Currently, I'm not only editing my novella Small Embers, a Fire series prequel. I'm also revising it and formatting it for the box-set Burning Desires coming this winter. I was so excited to start this last piece for the box-set until I opened the document and realized that it was a first draft (rough draft). Using Small Embers as an example I'm going to talk today about 10 editing tips I use. This time I'm having to skip my normal revision practice "The Book0end Revision Technique".
Which you can pick up a copy on Amazon. My normal routine is to divide up the story into documents containing only one chapter. Then I will revise the last chapter and next the first chapter, so I focus on what is actually on the page and not the story in my head. I developed this revision technique because I'm a dyslexic author.
1) What does my editing process look like this time after completing the first draft of "Small Embers"?
I use a combination of AI applications to get through the process.
ProWritingAid helps polish and elevate your writing. In this application, I place the chapter I'm working on. ProWritingAid dedicates itself to improving your writing by addressing grammar, style, and other important factors.
Is an AI application. I let the AI know the scene's perspective and character traits, requesting a professional editorial report. This gives me a list of strengths and weaknesses of the scene and suggestions for improvement.
2) What are the biggest challenges in editing Small Embers?
I'm lucky because my stories are tight and I rarely find plot holes. The main challenge on this project is that I have to revise, edit, and format scene by scene instead of working on an entire chapter at once.
The next challenge is my health and sleep pattern being broken, causing the project to be delayed even more.
3) How do you decide what to cut and what to keep during your edits?
I'm a firm believer in going with your gut. Often writers are also ravenous readers, we may not know the scholastic rules of literature by heart, but we know what we've read and how it made us feel. We also know when something doesn't feel right or sound right. I have a writing friend that keeps all the parts she cuts to make short stories for her book series, check her out racheldadams.com. I often have to add more than cut. I almost write like a painter. I have a blank canvas and I block out the painting first and then fill in the details with each pass of edits.
4) What role do beta readers or critique partners play in your editing process?
Beta readers and critique partners are an invaluable resource. I'm sad that this story didn't have a beta read because it's a surprise. It is getting feedback from my writing groups Live Critique Read nights though. The nice thing is that you can ask beta readers about the issues you are most worried about with your story.
5) How to approach Line edits and proofreading after the major structural changes are done?
READ IT OUT LOUD! This is your best bet and you will catch more issues this way. AI's are helpful but not 100% right. They will miss things.
Live with the concept that mistakes are going to happen and it's okay. I've read so many novels published by large publishing houses with professional editors and still have found mistakes. If it happens to them, you are doing fine.
Another trick is to read it in a different format. Print it out if you normally have worked on it on the computer. Put it on your e-reader and read it that way. What a change of format can show you will surprise you.
6) What tools or resources can be most helpful during the editing process?
Writing Sprints
You can find many writing or productivity sprints live on YouTube, often these hosts use a timer to divide up writing or focus time and break time. I find the sense of working together with a group helpful. You can catch my writing sprints every Friday and Saturday at 9am CST on my YouTube channel.
Focus or Study Music
I like Lofi study music while I'm editing.
AI tools
I listed off the tools I use above.
7) How to keep your characters' voices consistent through multiple drafts?
I use Myers Briggs for making my character's personalities. By telling the AI I'm working with the character's present types helps give me pointers. I highly recommend that you spend some time looking over your characters and get to know them, so that way you know how they will act in a situation. Take into account their age, education level, backstory, and what they keeping to themselves.
8) At what point in the editing process do you start sharing your work with professional editors?
Personally, I can't afford professional editors. I do the best I can with a little help from my writing friends. ARC (advanced reader copy) readers are a great help as well.
9) How do you manage balancing your creative vision with the critical eye needed during editing?
I stand my ground about the concrete creative choices and vision that I have for the story. The other things can be changed and sometimes you have to face the fact that there is a better way of saying it or doing it than you thought of at first.
10) What is the most rewarding part of the editing process for me, especially with projects like Small Embers?
I'm a big lister so any time that I can check a chapter as done in some way, it's a reward.
Being satisfied with the story at its new stage.
Seeing the chapters in my format tool ready for reading out loud.
The editing process is as much a creative journey as the drafting itself. With Small Embers, I've had to adjust my usual methods and confront new challenges, but each revision has brought the story closer to its full potential.
The key is to stay flexible--sometimes the process doesn't go as planned, and that's okay. Whether it's skipping my usual revision technique or adapting to time constraints, every step leads me closer to the polished manuscript. Small Embers has tested my patience and adaptability, it's also a reminder of how rewarding the process can be, especially as I prepare this novella for inclusion in Buring Desires box set.
Editing isn't about making it perfect--it's about making it the best version of the story you can.
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