As a pantser, I'm big on editing and revision. The main thing I do is rereads. I edit as I go along, so I'll read from the top, making corrections here and there; when I get to a point that needs heavy revising, I'll do that, then I might reread from the top again to ensure it all works. Pacing is hard to judge for everyone; for me, my guide is my reread: I try to be alert to the tiniest feeling of boredom; it usually means I need to revise/tighten something.
I'm also a huge cutter. One of the most edifying exercises I've done is one where I had to cut my writing by x per cent (I can't remember now the exact percentage, not that it matters much). That might mean finding 200 words to remove in a 2k fic, which seems impossible at first, but it's not. During my editing, I'll cut all the "just" I keep writing, all the dialogue tags that aren't necessary. Another thing to do about prose is to search your doc for a word you know you're using a lot, say "looked". If you're me, you might end up with 100 instances in a short fic, where apparently every one looks at each other and nothing else LOL. Do it for words like "realised" (most times words like that can be cut), "really", "very" and any other filter words that give you nothing.
Reading aloud is a fantastic way to ensure flow. When you catch yourself stumbling over a sentence, it needs rewriting.
Writing well depends on reading well; what we read is what we write. I can usually tell by the first paragraph if a writer is experienced, and I can always tell if a writer has been reading only fanfic. This isn't about editing a specific story, more to learn about storytelling which will help you know what to look for when you edit: Find a few stories that make you think "this is the kind of writing I want to do, the kind that speaks to me" and read them closely. Study those works. If there's one piece of advice out of this long-ass comment I'm writing that I'd urge you to take, it's this: take the best writing you can find and break it open. Consider questions such as: what kind of obstacles does the author set before the HEA? How do they reach the resolution? How do they start a story? What do they leave out? What is my fave moment in that story, and how tf did they manage to leave me shaking on the floor? I've learned more from reading Captive Prince than from several MOOCs I took.
Distance and time is the best, although not always feasible. But even a few days suffice.
Final suggestion: def find a good beta. Find a friend who's a decent writer themselves and/or an ardent reader (of books, not just fic) and exchange beta services. You'll learn loads from doing beta, too. Also, you can ask questions such as: what didn't you like? What would you cut? Or things like: "would X character behave this way here?"
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2020-04-21 02:41 pm (UTC)I'm also a huge cutter. One of the most edifying exercises I've done is one where I had to cut my writing by x per cent (I can't remember now the exact percentage, not that it matters much). That might mean finding 200 words to remove in a 2k fic, which seems impossible at first, but it's not. During my editing, I'll cut all the "just" I keep writing, all the dialogue tags that aren't necessary. Another thing to do about prose is to search your doc for a word you know you're using a lot, say "looked". If you're me, you might end up with 100 instances in a short fic, where apparently every one looks at each other and nothing else LOL. Do it for words like "realised" (most times words like that can be cut), "really", "very" and any other filter words that give you nothing.
Reading aloud is a fantastic way to ensure flow. When you catch yourself stumbling over a sentence, it needs rewriting.
Writing well depends on reading well; what we read is what we write. I can usually tell by the first paragraph if a writer is experienced, and I can always tell if a writer has been reading only fanfic. This isn't about editing a specific story, more to learn about storytelling which will help you know what to look for when you edit: Find a few stories that make you think "this is the kind of writing I want to do, the kind that speaks to me" and read them closely. Study those works. If there's one piece of advice out of this long-ass comment I'm writing that I'd urge you to take, it's this: take the best writing you can find and break it open. Consider questions such as: what kind of obstacles does the author set before the HEA? How do they reach the resolution? How do they start a story? What do they leave out? What is my fave moment in that story, and how tf did they manage to leave me shaking on the floor? I've learned more from reading Captive Prince than from several MOOCs I took.
Distance and time is the best, although not always feasible. But even a few days suffice.
Final suggestion: def find a good beta. Find a friend who's a decent writer themselves and/or an ardent reader (of books, not just fic) and exchange beta services. You'll learn loads from doing beta, too. Also, you can ask questions such as: what didn't you like? What would you cut? Or things like: "would X character behave this way here?"