Editing | Recommend
Good morning all you lovelies,
I’ve got a good one for you this morning. And I finally feel like I’m getting back to some semblance of normal. Though, it is a new normal. But I’m excited about the things that are happening right now. Lots of good things.
So I have been editing for a while now and I’ve gone through various stages. I am currently going through two stages of revision right now. I am on my 3rd and 4th rounds of editing. Let me explain this a bit better.
So round 3 is transcribing all the edits I found during the 2nd pass of my manuscript. During this stage so much changed about the story, but a lot of it needs an extra run through because it in itself is flawed as best.
But now, the 4th round is as clean as I can make it without a little extra help. Now, this is where all the extra fixes and the focus on sentence structure and wording comes in. This is also where my advice comes in.
The biggest point I’m trying to make here is. While reading your work can surely help you improve it because, of course it can. But listening to it being read makes a big difference. It helps you catch things you couldn’t see. Or helps you hear what words/phrases sound awkward. Because readers will know when they listen to the words being read inside their head.
I have learned so much since I started listening to my manuscript. I have fixed so many things this way. Phrases that I was feeling iffy on, but hearing it read, I knew how to fix it and I knew it needed to go.
So, for writers who are beyond the beginner stage and you want to improve the story for hopeful future consumption, I have a few things for you to note:
edit your work - always edit your work yourself first. (I never let anyone, no not even my partner, see my first draft because they would hate it.)
listen to your work - it can help you fix things you didn’t even know were an issue. By listening you can understand how something might sound awkward when spoken or if someone were to read it.
have someone else look at it/listen to it - never go it alone. Every writer needs help. Perfection doesn’t come from just an individual, it comes from a group of those you can trust. (Trust me on this, it makes a world of difference because they can see things you can’t.)
Personally, I use Edit Out Loud. It’s free and to my knowledge, there is no listening limit and you can upload multiple files. There is a maximum comment number unless you get the paid version. But I don’t really use the comment function much as I tend to do this while I’m at home with the file open in front of me.
Well, that’s it for me guys. But thank you so much for stopping by. It’s always a pleasure. I’m so happy to have you here. I hope this helps you in the future or that it helps you right now if you feel like you cannot improve your story more than you already have. Happy reading and writing! lots of love! Until next time.
Celine Rose Marie
