The Nerd's Eye View

On what to edit

Combine paragraphs and sentences: This may be considered more of a “revision”, but I think it works here too, especially when you’re slowly reading through the story. You want the writing to be as tight and fluid as possible.

Take out unnecessary sentences: I have a tendency to over-write, which makes it wordy and repetitive. If that’s you as well, try to get rid what you don’t need.

Transitions: Focus on how you get from one idea to another, both between sentences and between paragraphs. If you have the opposite problem as me and tend to “under-write”, then you might need to bulk it up here a bit.

You might also have the problem that there is a transition, but it’s awkward or could be rewritten. Even if you don’t know how to change it right away, highlight it and come back to it later.

Fixing errors with punctuation: There are a lot of rules, so don’t worry about not knowing them all. There are books and websites that are dedicated to this subject; keep them close.

Word choice: Now, this can be a touchy subject, but I’m going to add it anyway. Use your thesaurus well. Don’t overuse or change perfectly acceptable words into words you don’t know. Changing a word is really to help you more accurately describe whatever it is you’re describing. At the end of it, the writing should still sound like you.

On the process of editing

Take your time: This may seem obvious, but really slow down and read carefully.

Read it out loud: This honestly helps, especially when reading it on the computer. It will also slow you down. You’ll catch so much more when you read it out loud, especially the awkward parts. Often times, it can sound alright in your head, but when you try to read it out loud, it can be more challenging or sound odd.

Print out the story: This can be expensive, but it is worth it. I would suggest printing it out once you feel like you’ve revised and edited enough on the computer. Once you reach that point, print it out for final edits. You’d be surprised how much you’ll probably still find to change, rearrange, etc. I always print my stories when I’m sure I’m done. And by the end of reading that printed copy, it is covered in red pen.

You know those characters that are constantly referred to so smart or so capable or so sensitive (etc. etc.) by other characters or in the narration? And every time it comes up you find yourself shaking your head or rolling your eyes because the character in question  either is as bland as boiled potatoes or constantly acts in ways that contradict those claims without explanation? 

That’s what is commonly called an “informed trait”. You’re told the character is a certain way (or has a certain ability), but there is more or less nothing in the text to back that up. 

It goes the other way around, too, with informed flaws that are supposed to make a character more relatable or interesting - think almost every romantic comedy leading lady who is supposedly “shy” and “clumsy”, but in a cute, endearing way that only ever comes up when the plot asks for it. 

It’s frustrating, distracting, incredibly dull and at times downright insulting to the reader to encounter a story where one or more characters have a bad case of this, but unfortunately, it’s a pretty common weakness even in otherwise strong, well-written stories with interesting and complex character concepts. 

Since characters and how the reader feels about them (whether they are supposed to relate to them, look up to them or feel repulsed by them) can really make or break a story, informed traits are an easy trap to fall into and many a writer’s Achilles heel. 

So, how to avoid them?

This is where the trusty old “Show, don’t tell” comes in. You have most likely been told before that it’s usually better to go for subtlety and leave something to the reader’s imagination than to spell it out, and that is true. 

It’s challenging to imply something without outright saying it. You have to get creative with the details you want to put into your story to get a point across by relying on your audience’s ability to read between the lines, and while it’s absolutely worth it to go the extra mile, you also run the risk of making your narrative too stilted and contrived instead. 

However, there is a fairly simple trick to make your characterization feel more natural and insert it into the story smoothly:

Stop thinking of your characters as possessing certain traits and start thinking of their personalities as a collection of habits, preferences and specific abilities. 

It might not sound like that big of a difference, but it will make translating your character traits into text much, much easier and save you a lot of trouble while editing. 

Some examples:

 A “smart” character This can mean a lot of things. You could have a character who is booksmart, learns quickly, reads a lot, can retain information easily and access it when needed, but has trouble applying theoretical knowledge in real life, someone who entertains their friends by telling them about weird facts and trivia, someone who can still recite poems they had to learn by heart when they were ten, someone with a tendency to talk in such complex run-on sentences they frequently forget what they were talking about half-way through.  Or you could have a character who is good at problem-solving instead, who likes puzzles and riddles, who gleefully obsesses over odd problems to find even odder solutions, but thinks so far out of the box in order to remain engaged in their current task they often miss the forest for the trees.  

A “brave” character Try to instead make a character who can never resist a challenge, who is a thrill-seeker and went bungee jumping about a dozen times already, who enjoys dragging their friends on the most dangerous looking rides in an amusement park and endlessly teases them about how pale they went afterwards. Make someone who simply cannot stand by when they see someone else get bullied, someone with a collection of scars they wear proudly and a story to tell about each one.   

A “shy” character Forget about characters who blush prettily when spoken to and that’s it. Instead, write about a character who can’t make eye contact without forcing themselves to, who stumbles over their own words when talking to strangers, who is afraid of wearing bright colours because it might draw attention to them, someone who is humble and polite, but distant and comes across as cold or uncaring because they have tendency to hide their insecurity by retreating into themselves, even though seeming rude is the last thing on their mind.

This one is going to be a long one, so feel free to simply go to the section you need.

General Tips:

Keep notes of things to fix while you’re writing the first draft. Leave them for revision and just keep writing that first draft. (Post about that here)

Revising is about plot and characterization. Editing is fixing grammar, spelling, word choice, etc. Focus big picture when revising.

