Sunday 10 January 2016

The Next Stage
Well, I took advice and left my novel in the box file untouched until last week. It helped that the 'resting' time coincided with Christmas and New Year when I had other things on my mind and I wasn't tempted to peek. I opened the box with trepidation - would I still believe in the story I'd written, would I find glaring plot-holes and, the most important worry, would the two stories of the dual narrative fit together?  

I began by reading the book from the beginning to the end without stopping to make any notes or written comments. That way I was able to get the feel of the story and take on the role of a reader. Straight away, I noticed that the timing of some of the events in story two were not placed in the correct place to fit in with the events in story one. Once I'd finished the first read that was the first thing I did. I rearranged the chapters so that the story flows better.

I've now looked at each chapter and summarised what happens in each one, noting the word count. That way I can see how each one balances against the one in the parallel story. What I noticed is how much the length of the chapters vary. Does this matter? I'm busy looking at dual-narrative novels I've enjoyed by published authors to find out.


So what next?
There is a wealth of advice on how to go about editing a novel. There are self-help books, blog posts and recommendations on Twitter and Facebook. Only yesterday, I was in a conversation with @DMKnight78. She recommended reading your story aloud so that grammatical errors are highlighted. I do this with short stories but hadn't envisaged reading a full sized novel aloud. Her other point of making note of small details that occur in one chapter need to be consistent in another is something I can see I need to check thoroughly. I've found a number of anomalies already! 

On The Writers'Circle FB page there was a link to the very useful Jody Hedlund's Blog. In it, she breaks editing down into three main areas of editing:

  • Rewrites or macro-edits These will be the changes we need to make after spotting weaknesses in the story itself and in the characters. Jody suggests that it's better to tackle these big changes first before any other edits. She asks, 'Why bother focusing on word flow and spelling mistakes within a particular scene when we may have to delete it?'

  • Line edits.  Here we need to go through line-by-line, studying each page and paragraph carefully. For me this will be checking that the dialogue I've used in 1947 or 1965 is appropriate for the era. Jody recommends keeping all of your research materials, biographies, and any pertinent information as you have to refer to it over and over again. 
  • Copyediting and Proofreading These will involve checking for the minutest details: spelling, grammar, formatting, typos, continuity errors, detail accuracy, and other small scale problems. During our editing process, this should be the last type of edit we do in a final read-through and of course, this is what results in the final copy that creates the first impression with agents and publishers. For the differences between copyediting and proofreading, please click on Daily Writing Tips and Writers'Bureau






I've also found another very useful source of advice in Editing With Red Pen by Anne Rainbow. I've signed up for her newsletter where she shares three editing tips in each issue. CLICK HERE to find out more.




Over the next weeks, several writing friends will be sharing their experiences of editing in the form of guest blogs. Please call in each week to see what they have to say. I'm very excited about learning from them. 

Thank you for reading. What advice do you have for editing? What did/would you do differently after your first attempt at editing? I'd love to hear your comments. Thank you. :-)

You may also follow me on Twitter @JanBayLit and on my Jan Baynham Writer page.


22 comments:

  1. So it's 'finished'? Well done! Lots more hard work to come but you must be so pleased. Looking forward to hearing more.

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    1. Thanks, Angela. Yes, I finished it back in November and know that there's lots to do now. Thank you for commenting.

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  2. In the first instance, you have it nailed. Write the first draft, print it off & leave it for a few weeks. Read through without comment. As you have revealed, Jan, at this point, the flaws emerge & you can begin the process of reordering scenes, rewriting & continuing the process of editing. Read out loud - particularly dialogue. Banish adverbs & delete the word 'but.' (Or most of them!)
    Don't allow yourself to get away with anything. Learn to be your own severest critic.
    Once you have a second draft down, consider a beta reader. Someone you trust, preferably with some editing/writing experience.
    Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite until your story reads like silk falling against your skin.

    Line editing is usually undertaken by your editor who will then go through the MS with you discussing your options. (aka making you get rid of your 'best bits!') If you don't have an editor I recommend finding one. We CANNOT thoroughly edit our own work; we're too close to it. A good editor can mean the difference between a book deal & disappointment.
    Copy editing isn't quite the same as proofreading. The two are separate skills. A copyeditor looks for inconsistencies in plot & continuity etc; a proofreader deals exclusively with grammar & spelling; commas & fullstops.

    The best book I have ever read about writing - with a view to being published - is called, funnily enough, "Write to be Published" by Nicola Morgan. It's superb. Totally down to earth & brilliantly laid out. In my view, it's the only book you really need.

