When I first started writing, I spent maybe 80% of my time writing new stuff and 20% of my time editing. Now? I'd say those numbers are flipped—20% writing new stuff and 80% editing.
My books are also much better. There may be a correlation.
That said, I still do not love editing. It's hard to pick apart my stories and put them back together again. It's hard to admit I made so many mistakes the first time around. It's hard to keep reading the same freaking book until it sounds like the stupidest thing ever written. The sheer redundancy of the task wears on me.
The hardest edit for me? The "last one"—the one right after finishing Big Changes and right before sending it off to whoever is waiting for it. Honestly, I used to be lazy and skip this edit. I still want to skip this edit! I mean, I've read it. I've changed the big things. I did a good job. Why is there this niggling urge to read it again just to make sure? Can't I just send it and be done with it?
Word of Advice: READ IT AGAIN.
Just do it. Really. I know it's annoying. I know you probably won't find a lot, but you'll find enough that it'll make a difference.
Trust me. Every time I thought, "Eh, it's good enough. Maybe I can get away with sending it now," I was wrong. I would inevitably get an email like: This is great! It's almost there. Read it one more time to make sure it's as clean as possible. I saw typos and some clunky prose, and the new sections you added need smoothing out. Make sure those transitions are seamless.
Then I would moan and groan because I knew that, and I still didn't want to do it. But I had to. And I didn't. My laziness ended up costing me and whoever had to read it valuable time.
Conversely, when I force myself to read it again and fix all those little things, I more often get a shiny gold star pass. And then I'm done! I like being done with an edit.
I've learned the hard way that editing your book into the ground is vital. If you're getting that impulse to read your book one more time, do it. Even if it feels like torture. It makes a big difference, so much so that crit partners, agents, and editors can tell. You will not get away with laziness. Just do the work you know needs to be done.
This is exactly where I find myself this morning--following an "on submission" rejection--except I'm having to dive in, dig around and start with the big changes. (At least you've finished those!) It's tedious as hell, but you're right: the work will be better for it. Thanks for reminding me I'm not the only one. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's so true! So many times I try to sneak by without giving it that one last pass it needs to be...well, not perfect, but as good as I can get it, and I ALWAYS regret it.
ReplyDelete"It's hard to keep reading the same freaking book until it sounds like the stupidest thing ever written."
Been here too!
Um, I am so guilty of this. Once I get to the end, I want to send it off, even thought I KNOW I should go through it again, just to feel better about it. Why do I torture myself? I'll need to get into the Nike State of Mind and JUST DO IT.
ReplyDeleteThe really hard part for me is waiting a few weeks before that last read, but seeing it fresh makes a huge difference! I love to do the edit where I deliberately add sparkle- bits of humor and double meanings, otherwise editing is not so much fun.
ReplyDeleteI've been such a perfectionist lately... or, more accurately, obsessed over perfection! But earlier drafts I was much more lax, thinking "it's good enough".
ReplyDeleteMaybe if I strove for perfection a little earlier in the process, I wouldn't be freaking out now. ;)
Great post!
I don't mind editing. What I hate (and don't do well) is write queries.
ReplyDeleteI'll happily edit your book if you write my queries (I read your queries and they were GREAT!)
Yeah, yeah, I know. Still, the offer's out there.
I'm doing my first big rewrite and I plan to read it again for a quick edit, set it aside and come back to it after a few weeks.
ReplyDeleteWhen you do your read-throughs do you print it or do you do them on the computer?
Jenn, I always print it at some point, but usually only one time because it't a lot of paper. Right now I am reading my book on my Kindle for a fresh look, and that's been really helpful. I can still make comments to myself, and it's much cheaper and faster than paper.
ReplyDeleteI also read my books aloud at some point as well, because hearing it helps me catch jumbled sentences or other stuff that sounds stupid or inauthentic.
Basically, I like to change it up. It helps keep it fresh.
Try reading on your kindle w/ lap top in front of you. Reading in a different format is fun, and doesn't feel so much like work. Plus, you've got the doc right there in front of you to make those changes when you find them. PLUS, reading on e-reader makes the MS feel *real*. And, because it feels real, you might catch a few more things than you would have by reading it on the computer AGAIN.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I will probably feel as lazy once I reach edits. Oh the horror!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping that I'll work through it.
;-)
I am editing now. And editing. And editing. And I have 2 agents waiting on me. One of them won't forget about me, no worries there, but I'm hoping that the other hasn't. She knew I was editing when she asked to see it, and now there's the added pressure that it needs to be absolutely and without a doubt perfect. So I keep editing. *sigh*
ReplyDeleteBut hey, we're writers; it's what we do. Write. Edit. Rinse. Repeat. :)
Do you tuck it away for a while before coming back to it to edit? The "fresh eyes" approach?
ReplyDeleteI don't want to hear it! *plugs ears* LA LA LA LA!
