Editio Self-Publishing discussion

I've just finished the rough draft for my first full-length novel, and I'm attempting to go through and edit it. I was wondering if anyone had any tips about doing it, since I haven't done it for such a big project before.

Oh, and if you have any stories (funny, aggravating, or otherwise) about your adventures in editing, please share. :)

My best advice would actually be to step away from the project for a little while before you start your first round of editing so you can see it with fresh eyes, especially if you've been heads down working on it for quite some time. Give yourself a breather, maybe read something interesting, or start outlining your next book. I always like to go into each draft feeling like I'm a better writer than when I revised the last one and this only happens when I've stepped away from it and worked on other things and learned how to be a reader again (which is something I tend to neglect when I'm writing a lot).

As someone who's gone through this stage with several short stories now, and is currently re-drafting a novel, I strongly recommend, as Laekan said, stepping away for several weeks AT LEAST and letting your mind consider the story as you've written it before trying to edit it. You may well come up with things that need to be changed, either fleshed out or cut altogether, or other stuff which needs to go in because otherwise it doesn't quite make sense. Give the story a chance to mature in your mind before going anywhere near it.

And when you do go through, don't beat yourself up over all the words you missed out when your brain was pumping the story out too fast for your hands to keep up. Same goes for typos. "From" and "form" is one of my most common, along with "they're", "their" and "there", to my everlasting shame.

I will most definitely not touch it for a while...one of the first things I did after I finished the rough draft was to make a list of things to check/fix. It's a very long list, and getting longer...

I'm always leaving letters off my words. My 'her' has turned into 'he' so many times it's embarrassing, and my program doesn't tell me it's misspelled, because technically that's a correctly spelled word.

Just this morning "here" turned into "her". Happens to all of us, don't worry :D

Lol. That's comforting! And you caught it - kudos! :)

Can I throw in my thirdsies for what Laekan & Mhairi said? :-)

Then my other piece of advice is to get a ream of recycled paper, 2 red ink pens, and print it out to edit by hand. I always find more mistakes & needs for edits when I do it by hand. Might sound old school but eyes tend to glass over when looking at the same version multiple times (monotony of a monitor could mean missing those he --> her moments). When I have a pen in hand I am more aware of what I'm looking for. It also tends to be a good time to start keeping a novel journal. I'm planning to blog about this later in the week but short version - get journal, read MS, keep separate page for each thing (characters, timeline, plot points, etc.) then do edits to match.

Hope this helps, good luck once you finally set out to work on this. Oh & if you can afford it hire a pro before submitting/self-publishing. Makes a HUGE difference!

Thanks for the tip, Jenn. :) I'll see if there's a way I can do that...no printer hooked up, lol.

Definitely give it a bit of time to "age" (and for you to perhaps gain new perspectives on the writing). I like to keep a few projects in-play in various stages of development. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips everyone! :) I now have the perfect excuse to give my cousin/best friend/beta reader for why the editing hasn't even been started. :D

Jenn wrote: "Can I throw in my thirdsies for what Laekan & Mhairi said? :-)

Then my other piece of advice is to get a ream of recycled paper, 2 red ink pens, and print it out to edit by hand. I always find mor..."

L.Y. wrote: "Lol. That's comforting! And you caught it - kudos! :)"

I have also found it extremely helpful to "line edit" a work-in-progress by reading it on an e-book device such as a Kindle or, in my case, a Nexus 7. Putting it in that format not only reveals typos, it also gives me a greater appreciation for layout and how it appears on the page.

I don't have access to an e-book reader (which is odd, considering all my publishing is digital), but I can see why that's a good idea. It would be pretty cool to see how my readers view my work. :)

I agree with the others who encourage you to step away from it for awhile. I'd also suggest to mentally prepare yourself for multiple revisions. My first novel went through five revisions before I handed it to my beta readers, and it's going through another round right now based on the comments I received from my editor.

Oh, dear. I've already rewritten it four or five times. o.o Any suggestions on how to locate beta readers? The first person to read it through has so far insisted that I don't need to change anything; I, of course, don't believe a word of it, lol.

I hate editing because I have no idea HOW to start exactly. Grammar, I've heard that it hurts an author big time. I've seen many people with bad grammar with very few star reviews.

Why does grammar matter so much to a reader? Why give a book so low reviews?

Grammar gives your writing structure, color, and perspective. It is the technical foundation of the only tool you have (language) with which to enthrall the reader.

Reading a book with poor grammar is like viewing a painting with runny paints and food stains on it. It does detract from the art and breaks the sense of immersion.

As Forrest said, grammar provides the basic structure; the rules and guidelines help the author connect with readers, drawing them into the story. Bad grammar is often disruptive, reducing reader engagement. If a reader can't understand the author, how can they enjoy the story?

Yes. Bad grammar is very jarring, even when you mentally correct it. It gets in the way of what could be a wonderful story by making it hard to read.

Emily, I've been struggling with the same thing. What I did was I let it sit for a while, like was suggested here, and made a list of things I needed to check or fix. I'm working on plot points and making sure everything fits correctly at the moment, and as I finish one item on my list I mark it off. It gives me a sense of accomplishment. :)

Editing one's own work is an important skill to develop when writing. But after several rounds of self-editing, I think hiring a professional is an important next step. I've learned so much from my editor that I can't imagine working without one.