It’s probably going to take a couple drafts to get it just right.

Even when I delete scenes/paragraphs, I like to keep them in a separate document. Sometimes the deleted scene/paragraph was simply misplaced and can be rewritten and added somewhere else.

Think about other stories in your genre (and even outside your genre) that you’ve read. Why did those work? What did you like about them?

Take your time to think about the story you’ve written and different possibilities regarding areas you find troubling or feel could use more help. I like mindless tasks to help me do this (i.e. walking, showering, sweeping, coloring, listening to music…).

You’ll probably here every writer say this, including me: Revision is really where the story comes alive. It’s where things start to smooth out. Of course the first draft is essential, but revision is where you refine and hone it. It’s where you can add little “Easter Eggs”.

Also, can I just say, revisions are the worst and best things ever. After working so hard to finish writing, you then have to tear it apart. But trust me, it’ll be better for it. Save copies of your various drafts and keep pushing forward.

If you need help figuring out what to revise:

Read it through—out loud. Not much to say here. But reading it out loud does help.

Take a break from it: Honestly, sometimes the best thing you can do is let yourself forget about it for a while. Then come back and reread. It simulates having another person read it (which is, of course, also a good idea), without actually having to give it over (which is also incredibly difficult).

Story planning: I have post already about this, but I want to add a few things that relate specifically to revisions

Write the story out exactly as it is, in really broad strokes. One sentence (or two) to describe each chapter. When you’re finished, read it over. Does the plot make sense? Is there another way to think about it? Are there too much “opening” chapters before the conflict gets going (the general rule is that it shouldn’t take more than three)?

Now, add the characterization the broad plot outline. How does the character change (or not) through the book, in relation to the plot? Balancing the characterization and plot progression is difficult. I know for me, I am either solid at one or the other, depending on the book. If you feel like the characterization is on point, but the plot is weak, focus on the plot. Same goes vice versa.

See Plot Changes or Character Changes for more advice about revisions regarding those subjects

PLOT changes advice:

This is difficult to talk about generally, but here we go…

Pacing: Basically, the pacing is about the number of scenes and how quickly they play out. This may seem obvious, but if the pacing feels fast than you might need to add more detail to a scene or else add another scene or two between big, major story-line scenes. There should be a bit of filler but not too much. If the pacing is slow, then perhaps you can pare down a scene or two, or even remove one.

Plot Arcs: Of course you have your main arc that is moving the story forward. But there should also be the smaller but related arcs that are usually more character related.

Large and small arcs should all tie together or be related in some capacity, otherwise it won’t feel cohesive.

Look at both small and large when reviewing the plot.

You can leave some arcs hanging. Usually the smaller arcs—which can even turn into large arcs in future books!

For large arcs, people typically know to add the major climax and resolution. But sometimes the climax can feel a bit weak. One way to make it feel more dramatic is to have a sort of “false climax”. Basically, this is where the reader thinks it’s going to be the climax and the scene resembles the actual climax later, but it somehow goes wrong or falls short.

Example: the main hero goes to battle the villain and….loses. Hero goes away, regroups/re-plans, and tries again. Maybe even loses a second time. On the third attempt—Hero wins (for the most part…you can make this dramatic as you want as well. It doesn’t have to be a perfect win, after all).

That is a very, very weak example but I hope that makes sense. If you have a lot of rising action up to one, single battle in which the hero wins, it’s probably going to feel less dramatic.

CHARACTER changes advice:

How can and does the plot affect the character’s life, thoughts, and beliefs? Do they overcome their fears? Do they create fears?

How do the other characters—including and especially the villain—change the character?

I guess my main piece of advice here is think of your characters as actual people. Everyone is flawed. No one is going to do the right thing all the time. Really take the time to think about your character and who they are. You can even make lists about their hopes, dreams, fears, favorite flavor of ice cream, hobbies, etc. Every little thing helps.

If you know what to change:

FIRST REVISION:

Make big changes first: delete those extra sections, write the new scenes, add in the extra dialogue or description, etc. Save smaller changes (like a name or place change or even going through and changing/tightening a paragraph) for the next read through and revision.

The reason to do the big stuff first is because things might change. For instance, if you go through and edit a paragraph or even combine two paragraphs, it might change if you’re planning to make some series plot overhaul. And all that hard work might be wasted.

If you’re writing a story with any type of mystery, make sure you planted enough large and small hints. 

SECOND/SUBSEQUENT REVSION(S):

Continuing make any other major story altercations as needed…

Focus on the “medium changes”. Mostly, I like to think of this as the paragraph by paragraph revising. Combining, adding, revising, and cutting paragraphs. Make the writing and storytelling smooth and tight as you can. If you are questioning whether you want to keep something or not, you probably don’t. Or else, there’s a simpler way to say something. I’m definitely of the mind that less is more.

Cut any repetitive statements/areas. I have the habit of repeating myself a LOT. Basically saying the same thing twice. I mean, I say it in two different sections and in different ways, but usually you don’t need to do that. Often times it bogs it down. I blame my high school writing word count minimums for this one…Get rid of the filler!

Not everything has to be said. Not everything has to be described. If a scene seems off in some way, play around with switching some dialogue to description and vice versa. I already have a post about dialogue/description balance . If you know that post or have read it, this is honestly a good place to think about those changes.

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