Anally retentive writing practices

[EmilyMiller]

So, right now, I’m re-editing one of my earliest stories here. It’s got a bunch of typos (dating to me writing in Note instead of Word on my phone, and before I started to use Speak ‘n’ Spell read backs). But that’s not my primary consideration. I like the story, but I’ve had people say the dialog is confusing. With the benefit of hindsight, that’s the main thing I’m fixing. I’ll probably get around to doing the same with all my earliest stories eventually.

Yes I know this is not going to garner a whole new audience. Despite its flaws, the story is highly rated and has a fair number of views (for me). I’m doing this for me, and of course it’s anally retentive.

I know many authors swear by letting old stories go and focusing on new. But do you have any comparable activities that you know are just indulging your inner pedant?

Emily

 

[gunhilltrain]

So, right now, I’m re-editing one of my earliest stories here. It’s got a bunch of typos (dating to me writing in Note instead of Word on my phone, and before I started to use Speak ‘n’ Spell read backs). But that’s not my primary consideration. I like the story, but I’ve had people say the dialog is confusing. With the benefit of hindsight, that’s the main thing I’m fixing. I’ll probably get around to doing the same with all my earliest stories eventually.

Yes I know this is not going to garner a whole new audience. Despite its flaws, the story is highly rated and has a fair number of views (for me). I’m doing this for me, and of course it’s anally retentive.

I know many authors swear by letting old stories go and focusing on new. But do you have any comparable activities that you know are just indulging your inner pedant?

Emily

I mostly don't rewrite old stories, but I have if an idea for a better version, I may do it. It takes at least a year to get back to it. I really should put it on another site, but I did a few here with new titles. (It's kind of messy to leave the old one in place, but no one has commented on it.) In one case I did replace it entirely and removed the old version and title. Now that I think about it, I haven't rewritten anything in quite a long time.

 

[intim8]

I know many authors swear by letting old stories go and focusing on new. But do you have any comparable activities that you know are just indulging your inner pedant?

Oh, my inner pedant is an insatiable beast. I do not edit published stories (unless I am going to re-publish elsewhere), but occasionally while editing a new story, I can't get him to calm down.

Weird, picky consistency is one of the things, but it is inconsistent.

Like in my latest story - basically a series of photo shoots - there is one specific pic that comes up a few times during the story. Picture #43 on memory card 1 on such and such a day. But when I referenced it again later, I just had to go figure out if he had changed out video cards during the shoot, prior to taking that picture. Or if he would have even if it wasn't mentioned. I reread the whole first shoot trying to deduce whether he had taken enough pics to fill the first card before that pic.

I finally decided he probably would have, so I called it #43 on card 2. Then, when it was published, I found that I forgot to go back and change the original reference.

 

[samhasstories]

It's interesting, because the erotica I write is basically 'finalized' nearly immediately - I write a draft, maybe (but not usually, necessarily) give it one rewrite if something's bothering me, then give a read-through or two making minor polishes, then I post it. That feels pretty definitive - they're out there, people are reading them, they're done. As a result, I feel generally disinclined to revisit them, though I guess I would if I was particularly motivated to for one reason or another.

But I don't post the non-erotica I write anywhere public. The hope is for it to get picked up somewhere someday, but that process could be years, if it ever happens. In the meantime I share it with people who give feedback, I put it away, I might come back and give it a read again every few months or so. Those feel like living documents - if something occurs to me that might improve the work, I'll go back and revisit without hesitation. I might feel suddenly compelled to rewrite a story I haven't touched in years. That all just feels like part of the process.

I'm sure all of my stories have plenty of room for improvement, particularly the first few I posted. I haven't revisited any that I've already posted here, but I have thought about it. I guess I just wouldn't know what to do with it at that point. Do you re-post it? Take down the old one and post it as a new story? Or do you just keep it for your own version?

 

[EmilyMiller]

there is one specific pic that comes up a few times during the story. Picture #43 on memory card 1

In While There Is Hope Ch. 05, the MMC and FMC review dash cam footage. I was anally retentive enough to remember that the period of time in question was around midnight and so the footage was split between two files. I also noted that they couldn’t put the SD card into the MMC’s police laptop as it blocked external drives.

I know .

Emily

 

[TheLobster]

I haven't written enough yet to be able to say I've developed some OCD habits, but this current story I'm giving like a 7th editing pass and I'm still finding at least a few sentences I need to rewrite for a better flow. I haven't had that with my other works, so perhaps this one is just special.

 

[intim8]

I'm still finding at least a few sentences I need to rewrite for a better flow.

Be very careful. Overediting is a thing. You tweak and tweak until every sentence is just right, and all of a sudden, everything reads flat and mechanical. All you've done is strip your voice out of it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Be very careful. Overediting is a thing. You tweak and tweak until every sentence is just right, and all of a sudden, everything reads flat and mechanical. All you've done is strip your voice out of it.

And then get an AI rejection!

Emily

 

[orangecurious]

flaunt the imperfection

 

[intim8]

And then get an AI rejection!

That crossed my mind. I wonder how many of them are cases like this?

 

[intim8]

flaunt the imperfection

Not necessarily imperfection in the sense of flaws, just different expressions of the basic thoughts. I'd say it's more "flaunt the inefficiency". It is common in overediting to focus on efficiency of language rather than expressiveness. Fiction is not a matter of conveying information as efficiently as possible, it is creating an experience, as richly as possible.

