Some writers dislike editing with a passion, but I invite you to approach it with a positive attitude, and here’s why. Editing allows us freedom while drafting. We don’t have to worry about perfection because we know there will be a chance to fix things. We can take risks with our writing because our draft isn’t written in stone. Also, the bones of the story are already there by the time we’re ready to edit. We don’t have to start from scratch because we’ve already built the infrastructure. During edits, we can make sure we’re telling our story in the most dramatic and compelling way possible.
Okay, hopefully I’ve convinced you not to dread the editing process. Now, here are my thoughts on an effective approach to editing…
- Get some space from your manuscript. I’m definitely euphoric after typing the last word on my document. You should be too! Pop a bottle of champagne and take some time to celebrate this achievement. I’m also tired, both from writing a first draft that’s taken me months, and from the story itself. I need distance from it, a fresh perspective. Take a break. Work on another project. Read your favorite author’s new book. Spend time decompressing. Make space in your head to integrate the feedback you’ll receive about your manuscript, and allow the creative energy to flow again.
- Tackle big picture plot changes first. I like to identify those bigger plot angles that didn’t quite work and fix them first. Often this will have a trickle-down effect. I’ll then need to trace the plot thread throughout the story and make adjustments. But once I have that fixed, I know the infrastructure is right and I can go from there.
- Follow each character’s arc. Once I’m satisfied that the action and infrastructure of my story works well, I focus on each character. In this next round, I work with their reactions, relationships, and inner thinking. Readers connect to our story because they care about the characters. They need to be invested in them. To be interesting, the characters can’t remain static. They’re impacted by what’s happening to them. Readers must feel their pain, suffer their losses, celebrate their joys, and experience the changes right along with the characters. Sometimes, both the plot and character edits happen simultaneously. If I’ve created new plot action that significantly impacts a character, I’ll work with the character in those scenes at the same time. Conversely, when I’m working on a character’s thread, their personality might demand a different action than the one I’d previously written. I don’t wait to make the necessary changes.
- Don’t be afraid to cut. I tend to overwrite the first draft. I love the Terry Pratchett quote that says, “The first draft is just you telling yourself the story.” We need to get everything out onto the page, but that doesn’t mean our reader needs to know everything, and certainly not all at once. The dreaded info-dump will have readers skipping pages with boredom. When I cut, I save this material in another file just in case it belongs somewhere else in the story, and, to be honest, because it’s really difficult to delete words that may have taken hours to write! Whatever works, right? But, be sure you are willing to cut out anything that doesn’t serve your story.
- Read through chapter by chapter. I call this the ‘finessing’ stage. Once the plot and characters have all been sorted, another once over will help smooth things out, locate any missed inconsistencies, and give you a chance to see how the changes you’ve made integrate into the whole.
Editing can be as creative and satisfying as writing a first draft. Don’t be afraid to dig in and take your story to the next level!
