Before you start a serious editing session, the first thing you need is distance. As I’ve said on other occasions, it helps to “forget” your manuscript for a while in order to approach it with fresh eyes, so try to wait a couple of weeks. Other than that, I think it’s important to undergo a serious editing process before you show the draft to someone else. Usually, what happens is that the mere idea of someone reading your work and forming an opinion magically reveals flaws or spurs you to make changes. Then by the time they’re ready to comment, the remarks are already irrelevant.
That’s not to say that you can’t show someone a fragment or ask them what they think about the concept, but if we’re talking about a substantial draft, wait until you’ve gone over it and feel comfortable. If you’re suffering from Writer’s Block – as in you’re stuck or you’re not even sure what’s wrong and you’d like a second opinion – try talking it out first. Try to explain what’s irking you and that in itself can help solve the problem without the other person having to read.
Another pair of eyes can be a blessing or a curse; it’s far better to approach someone else when you feel confident. If you’re not confident, the criticism may crush you rather than help you. You don’t have to accept their opinion, and if you’re not feeling confident, you might not be able to defend your manuscript where it should be defended. Someone thinking differently does not necessarily make them right. Likewise, being emotionally ready to discuss the manuscript will also help you accept criticism where it’s due. When you think you’ve done a bad job, you’re likely to feel defeated by every comment. If you’re over-confident, it’s difficult (even impossible) to see flaws or accept criticism. It’s best to be somewhere in the middle – to feel good about what’s there, but to be ready for the good as well as the bad.
But enough with the motivational speech... Some Leading Questions to Help You Edit and Why You’re Asking Them to Begin with:
What is this about? Literally, what are the themes? Not that it has to be something like “The plight of living in the 21st century and how to survive with a broken heart and no money or friends.” Try to think what motivated you to write this particular story.
Can you write a brief summary which includes the main events of the plot and subplots? Brought to you by the Department for Defining What the Heck is Going on Here. This should help you focus on the way the plot is constructed, isolate missing links in the sequence of events, establish how the plot and subplots relate to each other, etc.
What are the strong points? What are the weak ones? Think on two different levels – not only the story or characters, but the writing itself, the language you use.
Which is your favorite part? Your least favorite? Again, think on both levels. Don’t just go by an instinctive gut reaction – try to put it into words.
How’s the pacing – fast, medium, slow? Not because one or the other is good or bad, just as long as you can define the rhythm of your storytelling. If you can’t, why not? There may be a perfectly legitimate creative reason for not having a specific rhythm. The important thing is to fully grasp the way you’ve constructed the narrative.
There are an infinite number of questions you can ask, but those were a few general ones to help you get started. It can be overwhelming to face a list of a hundred or even a dozen questions, but those five are friendly enough I think. And a few other general tips:
Error messages. When you change something, you have to examine how it affects everything else. Continuity errors, lack of information (in terms of character and plot), lack of character motivation, etc., are typical problems which occur after massive rewrites. Never forget that everything may be obvious to you, but not to everyone else. Always make sure everything works backwards.
Handling Change, Part I. Don’t be afraid of big changes, like massive rewrites. Though you may have become attached to particular lines, scenes, or characters, sometimes you need to give them up for a better concept. You can always change your mind again and go back.
Handling Change, Part II. Keep in mind that the way you’re feeling can affect the way you edit. More than that, the way you may feel about the story or characters may change over time, and that might make it difficult to do a steady editing job. Try to remain focused on the manuscript, and keep it independent of your current moods and interests.
Running Commentary. You don’t have to limit yourself to crossing out words or adding them; adding your spontaneous thoughts can be a big help. If I can’t think of the specific word I want, I usually leave the approximate word or phrase in brackets, which reminds me to pay special attention to that point when I go back later. I also use brackets for comments like: [you need to describe something or other here], [scene is needed], [research this point], [dialogue needs to be reworked], my favorite – [are you kidding?], and so on.
Good old-fashioned editing. Sometimes it’s even helpful to print out a draft and edit it with a pen. Though this can be cumbersome for a long draft – then you have to type in all of the changes – it’s good to get away from the screen. Besides, the keyboard can be too convenient. Marking the changes with a pen gives you the opportunity to rethink them when you edit the computer document.
