The Art of Self-Editing, Part 1
By Henry McLaughlin

Let Your Manuscript Cool Off
As you compose your first draft, backup your project to a
flash drive or other external source. When you’ve finished, let it sit. How
long varies, depending on who you’re listening to. Some recommend a week;
others recommend three months.

We need to have an emotional distance between finishing the
first draft and starting the editing process. The sooner we start, the more
likely our emotions will be in control. We’ll miss things that need to be
corrected. We need to let our ardor, our love, for our story, ease up so we can
approach it with a calm eye to see flaws or areas that are fine but could be
better.
While you’re waiting, start another project. This will keep
your creative juices flowing while keeping your hands off that first draft that
keeps calling your name. You can work on your next story: plotting, developing
characters, building the story world, and research. Explore new story ideas.
Read books and articles on the craft.
Read your manuscript
Print it out and read it. You’ll see things on the printed
page you won’t see on the computer screen. Some recommend reading it aloud. I
haven’t found this helpful. I add or replace words without realizing it.
I read silently with highlighters and pens close at hand. I
mark whatever jumps out at me: missing words, awkward sentences, plot holes,
inconsistencies in timelines, story world, character description, or portrayal.
I’ll identify grammar uses. I don’t fix them on this step. I just note
them. I want to read the entire manuscript before making changes. My printed
copy ends up with notes, possible changes, and a slew of other possible
revisions. Sometimes, the manuscript looks like a stack of Post-it notes
exploded inside. I’ll mark scenes or chapters to cut, revise, or move to some
other place in the book. And I’ve identified places were an additional scene or
a new chapter would be appropriate.
But we’re not done yet.
In my next post, we’ll explore more steps in doing an effective
self-edit of the first draft.
(Photos courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net and Stuart Miles.)
TWEETABLE

Besides
his writing, Henry treasures working with other writers and helping them on
their own writing journeys. He is a member of American Christian Fiction
Writers. He regularly teaches at conferences and workshops, leads writing
groups, edits, and mentors and coaches.
Visit
him at http://www.henrymclaughlin.org.
Follow
him on Facebook.
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