What's faster, editing as I'm writing, or editing only after the first draft is complete?
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Jonathan
I kinda do both, but as some people have pointed out, it takes longer, so the answer to your question would be: after the first draft
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Harrison
Post-draft. You don't even know what you're editing until it's all on the page. You get as clear an idea of the direction of the story as you can, and then you start to mess with the presentation and the wording. Editing mid-process is like laying down a quarter mile of road and then trying to figure out where all the road signs should go a hundred miles out. You're not there yet.
You might find by the end of the first draft your introduction needs to change entirely, and yet if you spend your time going over and over that introduction trying to make it "right", you'll loathe to throw it out.
It is only when you know what to edit and how that you can you save yourself the trouble of having to re-write a section you've already rewritten a dozen times.
Don't miss: Coming to the close of my story – What are some good editing tips I can use when going over everything?
You might find by the end of the first draft your introduction needs to change entirely, and yet if you spend your time going over and over that introduction trying to make it "right", you'll loathe to throw it out.
It is only when you know what to edit and how that you can you save yourself the trouble of having to re-write a section you've already rewritten a dozen times.
Don't miss: Coming to the close of my story – What are some good editing tips I can use when going over everything?
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Nancy
I write. Edit. Write some more. Edit. Finish the first chapter. Edit. Write some more. Edit. Aren't they really the process of writing?
A coupling. Hand and glove. And it doesn't end until it is done and on it's way to formatting. For me anyway.
A coupling. Hand and glove. And it doesn't end until it is done and on it's way to formatting. For me anyway.
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Nicholas
My preferred technique is to get the first draft done without revising anything.
If you’re constantly stopping and making changes then it will break the flow of the story you are telling.
If you’re constantly stopping and making changes then it will break the flow of the story you are telling.
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Katrina
You’ll have to edit after you finish anyway multiple times. I’ve gone through five so far and theoretically now it would be ready to go to an actual editor if I had money. If you don’t do it after finishing first draft, there will be inconsistencies. I made some subtle changes to characters after the beginning.
I also changed the whole beginning sequence and I had to change any bits that referred to it.
Explore these too: Do any of you feel like you can always keep editing your work, until you decide you just have to flippin' stop?!
I also changed the whole beginning sequence and I had to change any bits that referred to it.
Explore these too: Do any of you feel like you can always keep editing your work, until you decide you just have to flippin' stop?!
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Julie
I edit as I go but will still revise/edit again after the manuscript is complete.
Probably slower but (for me) better than tackling the first edit in one go and possibly having to make huge changes.
Probably slower but (for me) better than tackling the first edit in one go and possibly having to make huge changes.
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J.T.
“For speed and to stay in the writing zone, I correct some phrasing and errors as I write (to maintain my sanity). However, I always perform a major edit after the first draft.”
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Cullen
You'll likely end up spending more time rewriting your book if you edit as you go along. Why? Because when you are writing something on page 300 and decide that something on page 5 needs to be changed… well, you get the idea.
Write your first draft first. Get it done. Put it away for a few weeks, and then you should edit it.
Also, check out: What would you think of a realistic, contemporary story, in which ChatGPT is a character?
Write your first draft first. Get it done. Put it away for a few weeks, and then you should edit it.
Also, check out: What would you think of a realistic, contemporary story, in which ChatGPT is a character?
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Sarah
I used to edit as I wrote, but it seemed to take forever to reach the end, as I constantly fixed things. Now I write it and don't worry about mistakes.
Afterwards I fix spellings, grammar, missing words. And flesh it out if and when needed.
Afterwards I fix spellings, grammar, missing words. And flesh it out if and when needed.
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Scott
There's a slippery slope between editing while writing and editing to death so that no writing actually happens.
I sometimes see an awkward phrasing or typo while I'm writing, and I usually go back and fix it right then. (Case in point: I wrote "I sometimes se an..." and I backed up to fix it.)
But if you're editing the ideas, or plot points, or setting, THAT can bring everything to a stop.
One thing I do is what I call "meta-writing" -- for writing about writing. I tag these sections with [MW: and close with another ]. Then, inside those two square brackets, I make quick, sloppy if necessary notes about what I WANT to change in that scene.
Here's one from Chapter 6 in the draft of my current WIP:
[MW 11/14: So I had an idea, a wonderful awful idea:
I then go on to describe said wonderful awful idea, which is in that PLACE in that chapter but with words that will actually end up BEING in that chapter. (And no, it doesn't involve tying an antler onto my dog's head.)
The point is, after you make a note about some larger point (the MW block this introduces talks about three very important characters for the rest of the book), you can get on with your writing. Then, on a rereading/revision, you can remove the MW block, assuming you've addressed it fully in the text.
Make sense? The idea is to keep moving forward -- like the shark, like the shark -- but at the same time not forgetting the brilliant idea you had during your first draft.
I sometimes see an awkward phrasing or typo while I'm writing, and I usually go back and fix it right then. (Case in point: I wrote "I sometimes se an..." and I backed up to fix it.)
But if you're editing the ideas, or plot points, or setting, THAT can bring everything to a stop.
One thing I do is what I call "meta-writing" -- for writing about writing. I tag these sections with [MW: and close with another ]. Then, inside those two square brackets, I make quick, sloppy if necessary notes about what I WANT to change in that scene.
Here's one from Chapter 6 in the draft of my current WIP:
[MW 11/14: So I had an idea, a wonderful awful idea:
I then go on to describe said wonderful awful idea, which is in that PLACE in that chapter but with words that will actually end up BEING in that chapter. (And no, it doesn't involve tying an antler onto my dog's head.)
The point is, after you make a note about some larger point (the MW block this introduces talks about three very important characters for the rest of the book), you can get on with your writing. Then, on a rereading/revision, you can remove the MW block, assuming you've addressed it fully in the text.
Make sense? The idea is to keep moving forward -- like the shark, like the shark -- but at the same time not forgetting the brilliant idea you had during your first draft.
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