If you're new here, welcome to my website/blog and if you aren't then welcome once again!
As promised, here's part two of the series we started a few days ago. Without further ado, let's get to it.
We left off in the last post with everything that comes after figuring out your plot and creating your first draft. Well, here's something I do not look forward to...editing.
I feel most writers dread this because it can be hectic but at the same time great when done at the perfect time. Editing is one of the reasons I read each sentence I write twice or more before proceeding. Even then, I still notice mistakes later on.
I attended a workshop on creative writing a few months ago and the speaker - Anuj Gosalia (co-founder of Terribly Tiny Tales) - said something about editing that I heard someone else say but never kept close until Anuj repeated it. He said, and I'm paraphrasing; 'Don't edit immediately you finish writing, step away and unwind only then should you come back to it with fresh eyes and see things from a reader's perspective.'
As a writer, I immediately knew what that would mean for me. It meant, I would be able to judge my work fairly and be able to spot errors and something in the plot that doesn't quite fit what I, as the writer, wrote in the prior chapters which is something that has happened a number of times.
Even now, I hate to admit it, but I don't edit the drafts for my books. That is if you don't count grammarly as a way to edit. I write my chapter and put it through the grammarly test, check out the red-lined words which most times is usually accurate, other times, not so much. So, you have to be careful while using Grammarly, because it's not always right.
Another way I used to edit before Grammarly was, I'd send the draft to a close friend of mine to have her proof-read it for me and usually she comes back with nothing to correct, mostly because she was too engrossed in the story to point out the errors to me (lol, I know). Hence, I stopped asking her because there was just no use (she's crazy like that).
My favorite way, and one of the most effective way so far, is the readers. Yes! I know there are a lot of perfectionists out there and putting out a draft is scary. There was a time I couldn't put out a draft but then I realized because of the fear of that, I'd never get the time to edit it and it just remained drafted for so long. That was when I decided to look past the errors and just put it out there. I always said I'd get back to it when I could but I never have and never did because I haven't had a break from writing since I started on Wattpad in 2016. Once I completed a book, I was planning the next one and it's been that way for years now.
I'm not saying make a rough draft and just post it. Draft like that's your final copy before you submit it for being reviewed. Remember to leave an author's note for your readers as well addressing them about the chapter being unedited and asking them to leave comments in paragraphs which they spot errors. That way, your readers don't go in blind and without a warning.
I've used this editing technique since my third book on Wattpad - Her Adopted Baby's Daddy - and I've used it ever since and even now while I'm currently writing Love & Serenity. I've noticed an improvement in my writing. I'm careful to go over what I've written twice or more before I proceed to the next paragraph. Even as I write this, that's what I'm doing.
Sometimes, very rarely do I read the chapter after I publish it, when I notice an error, I go back in and correct it. Reading the chapter with my phone and editing with my laptop, making things easier. If you don't have a laptop then I suggest taking screenshots of the error and continue reading and only when you're done should you go back and edit all the errors using the screenshots you took.
There are random times I just open up a chapter from my book either because someone left a comment or because I'm searching for something. I spot errors a lot of time and I usually take a screenshot and edit it later when I can.
As a writer, perfection can be your worst enemy if you're not careful. It can stop you from growing, leaving you stagnant. So, if you love editing, great, edit your draft a few hours after you've written it and publish it! Don't procrastinate. And if you don't like editing like me, send it to a friend, or anyone, have them proof-read it for you. Use grammarly. And the final option, publish it and have your readers proof-read it for you.
Remember, you can always go back and edit it, but you can't go back and wish you had published it.
In my next post, I'll be talking about how I went from creating a novice book cover to the book covers I make right now. I'll be listing all the apps I use and you can figure out where to go from there or even find someone on wattpad to create one for you as I did, once upon a time.
Till then, stay safe and dream big.
Lots of love, Jane Lanett.