New answers tagged editing
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Don't edit as you're writing your first draft!
Here are the two main reasons...
The priority is to get the first draft finished
Going back and editing earlier chapters is an excellent way to never get to the final one. On first draft you just need to steam through to the end. At this stage the important thing is getting the bones of the story out, and ...
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If you find editing a chore you may wish to revisit your process. I don't believe I've ever written a second draft of anything. My editing tends to be incremental. Before continuing a story I sit down with a cup of coffee and re-read the last chapter or two - to get myself back into the zone. At this point I often make changes and correct errors.
There is ...
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I like editing, because I like reading my story, and I feel good when I improve a passage.
However, I also edit with a specific list of things in mind. I want clarity, I want continuity. I don't want to say the same thing twice. I also want to appeal to senses, sight (including color), sound (is there music anywhere), gestures and movement while speaking, ...
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See it this way: Your text has problems, if you know them or not. Even the greatest master of the craft will not be able to write a text right out of the box without any problems. Since you know up front that your text has problems, the worst thing that could happen is that you don't find them. And the best that can happen to you is that you find them.
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I happen to enjoy editing, in a completely different way than writing.
What I usually do is print out my manuscript (or the part I want to look at), then I sit down far away from my computer, maybe on the couch or even in the park, and write different coloured comments all over it, circle words, draw arrows, etc. It doesn't have to be all negative, either: ...
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Editing is a lot of work, let's be honest. I also don't have a lot of experience in editing longer works of fiction (most of my works have been academic or technical in nature). However, what I find works for me is turning on some music (background noise level), and setting a goal for tasks to accomplish and realizing those goals. By having a set goal to ...
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See editing as a different form of creation: from something not so good you create something brilliant. Frank Cottrell Boyce opened my eyes when he said that being used to writing films he was used to continually editing and re-writing, something that seemed unusual when he came to writing a novel.
Yes, discovering a word you have repeated too many times ...
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