Welcome to my last blog of 2016. I hope that you have all had a great Christmas and will have a very happy new year. I will of course be continuing my blogs throughout 2017 to keep in touch with you readers. Today’s blog focuses on the editing process, once a book has been completed.
For me, there is no limit to the amount of drafts a writer should do on a book. The editing process should take time; potentially, this can take a few months. The planning process should of course take time too but once you have written a book, there are still a number of activities to be completed; you may need to alter ideas, add additional detail, proof- read or ask others to read proof-read.
I find that I have many things to do once the writing process is completed. It is important to read the story out loud to yourself, to check that it reads clearly rather than how you think it sounds. I also do another draft to add in further ideas that I feel could add more impact to the story. I also read through to check accuracy and to make sure different aspects of the story link together e.g a character may describe a place early on in the story and so I check that when coming to that place or scene later on, that the description is consistent with that initial one given by the character.
I then ask family or friends to read what I have written. Even though I have made sure that I have proof- read it myself, I find it highly useful that a fresh pair of eyes look over my work. How things sound to one person can completely differ to how they sound to another person. I tend to send my books to another to proof- read only when I am happy with what I have done myself.
In summary though, you ,as the writer, have the choice.. You can do as many drafts as you see fit. The important point I would raise, however, is that the editing process should never be rushed but used as a great opportunity to improve your masterpiece before it is published.
Jonny Pardoe
Photo by Kaitlyn Baker on Unsplash
Jonny Pardoe © December 2016
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Jonny Pardoe
