Editing... we all know what a pain it is. Revising... one of the toughest things to do. The good thing about both of these is that the reward for your hard work is amazing. You're a recycling machine when you edit and revise; you take a piece of average garbage and recreate it to something splendid and useful. Today I'm going to talk about some tips and methods for editing; how to find the motivation and how to just get it done.
1. Treat your editing like it's your job. I've found this to work quite well. You clock in, just like you would at work, and clock out. You determine the amount of hours a day (or week) that you want to work on your writing. Set some time apart as if you were scheduled to work then.
2. Step back and read it as if you didn't write it. If you were just a reader, would your writing catch you? What do you need to add to make it appealing? Is the hook strong enough? Are you speaking in a way that people can understand? (A lot of times we write the way our brain processes thoughts; sometimes it can be hard for people to understand our thought process. Who can blame them?Nobody's in our head but us.)
3. Don't be too hard on yourself. We all make ridiculous mistakes. All of us mix things up. That's why we edit: to hide our idiocy. Just kidding.
4. Don't hide your writing. Don't be afraid to share; get advice from everyone and anyone you can. It's very beneficial. Several minds are better than one.
5. Get motivated; be excited! You're working on something that has the potential to be the next Nerk York #1 Seller. It could be a great piece. It might make you rich. Hollywood might want to buy it. It could be beneficial to others. You might gain hundreds of fans that'll swarm around your table at a book signing. Get excited and stay excited for the potential your writing has; edit it up to reach that potential.
6. Edit it how you want it. Sure, we got to make people happy, but don't annihilate your happiness for the sake of everyone else. Make your writing the way YOU want it. Sometimes you need to ignore the opinion of others to do this, and it's really hard. But remember: IT'S YOUR WRITING. If you want the old man character to talk like this: "Yo dude, what up foo'? Like, ya wanna go to the, like, beach?" then DO IT! When people write how and what they want to write, it is often fresh and unique and most likely more people will like it because it has a voice. Don't let editing take away your voice.
Don't forget: Editing takes time... a LOT of time. Endure to the end, my friend, and your reward shall be great.
Happy editing!
Your work before you edit and revise (purify and reshape)...
Your work when you've finished...
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