Don't Wait To Edit

When I teach academic writing, the one thing I always push people to do is to "front load" the work. If you are familiar with the writing process, you know that there are essentially three phases: PREWRITING, DRAFTING, and PUBLISHING. The idea behind front loading the work is to ensure that as you move through the process, the work gets easier and easier. 

There is absolutely no difference between academic writing and novel writing. The more work you can do in the PREWRITING phase, the easier the DRAFTING and PUBLISHING phases will be. This is part of the reason why I am so against people who are "pantsters" and who believe they just let the words of that day dictate where they go to. This is also why I am not a big fan of NANOWRIMO. These authors make life so hard, not just for editors, but for themselves as they go through their editing process.

For many pantsters and those writing during NONWRIMO the just slap those words on the page just to get to a word count. They always say, "I'll go back and edit." Well yes, I would hope they will. But the amount of editing they will face will be a lot harder. This is not just copy editing and line editing, but it will developmental editing that focuses on character and plot development. This last part is the toughest part. If you make a change in one of the early chapters, there will be a ripple effect throughout the entire novel. If you make a significant change in the middle or end of the book, you have to now go back and make sure that you have set things up in the earlier chapters.

The best approach to editing is to do the work, as you go. Always checking to make sure you are on the right track. Always make sure that the work you did that day matches up with the things you did in earlier chapters. I would also add, have someone else (who knows what he or she is doing) put a set of eyes on it. I would even add to make sure that you have your grammar and spell checker set at the highest level possible to catch any of those typos. 

When you are writing on your own, you are not getting a clear picture of your writing. You only see the words you are typing at that time. You only see that page. You only hear the novel from your point of view. You are writing with blinders on. You only see things one way. Having that other set of eyes gives a fresh perspective on your story. 

Checking for grammar and spelling is easier when you are checking it daily. When you have to catch typos in a full 75,000 word+ manuscript, on a deadline, sets you up for missing those mistakes. 

So trust me on this. Don't Wait!