MY THIRD DRAFT EDITING PROCESS

Happy Saturday, everyone! (it feels weird saying that, because I am writing the beginning of this post on a Monday. It's a crazy, crazy busy week where I'm gone for the majority of it, so I'm trying to blog while there's time. :P) 

Like the title of the post says, I'm going to be taking you guys on the journey of my third draft editing process. So welcome to the chaos! xD

Before we dive in, I should note that not all of my third drafts look this way. I edit according to what works best for each book. Sometimes that means rewriting every. single. word. (been there done that. would not recommend if you want to keep your sanity) Sometimes that means chipping away on a computer document.

This isn't a "how-to" process, and this definitely isn't the only way to go about a third draft. But hopefully through reading what I do can help you gather ideas for your own editing process!

step one: print out the thing!

I printed my copy of Where Shadows Lie from Lulu! I've ordered from them in the past and am always extremely satisfied with the quality of their books. This was my first time buying a spiral-bound copy, and IT HAS CHANGED THE WORLD OF EDITING FOREVER. (shout out to Sarah for giving me the idea of ordering one!)That sounded a bit dramatic, but seriously. Having a paper copy to take notes in is so helpful! Because:

1. no distractions
2. I can edit in a cozy chair without having to balance a computer on my lap
3. fun editing pens!
4. it's easier for me to edit for long periods of time on paper rather than a computer

I decided to keep the cover super plain. Somewhat because I like the simplicity/minimalist look of it, but mostly because I was too lazy to whip up something fancy. (creating covers is SO hard and usually ends up leaving me frustrated. :P)

The words are double spaced so there's lots of room to make editing changes and notes (I need lots of room for this draft. -.-). I accidentally made the inside of the pages cream instead of white, but I don't mind the look.

(if you end up ordering your own copy from Lulu, wait until there's a sale! They have sales almost weekly, so I've never had to pay full price.)

two: gather my battle weapons

Editing on paper is great because it's also an excuse for a bunch of office supplies. Sticky notes, pens, highlighters, journals, notepads... the list just keeps going on. xD

The notebook pictured above is actually an art journal! I love the freedom of the blank pages so I can write sideways and create my own little system with columns.

Other editing essentials: chapstick, lotion, music, lots and lots of caffeine, fuzzy blankets...

step three: make a plan of attack

Before I dive into the edits I like to gather a basic idea on how I'll go about the edits. Sometimes I'll start the process by reading through the novel in one sitting, making some notes here and there, but I felt comfortable skipping that step since I had a giant outline of the plot.

I'm going through this book line by line. It's slow and painstakingly tedious, but I can already tell that it's helping the story and the quality of the words. I have a color-coded key to help guide me through all the marking up I have to do:

red = CUT THIS AWFUL SENTENCE

blue = rewrites I need to add in

yellow = hey! something I actually like! (the color yellow appears very rarely xD)

orange = it depends

I'll use the color orange for whatever I need it to mean: foreshadowing, bigger changes that will involve more thought, things I need to insert, plot questions I need to consider... It's a multi-purpose color. :P

step four: ATTACK!

This step is where I put on the headphones, shuffle my book's playlist, and edit like a madwoman. Not only has editing on paper helped me to focus better, but it's been so cool to realize how much I actually change. I'm probably deleting/changing/rewriting over 50% of the words in this book. There's rarely a page without half of it covered in red and blue lines. xD

step five: pizza + coffee break

 

step six: write down alllllll the changes

This picture isn't the greatest quality, but it's a good overview of my overall editing process. I markup the papercopy of Where Shadows Lie with all of the nitpicky line edits that I'm able to fit onto the page. I'm analyzing every sentence, trying to see if I can make it better.

While I'm reading through a chapter, sometimes I'll run across larger scene changes that I can't fix by cutting or adding in a couple words. I'll jot these down in my editing notebook under the "to-do" sticky note, and I'll work on those when I'm transferring the edits to my computer document.

(In the picture you can see that I have a "love" sticky note column to keep myself from becoming unbearably negative about my story. xD But the to-do section is always 10000000x longer than the good stuff (which makes sense because I am in the early stages of the novel).

seven: repeat until book is finished!

When I say "book," I mean "draft." Because once I finish this round of edits, another round is inevitable. And another. And another. And probably a couple more even after that. :P

I'm not pushing myself too hard with this draft. I've been doing about three chapters a week, which means I should be able to complete this draft by the second week of March! Craziness!

I hope the rest of your Saturday is awesome! I'll be editing in the afternoon and working in the evening... what does the day look like for you? May it be awesome whatever you end up doing. :)

<3, 

katie grace

are you currently in the middle of writing or editing?