Well, this is going to be a wee rant, combined with some tips. I dunno, I'm feeling generous.
So, why do folk seem to not like editing? Are they lazy? Do they not like to see their errors? Maybe they don't feel they can learn anything from it, or don't realise that they can. It's likely to be one or all of the aforementioned.
I'm a strange being. I like to edit. I find it helps me to hone my writing and polish it, but not only that, it also helps me to identify my most common errors, work upon them and learn from them. I was always told, from a very early age "learn from your mistakes", and that goes for all aspects of life, not just writing. People say to me "oh, I find editing such a chore!" or "I don't like seeing my mistakes; it's embarrassing!" Good. Be embarrassed about your mistakes, that's fine, just learn from them while you're embarrassed.
I was watching a lecture by Eddie Izzard and he has this theory that the reason young children are able to learn, in this case, languages, is because of humiliation. He said if one of your peers slags you off for not being able to do something, you tend to try harder, to prove them wrong. That's the whole principle of the humiliation thing.
So, maybe it is a good thing to be embarrassed by your own work. It gives you the strength and the will to say to yourself "well, that's an embarrassing, amateur mistake!" And then correct it, learn and move on.
One technique for editing, which I have found to be beneficial, is to read aloud. I used this technique recently, when I was trying to figure out if a phrase was supposed to end with a question mark. I sought the help of friends in my quest, and one of them, Maggie Rascal, told me to say it aloud, so I did, and eventually decided to go with a question mark. It helps when you're writing speaking parts, too, because you can hear the inflections and it'll become easier to punctuate them properly.
I find editing rather simple, actually. It comes naturally to me.
Here's another thing you can do to help yourself with editing: Just do it. Don't sit there dreading it, don't moan that it's tough, just do it.
Now, all this is easy to say, but it's difficult to do sometimes. That's where my next tip comes in very handy. There are two types of edit I do on my stories: A quickie and a more thorough one. I actually do a quickie, a thorough, and then a quickie.
My process is thus: Write. Nothing to report there, I just write shit down. Leave it for a couple of hours, or the next day, if it was written in the dead of the night, then do a quickie edit. In this edit, I look for missing or incorrect punctuation, badly composed sentences and typos. Then I leave it for a day. Shove it in a "drawer", which is just my way of saying that I close the document and forget about it. This is also called smoke housing. Whatever you call it, it's useful. It allows you to get it out of your system for a bit. Then I edit for the second time. In this, I look for inconsistencies in the story, grammar and punctuation errors, typos and just really scrutinise it with a fine-toothed comb. I then leave it another day, and when I'm ready to post it, you guessed it, I proof read it. Then once pasted into the story box here, I proof read again.
All this creates distance. You need to separate yourself, divorce yourself from the story a bit. You may think "oh, this is a wonderful idea!" But when you go to write it, it might just turn out to be a pile of crap. This is where the distance comes in. If you take a step back, and don't allow yourself to get too emotionally involved, you'll be able to make the tough cuts a lot easier. There have been times when I've had to take bits out of stories either because they didn't fit, or they were utter crap. Yeah, it hurts, but before you go deleting anything, cut it and paste it into another document. It might not be good for that story, but there are no rules stopping you from recycling it, whether it is the idea or the whole lot, wording and punctuation included.
Also, don't be afraid to ask for guidance. There's always someone who can help, so don't shy away from it.
I'll share one final tip with you: Don't edit on an empty stomach. Hunger is a big killer of attention, so if you feel yourself flagging, grab yourself a snack, come back and get back to it. Also have a cuppa tea. It helps bring the blood pressure down.
Well, I think that's just about it. I hope some of my tips will help you, and if you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask me.
Forum Facilitator
Ghosts, flamingos, guitars and vodka. Eclectic subjects, eccentric stories:
Humorous guide & Recommended Read =^.^= How To Make a Cup of Tea
A flash fiction series :) A Random Moment in Time
Editors' Pick! :D I Am The Deep, Dark Woods
And another EP!: The Fragility of Age
=^.^=
Humorous guide & Recommended Read =^.^= How To Make a Cup of Tea
A flash fiction series :) A Random Moment in Time
Editors' Pick! :D I Am The Deep, Dark Woods
And another EP!: The Fragility of Age
=^.^=
