Editing

[NOIRTRASH]

Anyone who thinks they can self edit should go back to one of their own stories that they have not read for at least six months. Their initial response will be, "How on earth did I miss that?"

Lincoln self edited and wrote his own stuff.

 

[SecondCircle]

Anyone who thinks they can self edit should go back to one of their own stories that they have not read for at least six months. Their initial response will be, "How on earth did I miss that?"

So... they... should self edit?

 

[JKendallDane]

One of the few things that I've read that Hemingway says about writing is to re-read your story when you start writing for the day. I do that and I always correct any errors I find as I do that. For me that is part of the editing process, but only a part. I also look for better ways to say what I'm trying to say, so it sounds like your and my process is not too dissimilar.

I do somewhat the same thing. If I'm working on one of my series, I'll even go back and re-read the previous chapter just to make sure I set the proper tone for anything new and/or don't leave any dangling plot lines unanswered.

I do believe you can self-edit. Yes, there will be errors and 'Oops!' and things you find six hours or six months after you've posted it, but due diligence and a final re-read after you paste it into the Lit submission form tends to keep them to a bare minimum.

OTOH, something being entered into a contest or going to the paid market, oh hell yeah I want at least a second set of eyes first.

.

 

[TxRad]

For my Lit stuff, I do my own "editing" and i try to get another pair of eyes on it. For the paying stuff, i have editors that are paid to do the editing. Yes, there will be errors in the free stuff and not nearly as many in the paid stuff.

In my opinion, there never will be a story written without errors. If for no other reason than to give the grammar and spelling Nazis something to rant about.

 

[GforGraham]

Lincoln self edited and wrote his own stuff.

Please explain who you are referring to. This and a previous post were about mysterious others. I can only assume these names mean something to you, but I do not know their work. Perhaps this Lincoln wrote crap which would prove that you need an editor.
I would much prefer to hear what you think, than what someone else you have heard about thinks.

 

[sr71plt]

He's referring to President Abraham Lincoln, I'm sure, who never wrote fiction, let alone erotica (although he slept with a man, so . . .). In other words, JBJ is doing his "post 'whatever' to hear my head rattle and get attention" thing.

 

[karaline]

someone once told me that there are two different sorts of essay writer, there are those that write a load of stuff and then have to hack stuff out to fit the word count, and then there are those that start with an outline and build. Personally I fall into the later category.

I did nanowrimo this year, I started with an outline plan, I wrote a first draft, by the time i reached the end of my plan I'd hit 35,000 words, I panicked for a while, then i went back to the beginning, by the time I reached the end for the second time I'd hit 60,000. I know still need to do more character development, add dialogue and fill in technical details. I'd imagine eventually (if i ever finish it) the novel will reach 80,000 -90,000

I'm new to the process but in the few previous times i've written fiction there is a stage where i sit down and simplify sentences and delete words but there is an awful lot of growing the story while doing rewrites before that.

It strikes me as a very inefficient method, but it seems to be the way I work *sigh*

 

[sr71plt]

but an essay is nonfiction, not fiction. Two different animals.

 

[karaline]

but an essay is nonfiction, not fiction. Two different animals.

Yes, but it was an anecdote that resonated with me and having recently had lots of conversations with other writers about their 'process' I think it holds true for other people too.

 

[NaokoSmith]

One thing I've noticed with editing down work, when you cut a lot out of it, is that a resonance of the things you wrote about but cut out seems to linger in the new shorter piece of writing. The writing becomes allusive - denser, richer even though it's a much cleaner and shorter piece of work.

 

[ElectricBlue]

Isn't that because you the writer / editor know what was there before? You can read the allusions because you know what's missing; but would a reader get the same resonance, never knowing what was missing, what was gone?

Also, if I was to use this editing theory, I'd be stuffed. It's the little throwaways, the little "look what I (I the writer or I the narrator) just found" that generally become the pivots upon which my stories turn. If I took them all out, there would be nothing left!

I find (and I suspect it's self indulgence) that i tend to leave little snippets in stories, just in case I might use them as a connection to another (seemingly unrelated) story later on. My written world tends to weave in and out of itself, as each new story gets written.