ReplyDeleteEach book gets at least five reads from me. First I read it on my Kindle, taking notes of what works and what doesn't. Then I print the whole thing out and read it twice over, editing once with purple ink (major story changes, usually) and once with pink (word choice).
ReplyDeleteI use Dragon to dictate the revised story into a new file. In addition to saving my wrist, this also lets me hear the story out loud.
Finally, I print it once more. (To save paper, I simply print on the back of my earlier draft.) This time, I use blue ink to add sensory detail. I have a check list with sensory notes that should be included--color, shape, texture, object, sound, and taste/smell.
When I'm done with that, the novel is ready to be sent out for critique... after which point I get to read it at least two more times.
This is something I needed to hear. The last few days I've been wondering if it's even worth the effort to try to edit my stories because it's been so long since I wrote anything new. But as I edit I can see that I am actually improving. So maybe there's hope.
ReplyDeleteGreat advice! Maybe I should do one more glance . . .
ReplyDeleteIt's so true. I have to admit I often wanted to overlook this step and did. Then, I'd be all embarrassed when I'd get the story back and find those stupid typos. It pays to read it once more.
ReplyDeleteSo true, so true!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. Reading it over again might feel redundant, but it certainly won't be to the person who gets the "real" final copy.
ReplyDeleteYou always have such wonderful advice to share. Even if it's advice that I'd rather not hear. (Is there any writer who actually LIKES editing? Ugh!) Thanks for the nudge in the right direction!
ReplyDeleteQuitting My Day Job
I'm right with you on this one - Editing and revising is all I seem to be doing these days. But if it makes the story better - it has to be done.
ReplyDeleteHa ha - I was totally going to ask on your other post if you were continuing with your new story or editing an old one. Apparently you've added long-distance mind-reading to your skills...
ReplyDeleteGreat advice. I have the opposite problem. I'll keep editing until I'm 105. I need to tell myself it's OK to let go. That's partly because I like to edit (I know) and partly because I fear being done.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for this post! I am just starting edits with my agent and I wondered how authors do it. If they have a system they use, or just go through every single page a few times until it sparkles. I'm excited to start this new journey! Thanks so much for the advice!! :D Oh, and I've been a lurker for quite some time. I love your blog. :)
ReplyDeleteI have the opposite problem. I keep thinking of things I should change and going back and fiddling with it.
ReplyDeleteHow long does it usually take you between the first draft and sending your final version off?
Heidi, I don't usually tuck it away for the last one. I do before a big change—usually about a month to six weeks. For the last sweep, I usually change up my editing style. I print it, or read it on my Kindle, or change the font, or read it out loud. Something to make it look different, therefore forcing me to focus and not glaze over.
ReplyDeleteChristine H, not really sure how long it takes. It depends on the book and the edit. When I was asked to rewrite, it took me six months to do it. The Big Edit after that, about a month. The one after that, another month. This most recent one? A week. Usually, the time shrinks the closer it gets to done.
Torture some days--fun reading other days. Thanks for sharing what I'm feeling, too!
ReplyDeleteHey, my surprise is finally here! Any author who wants to can add info to my author showcase!
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I love editing, but I still think that last edit is torture. As you said, by that time, everything is starting to sound ridiculous, and I'm always afraid I'm going to let the "this is stupid" voices encourage me to change things that *shouldn't* be changed. When I find myself rushing, or doubting myself too much, I know it's time for a break. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI've never done the sums but I'm with you. I spend a huge amount of time editing. I also edit while I write, a continuous cycle of write-read-edit in fact.
ReplyDeleteI love editing though I call it layering. Yes, I do take out content, but editing is where I add layer upon layer of detail. It's where my story & characters come alive & fairly leap off the page. Thinking of it that way makes it feel like less of a chore. And I've found that when I read it in PDF format & take notes along the way instead of just deleting & revising in Word as I go, I pick up a lot more errors & am much more thorough, not to mention it is more enjoyable reading that way.
ReplyDeleteSo true. Thanks for the reminder!
ReplyDeleteSo right! Exactly like you said, I often find that once I've made changes, if I don't do that final edit I miss things that I changed in one place but forgot to change in other correlating parts.
ReplyDeleteThis is such great advice. I love editing (much more than writing the first draft - ugh), but by the fourth or fifth (or sixth or seventh) read-through I can develop a tendency to glaze over. For me, reading it out loud is the best way to stop myself doing this, as that way, I HAVE to consider every single word and plot element.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, my other half is used to walking in the room and finding me muttering at my laptop screen now... :-D
I don't mind editing, but when I skip that "FINAL" edit, I always miss something. I recently sent off a few pages for a critque, and wanted to hide in a corner when it came back. There was a lot of positive reaction, but oh, those typos and omitted words I missed...how does that happen?
ReplyDelete