Next time on Technical Saturday... Remakes, Sequels, and Series.
That’s not to say that you can’t show someone a fragment or ask them what they think about the concept, but if we’re talking about a substantial draft, wait until you’ve gone over it and feel comfortable. If you’re suffering from Writer’s Block – as in you’re stuck or you’re not even sure what’s wrong and you’d like a second opinion – try talking it out first. Try to explain what’s irking you and that in itself can help solve the problem without the other person having to read.
Another pair of eyes can be a blessing or a curse; it’s far better to approach someone else when you feel confident. If you’re not confident, the criticism may crush you rather than help you. You don’t have to accept their opinion, and if you’re not feeling confident, you might not be able to defend your manuscript where it should be defended. Someone thinking differently does not necessarily make them right. Likewise, being emotionally ready to discuss the manuscript will also help you accept criticism where it’s due. When you think you’ve done a bad job, you’re likely to feel defeated by every comment. If you’re over-confident, it’s difficult (even impossible) to see flaws or accept criticism. It’s best to be somewhere in the middle – to feel good about what’s there, but to be ready for the good as well as the bad.
But enough with the motivational speech... Some Leading Questions to Help You Edit and Why You’re Asking Them to Begin with:
What is this about? Literally, what are the themes? Not that it has to be something like “The plight of living in the 21st century and how to survive with a broken heart and no money or friends.” Try to think what motivated you to write this particular story.
Can you write a brief summary which includes the main events of the plot and subplots? Brought to you by the Department for Defining What the Heck is Going on Here. This should help you focus on the way the plot is constructed, isolate missing links in the sequence of events, establish how the plot and subplots relate to each other, etc.
What are the strong points? What are the weak ones? Think on two different levels – not only the story or characters, but the writing itself, the language you use.
Which is your favorite part? Your least favorite? Again, think on both levels. Don’t just go by an instinctive gut reaction – try to put it into words.
How’s the pacing – fast, medium, slow? Not because one or the other is good or bad, just as long as you can define the rhythm of your storytelling. If you can’t, why not? There may be a perfectly legitimate creative reason for not having a specific rhythm. The important thing is to fully grasp the way you’ve constructed the narrative.
There are an infinite number of questions you can ask, but those were a few general ones to help you get started. It can be overwhelming to face a list of a hundred or even a dozen questions, but those five are friendly enough I think. And a few other general tips:
Error messages. When you change something, you have to examine how it affects everything else. Continuity errors, lack of information (in terms of character and plot), lack of character motivation, etc., are typical problems which occur after massive rewrites. Never forget that everything may be obvious to you, but not to everyone else. Always make sure everything works backwards.
Handling Change, Part I. Don’t be afraid of big changes, like massive rewrites. Though you may have become attached to particular lines, scenes, or characters, sometimes you need to give them up for a better concept. You can always change your mind again and go back.
Handling Change, Part II. Keep in mind that the way you’re feeling can affect the way you edit. More than that, the way you may feel about the story or characters may change over time, and that might make it difficult to do a steady editing job. Try to remain focused on the manuscript, and keep it independent of your current moods and interests.
Running Commentary. You don’t have to limit yourself to crossing out words or adding them; adding your spontaneous thoughts can be a big help. If I can’t think of the specific word I want, I usually leave the approximate word or phrase in brackets, which reminds me to pay special attention to that point when I go back later. I also use brackets for comments like: [you need to describe something or other here], [scene is needed], [research this point], [dialogue needs to be reworked], my favorite – [are you kidding?], and so on.
Good old-fashioned editing. Sometimes it’s even helpful to print out a draft and edit it with a pen. Though this can be cumbersome for a long draft – then you have to type in all of the changes – it’s good to get away from the screen. Besides, the keyboard can be too convenient. Marking the changes with a pen gives you the opportunity to rethink them when you edit the computer document.
Next time on Technical Saturday... Remakes, Sequels, and Series.
2 comments:
How right you are, Stella: "the mere idea of someone reading your work ... magically reveals flaws or spurs you to make changes." It's as if the possibility of this allows us to see it at one remove.
From what you say here, I think we have a similar approach to editing and exploring alternative options. It's good to have you articulate it so clearly. Ta.
That's me, Paul. I'm all about the... uhh, the... clear... explanation... thingy.
;)
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