The Editing Process

[malenkayacherepakha]

Editing my own works isn't something I do very well - I read things over of course and make the odd minor change, but I've never done a proper critical edit of my fic. I want to improve my writing though, and I've got a couple of fics in the pipeline that I hope have the potential to be really good, and good editing is going to help a lot with that.

So, I thought I'd see what wisdom all the brilliant writers on here have to share!
What do you look for when you edit (or beta!)?
How does your editing process (or beta process) work?

Any thoughts are massively appreciated!

Comments

[pauraque]

Having beta-readers who will go beyond spag and dig deeper has been important for me. When I first started posting fic, I was lucky to find some betas who had a gift for giving perceptive and useful critique and shared it very generously. Not everybody has the insight to see how a story could be taken from good to great, and even if they do, not everybody knows how to articulate it in a helpful way. And, as you say, they may not be willing to risk it with a writer they don't know well.

One thing to try is asking people whose writing you admire if they'd be willing to critique your work. I know asking a specific person directly is more daunting than just asking for a volunteer, but it can be rewarding if they say yes!

[malenkayacherepakha]

I've had a couple of beta readers who've gone further with the criticism and I'm making a point now to tell my betas that I'm fine with it to hopefully combat that fear of upsetting me. And as you say, some people are very good at giving useful critique, so I want to keep building beta relationships with people who have done that for me in the past.

It's definitely scary asking for some I admire to look at my work, but I think it'll be worth it. I was actually thinking about doing that with the fic I'm currently working on as I writer I really admire expressed interest in it when I first picked the prompt, so I'll have to gather up my courage and ask if they're open to reading through it!