Edit: A Writer’s Four-Letter Word

I’ve seen a lot about editing lately - articles, blog posts, courses, etc. - so thought it would be an interesting topic to explore.  I even attended an enlightening webinar recently about editing hacks, and you can find hundreds of books out there with all sorts of tips and tricks.  

Writing is fun.  You get to disappear inside your imagination and create new worlds, plots, and characters.  In other words, make up cool stuff.  And hopefully, at the end of the process, you have created an entertaining and satisfying escape for others to enjoy.  

Editing, on the other hand, is not that much fun.  That’s where you get to go back and delve into all the things, large and small, that you got wrong (and hopefully, there will be a lot of things you got right, as well).  There are many different approaches to editing, and you must find the one(s) that works best for you.  

Some writers edit as they go and only complete one draft of a work.  This process generally consists of editing and polishing up what you wrote at the prior writing session each time you sit down to write.  You’re lucky if this process works for you since it assumes that you have been able to avoid any major content issues along the way that need to be addressed during a second draft.  

Others complete a “first draft” with the intention that it will get a complete overhaul during a later editing process and become a shiny new second draft.  There are a few different types of editing writers might employ while working on their second draft.  

The first is content or developmental editing, which includes the big picture stuff.  Are there any major structural issues with the work?  Is there an appropriate character arc?  Does each scene build off the previous scenes?  

The next step is line editing.  This includes all of the little stuff, down to the sentence level, like grammar, punctuation, fact checking, repetition, inconsistencies, etc.  Some people suggest reading your work out loud to make sure nothing sounds clunky, that voice and tone are consistent, etc.  Others suggest reading from end to beginning, or simply mixing the pages up and reading it completely out of order.  If you don’t watch out, this can become a never-ending process.  My father (a writer and English professor) once told me that, at some point, you have to stop editing and just be finished, because I could easily edit something forever!  

And if that’s not enough, you also have the option to hire a professional editor, or call on friends or writing buddies/groups to read your work and provide additional critical feedback.  

It can seem like an overwhelming undertaking, but don’t bury your head in the sand …

Pick up your pen and start editing!

What editing process works best for you?  When do you know you’re done?

Angela Crider Neary is an attorney by day and writer by night. She is an avid mystery reader and especially enjoys reading novels set in interesting locales. She was inspired to write her first mystery novella, Li'l Tom and the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau: The Case of the Parrots Desaparecidos, by one of her favorite areas in San Francisco, Telegraph Hill.  Her second book, Li'l Tom and the Case of the New Year Dragon is now available.  To learn more, visit her on Facebook and Amazon.