Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Editing Book Two

I know several writers who will give me that look out of the corner of their eyes and shake their heads, but...

I like editing.

My process of writing a book is thus:

1.  Write rough draft (brain purge)
2.  First edit (pencil edits)
3.  Second edit (checklist edits)
4.  Third edit (copy edits)
5.  Pass off to editors (evil hackers)
6.  Fourth edit (appeasing the evil hackers)
7.  Final edit (copy edits part 2)

Brain Purge

It is just that; a brain purge.  All of my ideas and the characters demands are brought to life on the screen.  I don't spend a whole lot of time trying to make it perfect; I just dump it all out before I forget it.

Pencil Edits

I stumble through the rough and write in corrections and edits on the hard copy and give it a quick dusting.

Checklist Edits

This is where I'm at with book two.  Possibly the longest part of the process (other than the purge).  I have a checklist of aspects that I look at, one at a time.  This is where the manuscript really makes a transformation.  Where the pencil edits leave me with one or two comments per page, the checklist makes the manuscript look like one of my ill-fated term papers from high school.
I really get excited about the book during this part of the process.  It starts to take shape and goes from that crap that Hemingway refers to, and becomes a novel.  Not quite complete yet, but by the end of this step, I will have read the manuscript 12 times.

Copy Edits

I could almost save this step for later, but I hate to pass off a dirty manuscript to the editors.  The misspelled words and other things tend to draw their attention away from the story and continuity that I want feedback for.  I do use some software that helps point out weaknesses, though I don't always follow its suggestions.

Evil Hackers

This is tongue-in-cheek really.  The people that look over the manuscript and provide feedback are invaluable.  I don't always listen to their advice, but more often than not, I do.  This is really the most value-added part of the process.

Appeasing the Evil Hackers

So, this is like trip number 14, 15, and 16 through the manuscript.  I look at all of the notes from the editors and weigh their input.  I hate to admit it, but in most cases they are right.  However, they like to squeal on those rare occasions that I ignore something.

Copy Edits Part Two

Here it is, the last run through.  And you know what?  I still miss things.  You would think after seventeen reads the manuscript would be pristine.  The problem is the human mind often reads things as they should be, and not as they are.  Most times "teh" is read "the".  Things will fall through the cracks no matter how many times I run through it, but it still annoys me.

Of course, the most frightening part of this process is throwing it out to the readers.

No comments:

Post a Comment