Writing is a hard job – don’t let anyone ever tell you differently. First drafts are super challenging. And add humanly unattainable perfectionism to the mix, and it becomes infinitely more difficult to complete your book.
Not to mention that when you are feeling so pressured and stressed, it can sap your creativity!
So, give yourself a break – Make friends with your editing process and let go of that pressure on your first draft!
Your sanity and your book will thank you for it.
