Got a few rewrites to do? Maybe you just did some, but after a second look you realized that you have to do some more? So when can you tell whether you've edited enough?
By my third, fourth, and fifth drafts I often find myself questioning some of my earlier edits and in essence have a debate with myself as I try to edit my own internal editor. If you follow that logic (illogical though it may seem) then you know the struggle that every writer must go through. I'm in the midst of conducting intensive rewrites to my current work-in-progress and although I like how it's shaping up, it still astonishes me how many hours upon hours of work can go into crafting a single line or two.
So how do you self-edit your own material once you're a few drafts into your work? Obviously, the other editors can help you see the good and bad in your story, but how do you objectively evaluate your own work (as much as that is possible)? When is enough enough or is the editing process really ever finished?
Hello Mark:
ReplyDeleteWhen is enough enough? There is probably no one answer to this question, nor can there be, for each individual will have his or her own methods and criteria against which he or she judges a work in draft.
At the risk of being accused of over simplification, we should always suggest that what is written today is re-read tomorrow and judged in the light of a new day.
I have the same question because every time I read my work I find something else that needs to be done. Although I do feel like my first few chapters are solid, I don't feel like they are perfect, nor will I ever.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess my answer is when you feel like it's solid enough that the edits come in smaller stints.
Okay, that probably didn't help, lol!
The first few edits are where I make the biggest changes. After that, I try and read it like a reader, looking for flow, misspellings, and those pesky repetitive words. And when I begin changing things back to the original wording, I know I've gone too far.
ReplyDeleteThat is such a good question. My own feeling is that when you feel you have edited it enough that you are satisfied, then put it away for a few weeks. Then take it out again and just read it the way you would read a book from the library (or store). You might find that it's a good read the way it is, or you might catch a couple of things you missed after so many rewrites. Those little things that after being so immersed you could no longer see.
ReplyDeleteI'm like Elizabeth. I have to put the work away (preferably for about a month) and then come back to it with fresh eyes for the final big push edit. When I no longer cringe when I read then I know I'm close to being finished. Of course, now that agents are reading it and giving me their perspective I might not be as done as I thought I was. :(
ReplyDeleteI have to let it sit for a few weeks between each edit so I can come at it fresh. Honestly, I'll never think anything I've done is perfect. I'm always going to find something I want to change, even after it's been sitting published on a bookshelf for a few years LOL But in general, when all I'm changing is little stuff, moving comas around, etc, then I know it's presentable.
ReplyDeleteI find myself editing over and over again. There has to come a point when we have to stop or we'll never send anything out to be published. I get this, so I let someone else check out my work...critique partner. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a good question. I'm not sure I have an answer to it!
ReplyDeletewww.rebeccabany.com
This is when I ship it off to my CP and then one of my awesome beta readers . . . only to do more massive rewrites on it. But they see things that I never thought of, so I love them for that.
ReplyDeleteJane/Lance – I agree wholeheartedly, but I guess I’m looking for a way to decide on my own when a work is finished. Thanks for the input.
ReplyDeleteJen – Excellent point regarding “when edits come in smaller stints.” That really speaks to me, and I think you’re onto something there. We can’t be perfect, but we can still get better.
Alex – Thanks for the tip. I guess my question would be: when you start changing edits back to their original wording do you stay with the new edit or return to the original one?
Elizabeth – True, it’s important to distant oneself from a work, but I find that increasingly more difficult to do. Nonetheless, you’re point is definitely the right way to go.
L.G. – Yup, it seems agents are never satisfied, but then again, neither are readers. Everyone has their own perspective so my goal is to make sure I come up with something that I can live with.
Michelle – A very good and practical bit of advice. It’s important to have good grammar for sure.
Laila – I too have a critique partner and couldn’t get along without her. Both their corrections and support are essential to any writer’s pursuit of their inner muse.
Rebecca – No worries, I don’t have much an answer myself.
Stina – Beta readers sounds like a really good idea, especially if they are ultimately your target audience.
I agree with the others. It's time for more eyes. You can edit all the life out of your work. My first WIP (I have two other partials right now) has been my training ground, so hopefully I haven't killed it. At least I haven't according to my critique group. But I hope that once I begin to edit those other two projects, knowing what I know now, each edit will be for something different. David Farland has 6 different edits that he does. One run through is a character analysis. He looks at each character with a word search and evaluates what's happening just with that character (to keep things consistent) and to make sure the s/he wasn't killed in an earlier scene or that his/her "voice" hasn't changed.
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
I usually write a rough draft first and then continually go through the material top to bottom, reconfiguring, editing, rephrasing, etc. Editing is the most difficult part of the process.
ReplyDeleteSometimes after reviewing I think dear gosh how many mistakes am I going to find? What's wrong w/ me? Finally, when I reach the point of abject frustration I release the hounds to be done w/ it.
So, so hard to know. Several drafts are usually a minimum, and after several books, I'm finally getting to the point where I can "tell" a book is ready... :)
ReplyDeletep.s. thanks for stopping by my blog!
I could tweak endlessly. When the tweaking becomes only small changes, and when, after a break the tweaks are still only small changes, then the manuscript is ready... for another break ;)
ReplyDeleteI am with you on this one… I often spend hours (more like months) trying to edit for grammar, since it’s my weakest point. Then I see the big issues, like telling where I should be showing, expanding where I should be condensing, foreshadowing where I should be enlightening.
ReplyDeleteI am on my fifth revision (since my 100 rewrite to complete a first draft I think i could work with) and I find the job tiresome. I wish I could see the weak points in my story and craft. Like you I often see many issues creep up that I thought I had taken care of in earlier revisions.
So to answer your question: I am still learning how to revise my work… one day I might glory in the fact I have done the best I can. But most likely I’ll have learned something new before my latest revision is complete!!!
Good to know you have an internal dialogue. You really have to level with yourself at some point and come to an agreement on when to stop and move on. Three drafts is enough for me. If it doesn't work after that, I could spend that time on a forth draft or a new book.
ReplyDeleteMark, I am known for tweaking endlessly. I can go on and on. The best thing is to show it to someone else and take their opinion. There is something called over editing which can harm a manuscript.
ReplyDeleteI'm still at that place where I wonder if I'll know. I actually put the current WIP away for the summer, figuring I'd leave a nice gap between readings because I was getting a bit obsessive about it. Guess I'll let you know in a couple weeks. ;-p
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can answer that. For me-- it seems like it could ALWAYS use another pass. Someday, I AM SURE, I'll get to the point where I can say "done," and still feel like it is a week or a month later.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe it NEVER really feels like that...