Unlike many writers, I enjoy the editing process that follows
the white hot period of creation. This is the time when you find the right
words to replace those that flew off the end of your fingers in the rush to get
the ideas down before they escaped into the ether. This is your opportunity to
turn a banal phrase into something poetic and memorable. It's the time to hone,
sharpen, tighten and close up the text to build in the pace that carries the
story forward. It's the chance to spend some prime time with your characters
and understand them better than was possible at the beginning of the story,
since even the most well-drawn characters have a tendency to diverge from the
author's view of them as they grow during the story. It's the place to do that
hardest of all things every writer must do in order to succeed; to murder your
darlings. Most writers will understand this expression. For those who don't, it
simply means that you have to examine your writing critically and decide
whether that exquisite phrase you used to describe the heroine, the scenery,
the hero, is actually necessary to the story. If it isn't, you cut it out and
toss it away. Your darling infants consigned to the bonfire of vanities.
I've always held to a short but, for me, true mantra on
writing: write from the heart, but edit from the head.
I've also always placed a distance between the writing of a
piece and the editing. If you can come to your work with a fresh mind,
following a break without reading or thinking about it, you're far more likely
to spot problems within it. So, after the creative phase, I always lock away
the piece for a period, the length of which is more dependent on circumstances
than any formal programme. But when I return to it, I work methodically.
Whether my method will work for you, however, depends on the type of writer you
are.
I do a first read through, quickly and without stopping for
changes I see as necessary - merely marking these points as prompts for the
next read through. This first read I do more or less as a reader, rather than a
writer. It re-acquaints me with the work, allows me to see whether the ideas
have translated into something that will interest readers, and highlights any
glaring inconsistencies in plot, character or setting.
Next, I read through and look at those marked places, making
whatever alterations seem necessary. As I do this, I also make any changes that
might affect pace by removing redundancies and repetitions.
I then subject each chapter, or section, to the http://www.wordle.net/
check. This wonderful and simple program provides a graphic (see the
illustration for this post) that highlights words used according to frequency
and is an invaluable tool for identifying overused words. I thoroughly
recommend this free editing helper.
The next stage is the crucial one, which I advise every writer
to do, regardless of genre, habit, type or experience. I read the entire work
aloud, from a typed script, marking it as I go along to indicate any areas of
error, confusion, repetition, clumsy construction etc. Reading aloud makes
errors far more evident, and reading from a printed source, rather than the
screen, makes mistakes and inconsistencies far more obvious. I can't emphasise
too strongly how important this step is. If you do nothing else in editing, at
least do this.
Once I've been through and made the changes indicated by the
read-through above, I subject the piece to the mechanical spell and grammar
check. This highlights a number of issues and, in spite of its shortcomings and
inadequacies, often reveals odd things missed during the manual process.
A final read through allows me to ensure consistency in
plotting, characterisation, timeline, setting and theme. I keep a spreadsheet
for the timeline, so that I know where each character is at any given time.
This includes a hyperlink to each character's sketch, so I can ensure I haven't
inadvertently changed hair or eye colour or suddenly made an atheist into a
godbotherer, or aged a youngster, etc. I also include phases of the moon and
sunrise/sunset times on the timeline, so I can keep track of such items when
I'm describing activity or scenes.
You will no doubt note that I haven't described a session
where I make changes to improve the language of the piece. That's because I do
this as I go along, as part of all the other checks and alterations.
That's it. I know I could go through the piece again and
again, and find other faults or places where improvements could be made, but I
write to be read and there comes a time when the piece must be revealed to readers.
Some writers find this final phase the most difficult and I suspect their
reluctance to get their piece out in front of an audience is due to either
misplaced lack of confidence or an unwillingness to let go of their child and
send it out into the world.
There are writers, particularly amongst the indie writer
category, who don't bother with even the most basic editing. Their work is
readily identifiable by its numerous spelling errors, lack of grammatical
accuracy, inconsistencies in expression and poor story planning. It puzzles and
distresses me that readers give such writers the time of day, but perhaps I
consider such things as correct language use, basic spelling and grammar, as
tools of the trade and see their lack as insults to the readers; insults that,
perhaps, certain readers don't perceive as such.
So, there you have it: the process of refining the initial
piece of created fiction into a story worthy of exhibition before my readers.
Yes, it's a lot of work, time and effort. But nothing worthwhile was ever
created in ease. I can only hope that my efforts produce stories that readers
find entertaining, illuminating and enjoyable.
