Editing and Revisions

sophia jane said:
Do you use an editor, whether from the volunteer program or somewhere else?

When I get a story to the point of being nearly ready for posting, I select ten people from the Volunteer editors list in hopes of finding at least one anal-retentive english major with a grudge against me to tel me what they really think about the story.

I've found that at least three full story edits work best for me -- of the rip and rend variety -- because every editor I've used finds something different and has a different viewpoint on what the story needs.

I use MS Word's file compare and reviewing tools to collate all of the edits and accept or reject the editors' advice as necessary.
 
I am curious about other's processes of revision and editing. I hate the revision process, but I have a wonderful editor (thanks Softie!) who helps make it less painful for me. So, some questions:

Do you use an editor, whether from the volunteer program or somewhere else?
I do occasionally use another author from Lit, especially if I need advice from a female perspective, which is always helpful. ;) Most other times, I'll slog through brute force. But I, too, encourage the use of free help from Lit's Editor program.

What do use your editor for- grammar and typos only or do you want to be ripped to pieces?
MS Word, online and desk dictionaries, and online and desk thesauri, Chicago Manual of Style, and other guides (you can't have enough), and me. Still, an error or two or three always seems to creep between the bodily fluids and the pages.

How many times do you usually revise a story before you submit it?
I'm never satisified until I go through two or three major revisions/re-writes/recasts and then about a dozen minor revisions. I, like BlackShanglan, really love to edit, spending 75% to 90% of my time in that process. There is a point when the incremental changes don't do anything for me or the story, at which I point I say I'm done.

How long does the revision process usually take you, from the time you finish a first draft to the time you submit to lit (or to the time you consider it finished)?
Certainly weeks, but more likely a month or two.
 
Do you use an editor, whether from the volunteer program or somewhere else?

Yes... handpicked list of readers that through email conversation have shown that they have useful things to say.

What do use your editor for- grammar and typos only or do you want to be ripped to pieces?

Mostly typoes... really good anally-retentive grammatical tyrants are few and far between and it really only takes one experience with them before you naturally begin to use 'better' grammar.

Once you correct the errors that give them their grammar tick, they've outlived their usefulness because most don't have content useful things to say.

I use my First Readers as a sounding board... they have very varying readings of my work so it gives me a good idea of how things will be interpreted.

The most useful of my First Readers is very good at saying things like 'I can't keep track of who is talking' or 'This is what this says... but I think you mean this' or my personal favorite 'Huh!!!!'

How many times do you usually revise a story before you submit it?

First Draft -- Unix System write
Second Draft -- Unix System Content rewrite
Third Draft -- Unix System grammar and content check
Fourth Draft -- Microsoft Word Different View Content rewrite
Fifth Draft -- Microsoft Word spelling & grammar check
Sixth Draft -- Pre-First Reader's final content check (This is sometimes skipped if I'm getting annoyed at my own anality.)
Seventh Draft -- Marry the First Reader's suggestions into another rewrite
Eighth Draft -- Pre-post draft
Ninth Draft -- Post-posting read and editing for errors.

ps. And that's for a new chapter in an ongoing series... a completely new one part story... let's not get into that.


How long does the revision process usually take you, from the time you finish a first draft to the time you submit to lit (or to the time you consider it finished)?

A new chapter takes anywhere from 3 days to 1 week.
A new story takes anywhere from 1 week to 2 weeks.

The number varies mostly because of the amount of time it can take to complete a first draft... I don't count any editing or rewriting on the first draft until I've completed all sections. I could need to rewrite specific sections multiple times before I get what I consider a 'complete' First Draft.

The editing process takes about 2-4 times whatever the 'writing' time actually takes.

So if it took me 6 hours to complete a first draft... I'm looking at 12-24 hours to finished product. (This is pure writing time.)

Sincerely,
ElSol
 
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Hi, new author on the website. I wanted to ask about editing already published works on the site. Is there a way to do so without uploading a new story?
 
I used to edit as i went; write a section, go back and fix errors, change words, add / subtract etc.

I found that process slowed the actual writing down to a crawl.

So now I just write the damn story first. I don't waste time worrying about over used adverbs or badly worded sentences. I'll fix that later. Get the IDEAS out, get the STORY out, then edit.

I do have a friend who will read most of my stuff, usually in raw unedited form. I generally don't ask her to knock herself out pointing out every single mistake, because I know they're there and I'll fix them later. Although she will call out the bigger ones.

I'm more interested in her opinion on the story itself; what's working, what's not etc.

After it's done in raw form, then the true editing begins.

That's not to say I never edit in the middle. If I strike upon an idea and realize I need to set that idea up earlier in the story, I'll certainly go back and do that.

I edit as often as needed. First pass generally looking for the most glaring typos etc. Then scouring for over used / repeatedly used adverbs, which i have a tendency to do.

Edit, remove, change words etc.

Then look for plot flaws, missing details, redundant details. Add flourishes, remove unneeded pieces, trim the fat, sprinkle the seasoning....I'll do it til I'm basically sick of reading the damn thing, then set it aside.

Then do it one last time before publishing.

And I'll still miss stuff 😆
 
I often jot down stuff on the Notes app on my phone. Predictive text can be very useful - and has got a lot better recently - but it can really trip me up when I’m in the flow. I’m writing fiction, not an email or a resumé! However, on occasion, the word it suggests is better than the one I had in mind
 
I've never used an editor. I'm too much of a control freak. When I'm writing, the first thing I do when I start up is to read whatever I wrote the previous day and see if there's anything I need to change. That fires up the juices, and I keep going from there. I also do one full re-read editing pass before I press submit. Inevitably, the next time I read through my story, it's been published to the website, and that's when I notice the mistakes that slipped through the gaps. Because of course. Anything severe, I correct. Anything which doesn't impact the flow of the story, however, I leave alone. No sense creating more work for Laurel just so I can fix two typos and an improper capitalization. :)
 
The process of editing something already up gets lowest priority, but it happens sooner or later. There are a couple of glaring typos I will get around to, sooner or later.
 
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