I recently read a thread in the Limebird Forums on the subject of editing, and so to save myself writing a long reply, I thought I’d write my thoughts in a blog instead!
Editing for me, is perhaps the most important part of the writing process, and is something every writer should actively engage in. While some writers are happy to just write and would prefer to ignore the editing stage completely, for me, it seems these writers are perhaps missing the point.
Remember: writing is not the same as driving a car. When you get in your car you drive from A to B. Some drivers may drive faster than others, while some drivers may get lost, or take the “scenic” route to reach their destination. Writing is not a linear process in this respect as it’s not something you can say has a set starting point, or indeed a set finishing line.
Having given this topic some thought over the years, I have come to the conclusion that writing is far more like sculpture than anything else that comes to mind. Just as a sculpture will perhaps cut away the basic shape of the impression they are intending on, so the first draft of any work of writing is just like this: it’s the first stage in a far lengthier process of creation of which editing is a major part.
At this stage, some of you will doubtless disagree with me, and that’s fair enough – we each have our own ways of approaching writing. What I would say however is this: editing can help make you a better writer. By learning to distance yourself from your work – by learning to critically appraise the work you’ve produced, and learning to appreciate how your writing may be perceived by your audience – you will find you will gradually come to terms with that most important of skills in writing: separation.
Being able to distance yourself from the work you produce is an incredibly powerful tool in the writer’s arsenal, and is a lesson that can only be learnt over time. Along with subtle lessons such as this, editing, and the art of editing, can teach you a great deal many more lessons that might not at first even seem apparent to you.
I remember when I first started writing major works (was it really nine years ago?), I thought I knew it all when it came to the English language. How mistaken I was! Having written what must have been something like 90,000 words, I came across a subtle mistake in my punctuation – I had been using hyphens instead of dashes! Hours of editing later, and this problem was resolved, never to be made again!
Beyond relatively minor lessons such as this, one of the main things editing taught me, was the importance of continuity. If you spell something one way in chapter one of book one, then 200,000 words later, you need to spell the word the same way! Thankfully, I am blessed with a remarkably pedantic eye for details such as these, and so this part at least, came fairly easily to me. What was perhaps harder however, was the major works in terms of plotting and story arcs that, at the time, I had to deal with over the span of what turned out to be three books. I tell you now, this wasn’t easy, but the lessons I learnt in the process taught me a lot not just about my writing, but also about myself, and the ways I should approach writing in the future.
While for some of you editing may seem a chore (and trust me, it really can be a chore sometimes!), I encourage you all to look on it positively – to see it as a learning experience, and a chance to improve upon your writing to make it the best it can possibly be.
Please feel free to ask any questions and we would be happy to help if we can!
