Inspired? Would you like to see your name on this website and your book up on those bookshop shelves? This is where we bring you a round up of writing tips, ideas and hints.
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| by Jacqui Lofthouse of http://www.thewritingcoach.co.uk The editing process can often be a daunting process for writers. Once we have celebrated the achievement of finishing an entire first draft, it can be challenging to dive into the work again. Having recently been through this process (a third draft), I thought it might be useful to share a checklist of the things I'm looking for when I'm editing a book. This focuses on fiction primarily, but a parallel process can be used for non-fiction. 1. Once you have completed your manuscript, take time away from the work prior to editing. Have a break for a couple of weeks and consider getting feedback on the work from a trusted writing colleague or a literary consultant. If you are seeking feedback, it's vital to choose somebody whose opinion you can really trust, so think carefully before sharing and choose somebody who you know will be constructive. Do remember that opinions can be subjective and if you are not getting professional feedback, it is worth choosing a number of readers, so you can get a balanced opinion on the work. Cynthia Morris made a great point about feedback in the 'Design your Creative Life' conference recently - namely that it is a good idea to get really clear on what you need from the feedback process before you hand over your work to a reader. Make your questions clear and share them in advance. 2. When considering feedback, it's important to remember that some of it will be valuable and some will not. It might take a few days for the feedback to sink in and for you to sift what is useful. Sometimes we experience a sense of disappointment that the work is not perfect already. It's a natural response. Yet once we get used to it, editing is simply another stage of the writing process. Learning to accept feedback and use it well is a vital part of our work. 3. When editing a book, get comfortable and read it as if you were reading it for the first time. Read the entire document and annotate your text with any comments that occur to you in relation to changes you want to make, including small line-edits. Just get everything down on that manuscript as this will be your working document. 4. When doing this, look first at the big picture. Does the overall shape of this work? Does the structure falter anywhere? If so, what can be adjusted? Are there any missing pieces of the puzzle? 5. In particular, as you read, look out for the following: * Structural issues - where does it not hold together? Are there plot holes? Does it go off at a tangent? Is the plot too cliched? In non-fiction, does the ordering of the material work? * Voice issues - is the tone right? Is it consistent? Is it written from the right perspective? Do I need to make changes to the narrative voice? * Character issues. Are the characters believable? Do they take actions that seem real? Do I believe that they are flesh and blood? Is their dialogue naturalistic? Can the reader empathise? Do the characters develop and change in the course of the book? What do they learn? * Dialogue - Is it a good, condensed version of natural dialogue? Is it too focused on telling a story via dialogue and not realistic enough? Would the characters SAY this? Is the dialogue there for a purpose - to deepen characterisation or to advance the story? * Telling not showing - Am I telling the reader too much, when I should be revealing the truth through action? Remember, dialogue doesn't equal "showing". Good "showing" is when a scene is dramatised and we are immersed in what is happening, unaware of the narrator's presence. We don't say 'he is sad', his sadness is revealed to us. * Pace - is the action always moving forwards? Am I certain that each scene is propelling the character towards their goal, even if they are frustrated in that process? Am I wasting time, waffling? Every scene must be there for a purpose and advance the plot in some way. * Scene structure - Is there movement in the scene? Do the characters shift? Does perspective change? Is there drama and conflict and change and development? * Sentence construction. Is this working on a line by line basis? Am I overusing adjectives? Am I using adverbs? (They rarely work!) Do I repeat myself? Are there phrases I overuse? Does it flow? How's my grammar? 6. Once you've completed the read-through, take a separate session to look through your annotated notes. Then, get a notebook - or a document if you prefer to work electronically - that relates specifically to your editing process and begin by making a list of all the major 'big picture' changes you want to make. Can you condense this list to five key areas? Examples of such areas could be: * The character of Isabelle is too passive; I need to change her actions and responses to make her more feisty and thus engage the reader. * The pace in the first third of the book is too slow - cut down on extraneous scene-setting and cut to the chase. Keep the scenes more focused on action. * Work on my tendency to over-describe and lay-on the adjectives. Remember that less is more. * Get clearer on Simon's motivation in the novel. That needs to be built at an earlier stage if the book is to have drive. * Find a different resolution to the love affair. At present it is too clichéd and the end of the book doesn't have impact as a result. 7. These are simply examples of the kind of points you might make, but there's something very powerful in having key focus areas like this. It means that as we go through the book, we know where our main attention should lie. In addition to these larger points, you will also have a list of smaller points. You can work directly from the manuscript in relation to the smaller points rather than noting them separately. 8. When you are editing, work on your main document but draw from all of your sources. Have the annotated manuscript(s) at your side and your list of key points. Even editing can be an organic process, as when you make changes to a book, other aspects of that book can shift and change. Keep your editing notebook open as an ongoing document. And from time to time, print up your newly edited work and read it through. It's so satisfying to read a new draft and to feel how much smoother and more believable it is becoming. When working with clients, I'm often amazed at how swiftly work can improve with good editing. It is always a pleasure to see how work can be transformed in this way. 9. Finally, remember that if we don't edit, we don't learn. Even when we think a book is finished, it will then go to an agent or a publisher who will notice aspects of the work that will improve with further editing. As a result, the book generally gets stronger and stronger. At the same time, remember that it is important to hold tight to your own vision of the book. Stand your ground if you need to. We do learn so much in this process and it strengthens our abilities as a writer. |
| Posted: 20/03/2009 11:42:12 Last Updated: 20/03/2009 11:48:50 |
Chick Lit > Writing Tips :: Editing a Manuscript - A Checklist