    Have fun!

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    1. Thank you, Carol, for such a helpful response. I know you are talking from experience so I value your comments greatly. I've edited the post now to give a clearer explanation of copyediting and proofreading and have put in two links which explain the differences as you've done.Thank you for that. Thank you for popping by.

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    2. I shall look out for Nicola Morgan's book, too.

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  3. Don't try to get it perfect all at once. Improve a few things, then let it rest again before tackling another round of edits.

    I wouldn't bother proofreading until you're happy with everything else, but if you do notice typos, fix them straight away - there's a danger we'll get used to them and not notice them later on.

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    1. Good advice from someone who knows. Thank you very much for your helpful comments. I think because my first draft is so long, breaking the editing down into manageable chunks makes sense.

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  4. Hello - nice to 'meet' you. I found you by reading your comment on Maria Smith's blog. I always amaze myself with how many red ink highlights I make when I've put my novel away and then start to edit it. My book looks like Jack the Ripper has read it! You really need to have that distance, don't you?

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    1. Thank you for visiting the blog, Angela. It's good to 'meet' you, too. Standing back from the first draft before beginning the edit seems to be the advice that's coming through from fellow writers. I love the image of the red pen edits and Jack the Ripper! Thank you for commenting.

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  5. Thank you for all this great advice, Jan. I re-read my novel a few days ago, having not looked at it for a while, and the odd thing was, about three quarters of the way through I found a chapter I didn't even remember writing (luckily I really like it).

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    1. Re-reading your novel as a reader is different experience, isn't it? I'm glad you really liked your forgotten chapter, Wendy.:-) I understand you're trying to find an agent for it now, so very good luck with it. Thank you for stopping by to leave a comment.

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  6. Good idea to read it like a reader and not the writer, Jan. And look for different things each time. In mine, I had a chapter where someone proposed with a lost ring he'd found, and then realised, I'd let him find it before she'd even lost it. Little details like that are important:)) I shouldn't think grammar and punctuation will be a problem for you. Good luck with it, and better to take time and get it right than rush and wish you'd spent longer. xx

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Sue. Yes, I've already called one character by a different name in different parts of the book. You make a good point about taking time to get it right.

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  7. Fab blog post Jan! Exciting that you're at this stage :) It's interesting to hear how others approach editing. I'm going to take some of the advice on your blog on board for the next book!

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    1. Thanks, Samantha. Yes, it is exciting...but a bit daunting, too! I'm glad the advice from other writers is going to help you and I'm very much looking forward to your editing advice when you are my guest in a few weeks' time. Thank you for popping by.

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  8. It's amazing what you see when you go back to something, even after a day or so, never mind a week. When I'm writing something close to a deadline, even when my editor is screaming at me to send it NOW, I always walk away for a few minutes - maybe go and put the kettle on, or take the bins out - and then go back to it. I've saved myself many an embarrassment by doing this.

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    1. Yes, Julia, even the smallest amount of distance can help, can't it? It's one of my faults that I usually work too close to deadlines - only for short stories so far as this is my first novel - and I always see mistakes after I've pressed 'send'! Thank you for commenting.

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  9. Thank you for sharing Jan, I think everyone edits their work in different ways. Personally, I'm learning through trial and error. I use the voice recorder on my mobile phone and record a chapter. Then I listen to it once when I am doing some chore or I'm out walking, and once when I'm sitting down with a pen and notebook. That way I get the reader experience, and afterwards on the second listen I can make necessary corrections and alterations.

    I joined Red Pen a few months ago and find it a very good resource. The webinars are particularly useful.

    Regards chapter lengths, personally I write both short and long chapters, and I like to read that way too.

    Go edit! Have a good week. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Maria. I like your way of recording a chapter and listening to it whilst doing other things. Hearing the story read out must alert you to things you may miss when just reading it, I'm sure. Thank you for commenting.

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  10. I'm glad to hear your editing is going well, Jan. You have certainly worked out the way to approach it that will work best for you. Editing is full of surprises. I love doing it. I hope you are finding it a fulfilling and fascinating part of the writing process.

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    1. Thank you for your comments, Sue. I can see already that editing the novel is a challenge and one from which I'll learn a lot. I'm looking forward to all the recommendations from writer friends, including yourself, over the next few weeks.

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  11. The article was pretty amazing. Thanks for sharing. http://getessayeditor.com/blog/10-tips-how-to-edit-and-proofread-your-own-book is for you if you need any information on how to edit and proofread your academic writings.

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