One thing I've noticed with editing down work, when you cut a lot out of it, is that a resonance of the things you wrote about but cut out seems to linger in the new shorter piece of writing. The writing becomes allusive - denser, richer even though it's a much cleaner and shorter piece of work.

 

[GoldenCojones]

One thing I've noticed with editing down work, when you cut a lot out of it, is that a resonance of the things you wrote about but cut out seems to linger in the new shorter piece of writing. The writing becomes allusive - denser, richer even though it's a much cleaner and shorter piece of work.

I'm always afraid that if I cut out something, the reader won't get "it."

That is probably short-changing most of my readers, but I have received comments that made me think, "Man, I should have said more about X so that this guy would have understood what was going on."

 

[NotWise]

I think I've had the same experience that Naoko described.

I've cut large pieces out of stories, sometimes completely and sometimes replacing them with a much more succinct bridge and I've felt like it produced a more complex undercurrent in the story.

Usually I'm taking out something that bores me, or feels like a diversion from the story. I do that often with long sex descriptions. I write the who seamy thing, then go back and replace it with how it felt. Many of the readers would probably prefer the whole seamy thing. I don't.

The readers would never see the original and I couldn't possibly guess whether they might prefer the subtlety. How would you find that out? Write multiple versions of the same story and have a group of people read all and vote for the options?

Ah, the hell with them. It isn't their story any way. Let them write their own.

 

[GoldenCojones]

I think I've had the same experience that Naoko described.

I've cut large pieces out of stories, sometimes completely and sometimes replacing them with a much more succinct bridge and I've felt like it produced a more complex undercurrent in the story.

Usually I'm taking out something that bores me, or feels like a diversion from the story. I do that often with long sex descriptions. I write the who seamy thing, then go back and replace it with how it felt. Many of the readers would probably prefer the whole seamy thing. I don't.

The readers would never see the original and I couldn't possibly guess whether they might prefer the subtlety. How would you find that out? Write multiple versions of the same story and have a group of people read all and vote for the options?

Ah, the hell with them. It isn't their story any way. Let them write their own.

If I took out the sex scenes my stories would go from 15,000 words to flash fiction

 

[NotWise]

If I took out the sex scenes my stories would go from 15,000 words to flash fiction

You should be very popular here!

 

[NOIRTRASH]

Most LIT readers want Cinderella, and writers gotta decide who they aim to please. Put her and Sam & Alice in bed with Mike & Carol Brady, and youre the King of LIT.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Most LIT readers want Cinderella, and writers gotta decide who they aim to please. Put her and Sam & Alice in bed with Mike & Carol Brady, and youre the King of LIT.

And I don't see anything wrong with that. In fact, I think that may be my next story. "It's the story of a lovely lady getting fucked by three very horny boys!"

 

[NOIRTRASH]

And I don't see anything wrong with that. In fact, I think that may be my next story. "It's the story of a lovely lady getting fucked by three very horny boys!"

Its the ticket at LIT unless you'd rather write about Cruella and Exasperella, her step sisters, but fear to.

 

[GoldenCojones]

Its the ticket at LIT unless you'd rather write about Cruella and Exasperella, her step sisters, but fear to.

I would decidedly not rather write anything with Cruella in it, but wasn't she the dog skinning demon woman in 101 Dalmations?

I was thinking more of a woman with three steady fuck buddies getting married to a man with three steady mistresses and all eight of them going on the honeymoon. I think I could make that work

 

[ElectricBlue]

You'll need good continuity notes. Make it old school Hollywood movie style, and you could add a sassy lil Continuity Girl who has to get involved "just to make sure the action between scenes is right!"

I was thinking more of a woman with three steady fuck buddies getting married to a man with three steady mistresses and all eight of them going on the honeymoon. I think I could make that work

 

[GoldenCojones]

You'll need good continuity notes. Make it old school Hollywood movie style, and you could add a sassy lil Continuity Girl who has to get involved "just to make sure the action between scenes is right!"

Hmm, you're right. They might need a referee named Alice to keep it all tidy