What is your To-Do list when you start editing your book?

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

I am trying to collate information on all the things that a writer would do well to apply when he/she gets on to the revision/editing or what some call "Second draft". Few things that I think are of indispensable are toning your characters, dialogues and of course, filling in the gaps in the story. What do you keep in mind while revising? 

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

I so agree. A second pair of eyes worth it. 

Thanks Robin!

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

Terry,

I can so relate to you. Dialogues is my pain point. I try two things : Read the story aloud to see if the dialogues sound natural and most importantly, (I have heard this from a friend) - talk to you characters. Engage them in dialogues with yourself as if they are real people (they are! :D) so that you are familiar with their reactions, their way of  thinking. It helps in keeping their dialogues consistent in the story. 

Hope this forum has helped you. That was the exact intention! 

[nikki broadwell]

I am working on the 8th or 9th draft of the second book of my fantasy trilogy at the moment--had it edited early on and cut huge swaths out, now I'm adding back because the book is too short! I've added a new POV in the 2nd book, a character who appears briefly and then plays a larger role in book 3. One thing told to me by my editor was to end chapters with a question or something that needs resolution--I had the book edited again several months ago so went through it and changed several things--At this point it is time to read the book through and make sure the cut and pastes are all okay and that the dialogue and prose flow correctly...(also having another person read it is a very good idea since we as authors tend to miss mistakes)

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

Hi Nikki,

Wow. 8-9 drafts? You are brave AND diligent! I cannot imagine sticking with my story for so long. I am very impatient that way. 

But very interesting point. A question or a conflict at the end of the chapter pushes the reader forward and your editor is very smart to point that out to you! Introducing new POVs can be useful too but I think I would always be worried about losing the tone of the book as a whole. But that is just me. A well written second POV which furthers the story would actually be good.

Beta readers are a must and they should not include parents! :D

Thanks for the wonderful advice. 

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

Hi Rhonda,

I keep constantly getting amazed at how many drafts authors work on! I totally see what you mean by saying "If mama read this". LOL! The first time I read my first draft, my face gets stuck in the same expression - eyes wide in shock, nose flaring, lips in a smirk. You see where I am going. It is so shocking to me! And those are the points where I make big red notes on my manuscript to edit. 

Thanks for the advice. Really helpful!

[Roberta Smith]

With my first novel, I gave several copies to friends for their comments and rewrote from there. There were lots and lots of drafts. Now I'm finding that being part of a critique group helps. The book gets critiqued and rewritten as it is created so if there are problems with characterization, story or dialogue they get nipped quickly.  Once the entire novel is complete, I hire a professional and rewrite based upon those comments. I then let the novel get cold and reread with "fresh" eyes.

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

Hi Roberta,

I tried this website "Critiquecircle.com" and it does seem to be a good place to connect with other authors who can give good feedback. That definitely is a good step towards a productive editing. Thanks for responding!

 

[Marta Szemik]

I've been editing Two Halves for a while now. I don't know which draft I'm on, because there are so many. One of the problems I found with a novel just over 100K long, is to make sure I don't repeat myself.  Reading out loud in a two day span has helped. I was able to pinpoint exactly what needs to be cut out or re-phrased and what doesn't sound good. From the first edit to now, I cut out approx 20K words, including one full chapter which did not move the story (it was a tough decision, but the novel is better). On my last edit I cut out 2,000 more. Now, I'm using Serenity Edit Software which catches things my eye couldn't catch. Great tool to analyze every single sentence in your novel including grammar, punctuation, quotation, spelling, homonyms, overused words, weak spots etc. After that, one more read out loud and it's ready!

Marta

http://martaszemik.blogspot.com/

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

Hey Marta,

I just checked Serenity Edit Software. Sounds like a very good one but looks like they do not have a good MAC version. Sigh. Wish they had! All the best with the final draft!

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

Hi Shawn,

With first drafts where word count goes beyond 100K, I think tightening becomes so inevitable. But as you pointed out, adding depth is the key. Sometimes, I feel the book is all about the character. At least, that is way I approach my stories. Thanks for responding!

 

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

You are right Shawn. Yet I have heard many manuscripts getting rejected just because of the word count. Of course there are a good number of exceptions. So, are you saying we shouldn't worry about word count during editing?

[Shilpa Mudiganti]

You are so right! Recently my publisher asked me to cut some parts of my upcoming novel and i felt so heart broken. They were some of the best parts of the book. That's where being an Indie helps and I think I am going to go Indie soon! Thank you Shawn for such a great reply. Word count really shouldn't matter too much while editing. Once it is on the way to publication, one might have to but it totally depends on the publisher. And if you are going Indie, nothing like it! :)