I've been working on a number of rather disparate projects over the last several weeks, which is beginning to make me feel a bit scattered.
That being said, one of my topics certainly is related to each of these projects, and that's the topic of self-editing. It's something even I'm not overly fond of doing, but it's definitely something that needs to be done. Sometimes it's relatively easy, and sometimes it's an horrendous uphill slog in the middle of a raging prairie blizzard. Regardless, it's something I have to do, even if it requires a minimum of an afternoon and two (!) complete pots of tea.
I've been reading a bit, of late, on this obviously popular topic--a quick Google search for "self-editing" results in 31 600 000 hits. Understandably, Browne and King's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is on my list of things to read, despite critiques that damn it with faint praise. We'll see what I think when I'm through it.
So the question is: what do writers really need for advice, as a checklist, as a toolkit, when it comes to self-editing? Help with line-by-line editing is certainly on that list, as are dealing with plot and characterization. What about self-editing poetry? What else should be there? What else would help you, as a writer? I'm curious.
I read Self-Editing for Fiction Writers when I finished slogging through the first draft of my very first book (which will forever remain buried in the closet). I thought it was a fantastic help. My biggest issue is preventing my brain from reading what I meant to write instead of what I actually wrote. I've heard some people suggest changing the margins or font size to break the page up in different ways when you edit. I haven't tried that yet.
ReplyDelete