Editing is Like Eating an Elephant

You tackle it one bite at a time.

I don't like to over-complicate my life, so I keep my editing technique simple. Whenever possible, I let Word do the tedious stuff. I also rest my brain between edits so I can review my draft with fresh eyes. 

I generally edit in several passes. Once each for continuity, clarity, POV, and scene strength.

This list below isn't inclusive, but it covers my normal modus operandi.

Typos: To catch typos and omissions, I use a clean font, anything other than Times Roman. It tricks my brain into reading each word individually instead of scanning for what I think is there.

Tracking Changes: Oh, Tracking Changes, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I LOVE this Word tool. Whenever my editor hands me her edits, I make the changes then bring them over (one chapter at a time) to a new sheet with my editor's changes already implemented. Then I switch the ink color to blue (my personal preference) and redo the edit--turning on 'Track Changes' again so I can see what I modified since my editor's initial edits.

It not only lets me read the chapter in a new light, but it helps me strengthen my word choices where necessary. Placing one scene or chapter by itself allows me to edit without the distraction of the rest of the manuscript. When I'm happy with it, I compare it side by side with my "real" draft and implement my new changes for the editor's approval. 

Chapter Hop: I like to read my chapters and POV scenes out of sequence. Often I work from back to front. This helps me pick up continuity issues.

Trust No One: Or at least be suspicious of Word's spell-check and grammar-check. It's not always right. When in doubt, double check it with Strunk & White or Webster's dictionary.

Create a Style Sheet: A style sheet is a punch list of every detail unique to your book. 

--and here is where I'll be mean and tell you to come back next week for the style sheet details. But I promise it'll be worth it. I just didn't want this post to run too long.

Profile your characters: List all your characters' physical and emotional details. Quirks, mannerisms, expressions, hair color, defects, etc. List them all so that you can refer to them later. A lot of people do this, but I also add their psychological profile. What makes them tick? What do they want most? And why can't they get it? Curious readers will want to know. 

Language inconsistencies: I do at least one editing pass to make sure each character's speech pattern is consistent. This is especially important when doing accents, expressions, and gender-specific dialog.

POV: Point of view always messes me up. Sometimes while I'm drafting a story, I will change the POV to see if it's stronger in someone else's viewpoint. It never fails that pieces of the old POV gets left behind, and I forget to switch it.

I goofed on one chapter in Mistress of the Stone, but my editor found it right away. Any time you do multiple revisions, POV is bound to be the first casualty. Save yourself the agony and run an edit strictly for POV consistency.

That's it. These are my main editing tricks. How about you? What's the hardest thing for you to edit?

Next Monday: Style Sheets

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Homestead Update: Greg is black and blue, but I swear I didn't hit him. 

Yeah, I know it looks suspicious, him being married to me, but it's true. 

He was on the tractor mowing a weedy area when a tree limb smacked him into yesterday. The branch threw his glasses off and he was stunned for a split second. All he could do was slam on the brakes before something else hit him. 

Fortunately I was nearby and ran over to him when I realized he was in trouble.

His face was bloodied, and his nose swelled up right away. It took a while to find his glasses too. They really flew far. By the end of the day, he had a black eye. Poor guy. It's dangerous out here!