The Joy of Editing: Macro-Edits

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Did you know that most first time authors rewrite their book at least six times? If someone would have told me that several years ago, I would have been incredibly discouraged! AT LEAST SIX TIMES? That is like painting a picture, not being happy with it, painting it again, changing the style a little, but still not liking it...and then starting over once again, and repainting until it can't get any better.


I think this is why it's so easy for an aspiring writer to give up after just the first draft, or sometimes even before that! It's when a writer knows how much work and practice it's going to take, and pursue it anyway, that they have a good chance to complete and publish their work.

I hope this post will help you as you work on the big macro-editing stage of your project. Once again, these are tips I have learned from practice, research, studying, and having my WIP, Moments in Time professionally edited before I started the massive rewrite.

If you plotted, made an outline, did your research, got to know your characters, did some proof reading and editing while writing that first draft...and perhaps have rewritten the project fresh in a new document, then the next step is to go back and make the big changes. These include:

• Cutting: There is a good chance you'll be cutting quite a lot while working on this stage. It can be a little painful especially if you remember how long it took you to write a particular event or scene. (I cut 8,000 words while working on my most recent draft of Moments in Time.) But it is quite necessary. To know what to cut, ask yourself if it fits in with the plot. If you are writing fiction, and the scene seems out of place and does not draw your characters closer to where they should be in the end, then readers will either be bored or confused. 
• Rewriting: This in a way fits in with the 'cutting' part. You may need to delete a whole scene or chapter just to rewrite it again so it fits in with the plot. Look for plot holes or characters you introduced early on, then forgot about, and rewrite so the story is complete. Keep rewriting until it's just right. Did you know J.K. Rowling rewrote the opening chapter of The Sorcerer's Stone a total of fifteen times before continuing to the next chapter?
• Character accuracy: This is a good time to go back and make sure your characters stay consistent according to their personality and background story. Ask yourself, "Would this person really say this, do this or react this way in this kind of situation?" Characters should also grow and change for the better by the end of the book, while staying real and likable to the reader. 
• Check the pace: Don't rush scenes! If a scene seems rushed, go back through it and add words and detail to keep things moving at the right pace, and so the readers will understand what is going on. At the same time, make sure the story isn't moving too slow. Hook the readers at the end of each chapter, so they can't put the book down.

After you've gone through and made the most drastic changes by cutting rewriting, etc, then the road ahead will begin to look a little smoother! But after you've completed this step in your writing project, set it aside, go get some ice cream, and celebrate! 

It takes a lot of guts rewrite and cut out scenes that took you hours to write! A writers life can be a bit painful at times, but it sure is rewarding. Never lose sight of what your novel or craft is going to look like when it's finally complete!