The Aftermath: Editing Woes

We're writers. We write. This is the nature of our particular creative endeavor. You get an idea, and you run with it. You write like a fiend for months on end. Now you have a complete manuscript staring at you. There's no denying the high that is a finished novel. It's something I'm experiencing right now. The feeling is heady, almost frightening in its intensity. The result of years of hard work--a 50,000+ word monument to your greatness. All of those sleepless nights, days fueled by coffee overdoses, the fanatic four-hour marathon research sessions (that may or may not end in the black hole of YouTube), and months of hard work have paid off...or have they?

If you've managed to finish a novel, that's amazing. I applaud you. But that's a single battle won, and the war is only just begun. You have so much work still ahead of you. It begins with editing.

I can hear you groaning across the void of cyber space. Let me bust your bubble, though. You are no Mozart, my friend. Editing is a must, and your readers will thank you for it. One of the worst mistakes a burgeoning writer can make is to skip this process. At best, you will be laughed at. At worst, you'll get some of the cruelest critiques of your life, not to mention most readers will probably put the book down without finishing it. Remember, your audience makes or breaks you, especially in the age of technology. All of those bad reviews impact your reputation as a writer. Do it correctly the first time, set the bar high for your work, and build a following. Infinitely more preferable than trying to live down the first bout of inflammatory hate messages, right? Right.

So, you've completed a manuscript. Yes, that is an accomplishment. No, your book is not ready for public consumption. And, sure, editing can be overwhelming when you first sit down to look at the colossus that is your novel...but don't let that feeling consume you. Take baby steps. Your manuscript is a caterpillar right now. The goal is to transform it into a butterfly. Nobody's process is the same, of course. But you have to start somewhere to find what works best for you.

This is what works for me:

PERCOLATE

I began my writing process somewhere in the deep wilds of New Zealand during a six-month study abroad program. The year 2008 began my quest for a fantasy series of epic proportions. I began writing in 2012, and somehow stumbled on a finished novel in 2015. It was a surprise, and it left me flailing for the space of about two days. The big question was: Where do I go from here?

Let it sit.

Let me be clear. You want a fresh perspective when you come back to this hulk, so don't just close it for a day and come back. Leave it alone for a week, a month, whatever. Do something else for a while. Read a book. Read several books. Write something else. Join a yoga group. Center your chi. Take up therapeutic crocheting. My point is, you need to find something other than your novel to occupy your time for a while. Then, when you feel fresh, crack it open again.

CURSORY INSPECTION

This is probably the least fun piece of the work ahead of you. You're forging ahead into rediscovered territory, and you have to do so with a very active mind. This means you can't zone out and skim. Treat your book like the ugly red-headed step-child that it is. Look for flaws, and beat your novel into submission one correction at a time. Awful metaphor, but you know what I mean.

Spelling and grammar are always my first step--eliminate the superfluous adverbs, nail down a spelling for that character's title, watch out for misused homonyms, and keep an eye out for the rogue misspelling or run-on.

Next, I look at continuity and do fact checking. The character that started with green eyes in chapter one should end the book with the same color eyes (short of an eye transplant or a fantasy/science theme where they are supposed to change, of course). The group that walks from Point A on the northwestern edge of the map to point Z on a southeastern edge and then grabs a boat to an island several hundreds of miles away can't just show up at their destination in two days (or even a week; do your homework). You get the idea.

Finally, I check for info dumps. Yeah, you want the reader to have your character's critical back story, which makes this plot point epic, but you have to weave it into the narrative in a way that doesn't detract from the story. So...nix the six paragraph explanation of how the character got that totally bitchin' scar on his rippling man boobs. Instead, drop hints here and there, maybe give a one paragraph explanation that doesn't reveal every detail, and then at the most opportune moment--BAM! You drop the significance of the scar and how it relates to the moment at hand.

BETA READERS

Yes, the time has come for you to show your novel to other people. But wait! I've barely done any work on it. Are you sure it's time for THIS? What if they hate it? GOOD. The more they can tell you about what they did and didn't like the better. Having a different perspective, fresh eyes, and someone that's not you will do wonders in helping you edit. You can go solo and edit your project until your fingers bleed. You will still miss things. 

As writers, we get so caught up in world building, character bios, and poignant scenes that sometimes we forget the necessary details. A good beta reader will give you honest advice, and will also tell you if something doesn't make sense to them. From here, you start to get a good idea on what needs to go, what needs to stay, what needs to be added, and what needs to be rewritten. 

So...find a good beta reader or ten. Ask them pointed questions when you hand over your precious mind-child (i.e. what chapters you especially want looked at, which character relationships you're worried about, which plot points gave you issues, etc). Allow them to rip it to shreds, and graciously thank them afterwards. 

HARD EDIT

Now the real fun begins. You have your beta readers' comments in hand. There are a ton of issues they have pointed out, and one of those assholes even went as far as to say your main character is a weak caricature of [insert preexisting canon character of your genre here]. You're over the initial crying, the follow-up disbelief, and the ensuing apoplectic fit. The time has come, at last, to do the hard edit. You will hack and slash and rewrite until you barely recognize your book anymore. And when you're finished, you'll find more betas, and repeat this process again.

LINE EDIT

If you don't have a strong background in grammar, this is something you'll definitely want to invest in. A good line edit will tighten your prose to a virginal status. It can be costly, but worth your time and money. There are varying levels of skill, but just remember you will get what you pay for.

Check out this helpful blog at Curiouser Editing for a more detailed rundown of the dos and don'ts of finding an editor.

FINAL EDIT

You've gone through your beta readers as many times as necessary, found a line editor if needed, and edited the absolute crap out of your book. You now have the final mark-up in hand. You do one last run through. There may be one or two pesky little errors to clean up, but it's beautiful and polished. Your caterpillar is officially a butterfly and ready to present to the world at large. It's time to look for a publisher, you masterful word-smith! But that's a blog for another time.

Write on, friends.