Editing Hacks – Part 2
Part 1
looked at five tips to use when it comes to editing, things such as waiting to
finish the story before you edit, printing it out so you have a physical copy
to look at or reading it aloud and so on, but here are five more hacks to help
writers help themselves where editing is concerned, starting with hack number
6...
6. Keep a Continuity Sheet/Notebook
Similar to
making notes, this is another tried and tested method that many writers use. A continuity
sheet or notebook is a useful way to make sure that key details remain correct
and consistent throughout the story - things like character names, place names,
incidents, characteristics, colours, settings and clothing etc.
It’s easy to
forget that your hero might be a blonde, blue-eyed stud because by chapter 25,
after all the action and excitement of the story, he’s morphed into a man with
brown hair and dark eyes. Or it could be that in chapter 3 he’s from a town
called Oakley, but in chapter 7 it’s become Oakly. Perhaps a Grandfather clock
- significant to a character or the plot, is mentioned in one chapter, only to
vanish thereafter, never to be seen again.
Continuity
errors crop up in all sorts of ways and they’re not always easy to spot. Make
sure that place names are spelled correctly throughout, that names of certain
things remain consistent, or that weapons or tools used by your characters remain
constant. Make sure that significant things mentioned within the story – such
as the Grandfather clock example - don’t vanish into thin air. Make sure the style
and colours of garments and decoration etc. remain the same in scenes or
chapters, make sure incidents don’t change detail halfway through the story.
The best way
to catch these flaws is through a continuity sheet/notebook. It will help
because while you are doing an initial read through, you can make a note of them
by detailing the error and the page number, so that when you come to edit you
can address them. That way, such errors won’t appear in the final version.
The little
things really do make a big difference and they do matter, because if you don’t
spot them, your reader certainly will.
7. Be Methodical – Don’t Rush
The world
doesn’t stop revolving while you work hard at editing. Too many writers rush
what is, in essence, the most important part of the writing process, and they
end up making a hash of it.
There is
no rush.
The key to a
good edit is to be methodical. That means editing without constraints on time,
so tackle it one chapter at a time, instead of setting a goal to do five
chapters in a few hours because you just have to get it published right
now.
No, you don’t
have to do it right now. Better to be thorough with one chapter than be
slapdash with five of them.
By not
rushing, by being so focused, there is less chance to miss errors. That’s
because taking the time with one chapter at a time makes you meticulous –
you’ll spot silly mistakes, continuity errors, punctuation and grammar
problems. You’ll see where you’ve missed information, where scenes need to be
re-written. You will notice problems with characterisation, POV, tenses and so
on. Everything will stick out like the proverbial sore thumb.
8. Don’t Exceed More Than Six Drafts
The reason
this is advised is because there are only so many times you can revise and
rewrite something before it turns into a mess.
There is no
right or wrong here – the six drafts number is simply an average of what most
writers tend to do – but it is sound advice that has been tried and tested. And
that’s because if you do fewer drafts, you risk the work not quite being ready.
More than the advisable number of drafts and you risk ruining the work because
it has been edited too much and that leads to editing tip number 9...
9. Know When to Finish
There will
come a time when you have to stop editing, we all know
that. But ask any writer and they will always say that they think the process
is never complete – there will always be something, always that comma that
needs removing, that little word that needs replacing or that sentence needs
one more tweak. In fact, without discipline, they might continue ad infinitum
and eventually wreck the whole thing. That’s because we always know we can do
that little bit better. But we also need to know when to stop before the work
becomes something we barely recognise or dislike.
And that’s
because there is no such thing as perfection.
In truth,
when there are no more real errors, no more real plot flaws, no sentences to really
change, no words to actually tweak anymore...it means you’ve finished. It’s
time to let go.
10. The Essential Checklist
Finally, whatever
the writer’s ability or experience, an at-a-glance list of things to look out
will prove helpful, even for the most reluctant editors:
1. Finish writing
first, then edit.
2. Leave it
alone for several weeks.
3. Read
through it.
4. Print out
the manuscript
5. Read it aloud
6. Make thorough
notes
7. Keep a
continuity notebook or sheet
8. Be
methodical and don’t rush. Editing takes time.
9. Try not
to exceed six drafts; otherwise you may ruin the story.
10. Know when
to stop editing.
Editing for
some is a chore, but to others it’s a joy. I personally love the editing
process – it’s when creativity really comes alive. It allows writers to push themselves
beyond mediocre, to write something amazing, to delve beyond the surface and
dive deep into another dimension in order to create the truly breathtaking.
Next week:
Turning points – what are they and what do they do?
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