 

[EmilyMiller]

It is common in overediting to focus on efficiency of language rather than expressiveness.

My first drafts are error-strewn, but have a certain rawness, that I try to not lose on editing.

Emily

 

[BobbyBrandt]

So, right now, I’m re-editing one of my earliest stories here. It’s got a bunch of typos (dating to me writing in Note instead of Word on my phone, and before I started to use Speak ‘n’ Spell read backs). But that’s not my primary consideration. I like the story, but I’ve had people say the dialog is confusing. With the benefit of hindsight, that’s the main thing I’m fixing. I’ll probably get around to doing the same with all my earliest stories eventually.

Yes I know this is not going to garner a whole new audience. Despite its flaws, the story is highly rated and has a fair number of views (for me). I’m doing this for me, and of course it’s anally retentive.

I know many authors swear by letting old stories go and focusing on new. But do you have any comparable activities that you know are just indulging your inner pedant?

Emily

I don't view what you describe as re-writing the story. I see it as you going back and applying new knowledge to an older work as a means of validate things that you have learned and allowing readers to benefit from it.

 

[EmilyMiller]

I don't view what you describe as re-writing the story. I see it as you going back and applying new knowledge to an older work as a means of validate things that you have learned and allowing readers to benefit from it.

Yeah - that’s a good précis of it.

Emily

 

[intim8]

Yeah - that’s a good précis of it.

You and your fancy-ass language. What do you think you are, a writer or something?

 

[EmilyMiller]

You and your fancy-ass language. What do you think you are, a writer or something?

Moi? Mais non. Au contraire mon ami.

Emileé Meunier

 

[32aa]

When i discovered some editing software, i went back through all of my stories and re-edited them. I was amazed at the typos, mis-matched words. And just the way i phrased the narrative compared to my current writing style.

Then fixed the dialog so that it more closely matched the way people really talked.

I did that all strictly for my own reading enjoyment, as i do like to reread my stories. In the end, i was very pleased with the results.

But then there was the thought that perhaps.... just perhaps the someday i might share my personal copy of the stories with someone. Nobody in my 'Real Life' has any idea of the erotic stories that i have created and posted here.

 

[Duleigh]

So, right now, I’m re-editing one of my earliest stories here. It’s got a bunch of typos (dating to me writing in Note instead of Word on my phone, and before I started to use Speak ‘n’ Spell read backs). But that’s not my primary consideration. I like the story, but I’ve had people say the dialog is confusing. With the benefit of hindsight, that’s the main thing I’m fixing. I’ll probably get around to doing the same with all my earliest stories eventually.

Yes I know this is not going to garner a whole new audience. Despite its flaws, the story is highly rated and has a fair number of views (for me). I’m doing this for me, and of course it’s anally retentive.

I know many authors swear by letting old stories go and focusing on new. But do you have any comparable activities that you know are just indulging your inner pedant?

Emily

I have gone back to a story that is in my "Andi Universe" (Andiverse?) and the timeline was very confusing, it was talking about characters that weren't even introduced at that point so I redid the timeline, brought my character more into line with what they are in current writing, cleaned up a lot of grammar and punctuation flaws that filled my work 3 years ago and I said damn! That was fun. I have 80 more stories to clean up!

This is not for me of course... it's for my new readers. You understand, right?

 

[Writer61]

Andiverse?

I believe A Diverse is correct

 

[EmilyMiller]

This is not for me of course... it's for my new readers. You understand, right?

Your secret is safe with me, hun

Emily

 

[Paddleboardpnw]

So, right now, I’m re-editing one of my earliest stories here. It’s got a bunch of typos (dating to me writing in Note instead of Word on my phone, and before I started to use Speak ‘n’ Spell read backs). But that’s not my primary consideration. I like the story, but I’ve had people say the dialog is confusing. With the benefit of hindsight, that’s the main thing I’m fixing. I’ll probably get around to doing the same with all my earliest stories eventually.

Yes I know this is not going to garner a whole new audience. Despite its flaws, the story is highly rated and has a fair number of views (for me). I’m doing this for me, and of course it’s anally retentive.

I know many authors swear by letting old stories go and focusing on new. But do you have any comparable activities that you know are just indulging your inner pedant?

Emily

I did the same writing method, now that I have word it’s been much easier. If and when I ever finish with my part 2 of a story I’m working on, I’ve since noticed many errors thanks to some comments that I hope to go back and fix, just because it’s now bothering me

 

[EmilyMiller]

just because it’s now bothering me

Yup - as has been noted, I get bothered - Emily

 

[THBGato]

Too soon for me to know - I've only been writing for three months (less than in fact, I think.... just checked - I started writing my first story on Jan 18th).

Every story has been different. Different editors for each. Only one was conceived as multi-chapter; the others just ended up that way.

 

[TarnishedPenny]

Oh, indeed. I consider myself lucky that fixing things is such a total pain, otherwise I’d be doing nothing but fine-tuning.

 

[EmilyMiller]

Oh, indeed. I consider myself lucky that fixing things is such a total pain, otherwise I’d be doing nothing but fine-tuning.

It’s really not an easy process is it?

Emily