I'm currently editing a novel (well more like edits with rewrites), how do you go about editing? Do you write clean first drafts? I'm curious to know.
This week I will put in my written notice at work. I'm not sorry about leaving there, I've not been happy there from the start for various reasons.
Packing also starts this week. Lots of purging and ridding myself of unneeded things. In a way it feels therapeutic to do this.
My editing process is thus:
ReplyDelete* Leave first draft to settle, for at least a fortnight.
* Read draft without making a single mark or note.
* Mark up draft, using a notepad for larger notes (I work on printouts for first edits).
* Make changes.
* Repeat on screen.
My first drafts are not what I'd call clean. They're lacking in description, internal emotion, and a bunch of other things. The only thing that I do little to, is the dialogue. :)
I wish I was there to help with the packing etc. :)
Hope it all goes smoothly at work!
Adam
PS - <3
It's good to see how others tackle it. :)
ReplyDeleteMy process is pretty much like Adam's - I do the first draft on the computer, and then the edits on a hard copy (after a waiting period). And I also use a notepad for changes that don't fit in the margins.
ReplyDeleteI only know one person who writes a clean draft, and it's not me. :-)
Good luck with the packing - it's a great way to purge the clutter from your life.
I do all of my editing on screen. My handwriting is so bad I can barely read it at times, so marking up a hard copy just makes things more difficult.
ReplyDeleteI write as cleanly as I can, sometimes to my detriment. I tend to obsess over a chapter until my face nearly falls off, editing and re-editing to "get it right" the first time around. Usually, it doesn't work. I tend to be my happiest when editing, so I'll make a good handful of passes through a piece (each with a little break in between) before I consider it "done."