How much of your time creating a book do you think is spent writing?
The honest answer is not as much as you’d think!
There’s a model of writing that has the writing part as only 30% of the process – that’s a surprisingly small number isn’t it. The bulk of your time is actually spent either side of the main writing.
In parts two and three of this series we’ve looked at the planning aspects of your book. Now, we’re going to look at the editing.
What is editing?
Editing is anything that happens after a first draft is created. This includes re-reading, adjusting, moving elements around and getting feedback from others.
Editing takes time and shouldn’t be skimped on, no matter how quickly you want to get your book into print. If you speed hastily through this part I can guarantee, once you have your printed book in hand and reread it, you’ll look back and regret it as you see mistakes or things you wish you’d done differently.
Even if you have a publishing contract with an editor working with you, you mustn’t expect to leave them to sort out your draft for you. Of course, they’re a massive help but ultimately this is your book so always be prepared to take responsibility to do the work yourself.
With all this in mind, here is the approach I take to editing, which starts during the writing process.
Step 1 – editing as you go
While I’m writing a book I’m also editing. I begin my writing day reviewing what I wrote the day before. Sometimes I’ll also go back a little further as well. I do this for two reasons: partly to refresh my memory and make sure sections are linking up and also because it helps me to weed out major errors as I’m writing, which saves me a lot of time in the long run.
Step 2 – do a broad review
Once I have a complete first draft, I read the whole thing through (I type so I review on screen but you can work in print if that works for you). I’ll correct minor errors like typos and punctuation where I spot them but I’m not focussing on detail in the main. This review is about highlighting major things that need to be looked at such as moving sections, querying the actions of a character, checking if there’s been repetition of a topic from a previous chapter, and so on.
I don’t make the bulk of the changes until I’ve read the whole book, and then process all the changes in one go. That way I know all the rewrites that are needed.
With fiction writing, if you’re writing a series, it’s always helpful to re-read your previous books because continuity is important. Doing this also serves as a great reminder that you do indeed know how to write – by the time you get to this part sometimes a bit of doubt in your ability can creep in!
Step 3 – change the medium
It’s interesting how changing the medium can give you a different perspective. So if you work in software, I always recommend printing out a copy of your manuscript and, if you work on paper, review on screen. If you’re anything like me, you’ll be more likely to spot typing and spelling mistakes and the misuse of words (for example “in to” instead of “into” a particular slip of mine) because you look at things differently. Reading it in a different format gives you a different take on things.
I may still find there are major changes that need to be made but often it’s more about style and turn of phrase. And of course, I can highlight sections and write notes in the margins for things I want to go back and change.
Step 4 – beta readers
There’s only so much reading of your own book that you can do, so there comes a point in the process where it’s helpful to hand it over to other people to read. Sometimes I just want a general opinion about what they think. But sometimes there are specific things I’ll want to know and this will determine how many beta readers I use.
Asking beta readers specific questions helps me to get clarity on things I might be concerned about, and it also helps them to know what to keep an eye out for.
Step 5 – format and e-book reading
Once I’ve received all the feedback from the beta readers and have made any changes needed, it’s time to start the production process.
If you’re working with a publisher, they’ll provide a typeset proof for review. If you’re self-publishing it’s helpful to order a printed copy in both paperback and eBook. That means you need to use a specific page size and layout for the physical publication.
Then I read the book again, but this time in its e-book form. Again, another change in medium gives another perspective and of course helps me to make sure the layout works for e-readers. I may find additional changes that need to be made to the manuscript at this point but hopefully they’re only minor things.
Step 6 – check for consistency
Now we’re on to the final editing stage, which is a consistency check. This includes proofreading and looking for common easy to make mistakes like “were” instead of “we’re” and “it’s” instead of “its”, as well as consistency with capitalisation and so on.
And that’s it – finally you’re ready to publish!
I know it seems like a lot, and by the time you’ve completed all these stages you’re probably a bit fed up with your book – that’s perfectly normal. But I promise you, it pays off.
The next time you read it you’ll be able to say, hand on heart…
“Wow, this is a really good book!”
If you have dreams of writing a book and need some expert help, visit contentalchemy.co.uk and take a look at Book-writing Gold, my academy to step you through every stage of becoming an author.
