Curious about editing

[DarlingNikki]

I'm getting to an editing point I've never reached before and it's pretty interesting and enjoyable. I noticed that during the first few run-throughs the story got a lot shorter when I took out some parts where I explain the obvious. Now it's creeping back up again as I'm adding some more little details here and there. Overall, it's gotten a little shorter. And I was wondering how it goes for other writers...?

 

[Guest]

Hi Nikki. My stories or other prose pieces always get longer. I do snip out lots but once I have a core to it the work always grows. I like that process and am always surprised at how the new words and sentences, even whole sections, come easily; I feel as if I merely dig them out. That's the mystery I love about writing.

Perdita

 

[Guest]

My regular stories generally get longer after editing because usually there are parts of the story that need fleshing out. I just finished editing my Nano novel, and it ended up about 200 words shorter (took out some junk, lol.)

CM

 

[pop_54]

Yeppers

It gets longer, every time, I start off getting carried away with loads of crappy narrative. Re-read it, then strike out the narrative and let the characters tell the story in dialogue instead. Of course as they speak their piece, new ideas spring into my mind and it gets extended somewhat. The sex scene which of course is almost always mainly in narrative then gets buggered about with, I'm never happy with the sex scene, in goes more dialogue, but then of course it all has to be described some more as well.


pops angle

 

[Boxlicker101]

I'm getting to an editing point I've never reached before and it's pretty interesting and enjoyable. I noticed that during the first few run-throughs the story got a lot shorter when I took out some parts where I explain the obvious. Now it's creeping back up again as I'm adding some more little details here and there. Overall, it's gotten a little shorter. And I was wondering how it goes for other writers...?

Hi, Nikki.
I always do some editing as I go along but when I get to the point where I go back to the start of a story and go over everything I have written, I usually cut out some superfluous words but add a lot more than I remove. Sometimes I look and say "Now why would they do that," and either remove it or clarify it.

Dita, if that is you, I think that is myh favorite AV's of all the ones that I have seen. You look like you could be a verty pleasant person if you want to be.

 

[Guest]

Re: Re: Curious about editing

Dita, if that is you, I think that is myh favorite AV's of all the ones that I have seen. You look like you could be a verty pleasant person if you want to be.

Box! You are too much. I can be very pleasant (ask Pops, wink wink). Thanks, I will presume you were complimenting me.

Perdita

 

[Boxlicker101]

That was meant to be a compliment, Dita, but I should have been more careful about editing the post.

 

[Guest]

Definitely maybe

 

[dr_mabeuse]

In my opinion, most of the stories on Lit are unnecessarily long. It’s easy to fall into the trap of trying to fix things by writing more, when what you really need to do is find a better, more concise way of saying what you want to say. One striking image is worth 500 words of meandering exposition and explanation.

---dr.M.

 

[gauchecritic]

If it didn't work when I wrote it, it isn't there to excise when I write 'The End'.

If something needed clarifyfng, I cleared it up when I finished that paragraph.

If there is somewhere interesting to go with the story on re-reading then that's another story.

If I can't remember that really great idea for later on in the story as I'm writing then the idea can't have been all that great.

The final read after 'The End' means changing words rather than removing or adding.

Gauche

 

[oggbashan]

Editing on the fly...

I edit as I go.

If I come to a stop, when I restart I read from the beginning and delete/amend before adding to the story.

By the time I reach the finish, the earlier parts may have been edited six or more times. Then I edit the whole. That edit usually changes a few words or sentences.

Unless it is a competition entry I leave it overnight before editing again. Sometimes that edit might take out a few hundred words. Occasionally the whole story goes back into the folder marked "Current Drafts" for a rewrite. Usually the 'morning after' edit only finds a couple of typos - but never all of them.

Competition entries get submitted fast because I'm late.

Og

 

[Colleen Thomas]

Mine always go longer in editing. For every typo I find and fix I end up adding a sentence or two of description or detail.

-Colly