For those of you who've never written a novel (I know that this is my first) one of the biggest parts of the process is editing. Now I'm sure this is true for many other forms of art, but I'm going to stick to novel editing because it's a particular type of monstrosity, so let's jump right into it shall we.
I'm often asked if I've finished my book by people who I've told I'm working on it. This question is so tricky to answer both because I suck at answering questions, but also because it's a multilayered question. Have I finished writing it? Technically yes. I finished writing it in January when I pumped out a rough draft in a month (not counting the previous rough drafts and the five years it took to get to that first draft.) But judging by the fact that there is no novel up on this site, nor is it for sale anywhere, can I say that it's done? Oh no. Probably not by a long shot.
And the reason for that is editing. And editing doesn't just mean fixing the typos.
Just yesterday I posted what has to be the 10th version of those first two paragraphs, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's still not the final, final version. The reason for this is because those first two chapters need to be strong enough to convince someone to read the remaining forty two give or take chapters in the novel. They simply have to be the best.
And as they get edited, so too do things need to change later in the novel. Things reference those first chapters, as they reference things later on. Phrases are repeated. Introductions that are cut need to find their place elsewhere. And the more things change...the more editing.
So how does editing work on a novel? I don't think I really clarified above. It sounds tough, but that's just the first two chapters right, followed by some touch ups? Ah, if only.
At this point in time I have read through this novel at least four times, and each time there are a lot of small one to two line changes, but occasionally there are huge sections that get rearranged, cut, or added. Each time I read through the novel I'm getting a different perspective, and while I fix the little typos, I'm also getting a better sense of how everything fits together, which is important for a novel like this which can occasionally get off track. Of course, with each read through the earlier chapters also get more solid, but it also means I've read the first twenty chapters far more often than the last chapters.
Now for the biggest issue though. I've just told you about the small edits, and the larger edits, but the hardest part about editing?
I can't do it and then go back and do it again. There has to be time between each edit. The problem is that if I just read the whole novel front to back and then go through and do it again, I can't give an honest look at things. I might just say "this is good enough" because I just read it two days ago and can't stomach it again. Or I might cut something really good because I just edited it and decided that it's still not good enough, only to find two weeks later that it really was good enough and now I'm back in a corner (which is one of the disadvantages of digital.)
But with all of that beings aid, don't take this to be anything near a complaint. I am loving this editing process. Each time I read through the novel I marvel at some of the things I've written, and at how the whole thing is coming together. Which leads me to my last part of this post. Getting the damned thing published.
Obviously right now I'm writing to a small audience, and sometimes I doubt that any of that audience would stick around to buy it, but I'm researching methods of publishing the novel digitally, and it seems like going through Amazon and Nook will be easy enough. I can't give you anything more than that about where it will be, but I'm pushing to release this book sometime before the end of June, if everything goes according to plan. And as it comes closer, I'll be going into further detail with my experiences using these services. What will happen, I don't know, but expect an official announcement day soon.
As always thanks for reading you crazy people, and look for Chapter 7 to be up as well soon. After all, the more I get up here, the more I can entice you.
I'm often asked if I've finished my book by people who I've told I'm working on it. This question is so tricky to answer both because I suck at answering questions, but also because it's a multilayered question. Have I finished writing it? Technically yes. I finished writing it in January when I pumped out a rough draft in a month (not counting the previous rough drafts and the five years it took to get to that first draft.) But judging by the fact that there is no novel up on this site, nor is it for sale anywhere, can I say that it's done? Oh no. Probably not by a long shot.
And the reason for that is editing. And editing doesn't just mean fixing the typos.
Just yesterday I posted what has to be the 10th version of those first two paragraphs, and I wouldn't be surprised if it's still not the final, final version. The reason for this is because those first two chapters need to be strong enough to convince someone to read the remaining forty two give or take chapters in the novel. They simply have to be the best.
And as they get edited, so too do things need to change later in the novel. Things reference those first chapters, as they reference things later on. Phrases are repeated. Introductions that are cut need to find their place elsewhere. And the more things change...the more editing.
So how does editing work on a novel? I don't think I really clarified above. It sounds tough, but that's just the first two chapters right, followed by some touch ups? Ah, if only.
At this point in time I have read through this novel at least four times, and each time there are a lot of small one to two line changes, but occasionally there are huge sections that get rearranged, cut, or added. Each time I read through the novel I'm getting a different perspective, and while I fix the little typos, I'm also getting a better sense of how everything fits together, which is important for a novel like this which can occasionally get off track. Of course, with each read through the earlier chapters also get more solid, but it also means I've read the first twenty chapters far more often than the last chapters.
Now for the biggest issue though. I've just told you about the small edits, and the larger edits, but the hardest part about editing?
I can't do it and then go back and do it again. There has to be time between each edit. The problem is that if I just read the whole novel front to back and then go through and do it again, I can't give an honest look at things. I might just say "this is good enough" because I just read it two days ago and can't stomach it again. Or I might cut something really good because I just edited it and decided that it's still not good enough, only to find two weeks later that it really was good enough and now I'm back in a corner (which is one of the disadvantages of digital.)
But with all of that beings aid, don't take this to be anything near a complaint. I am loving this editing process. Each time I read through the novel I marvel at some of the things I've written, and at how the whole thing is coming together. Which leads me to my last part of this post. Getting the damned thing published.
Obviously right now I'm writing to a small audience, and sometimes I doubt that any of that audience would stick around to buy it, but I'm researching methods of publishing the novel digitally, and it seems like going through Amazon and Nook will be easy enough. I can't give you anything more than that about where it will be, but I'm pushing to release this book sometime before the end of June, if everything goes according to plan. And as it comes closer, I'll be going into further detail with my experiences using these services. What will happen, I don't know, but expect an official announcement day soon.
As always thanks for reading you crazy people, and look for Chapter 7 to be up as well soon. After all, the more I get up here, the more I can entice you.
No comments:
Post a Comment