Do you believe it is possible to Over-edit?
1 - 20 of 61 Posts
Joined
·
796 Posts
Hell yes.nikkarina said:
Joined
·
3,954 Posts
Yes, I think overediting can suck all the individuality out of a story. I've read a few where the voice was "careful," and my guess is that's what happened to them.
Joined
·
563 Posts
after I've hit that 15 edits mark, my book starts to dry up. Writing is an art form, it needs to be handled with care. The wrong splash of paint here or there can spoil an entire painting. It is the same with writing I believe.ellenoc said:
Joined
·
2,307 Posts
Edit something enough and you get what you wrote in the first draft.
I revise once. I incorporate feedback when I get it. (Though most of that tends to be not edits, but juxtaposed words and the like.)
That's all I do personally.
YMMV.
I revise once. I incorporate feedback when I get it. (Though most of that tends to be not edits, but juxtaposed words and the like.)
That's all I do personally.
YMMV.
Joined
·
3,222 Posts
Yes it's very possible. I'm not talking about basic grammar stuff. That needs to always look professional. But I think many writers are guilty of obsessing over their story to the point where the quality is actually sliding back on the scale.
Joined
·
308 Posts
Editing is something I hate. Hate. Hate! HATE!! I write few short stories but some non-fiction articles. But with my books it is a royal pain because I'm so lost in the story that I make many typos and over-use passive voice.
But that's proofing - not editing. I think you can over do anything is this life and that would include editing. You need to watch yourself and your story before during and after your editing. Did you like what your wrote before your editing? Did you like it as much after your editing? How about any 'beta readers'. Did they read it before and after the edit? Which one did they like better?
Don't forget to save long and save often so that you can go back to more lively versions. I liken it to the little chickens and rabbits my folks used to give us at Easter. We could, and a couple of time did, love the little things to death.
But that's proofing - not editing. I think you can over do anything is this life and that would include editing. You need to watch yourself and your story before during and after your editing. Did you like what your wrote before your editing? Did you like it as much after your editing? How about any 'beta readers'. Did they read it before and after the edit? Which one did they like better?
Don't forget to save long and save often so that you can go back to more lively versions. I liken it to the little chickens and rabbits my folks used to give us at Easter. We could, and a couple of time did, love the little things to death.
Joined
·
1,100 Posts
If you're a beginning writer, it's tough to overedit. Beginners need to do a ton of work on their story just to make it bearable. They have a lot a skills they need to learn, and they don't 'see' a text the way an experienced pro does. Rethinking and reworking your text are the paths to improvement. If you're a pro, you won't need to edit as much.
Joined
·
393 Posts
On your own? Probably not. Unless you go nuts over it.
For an outside party? I have a theory that hired editors have a mental checklist of "wrong stuff" that they look for and highlight without really seeing the story. I've gotten such feedback from 2 editors and a rather unpleasant critic on Authonomy. Invariably they try to make you change the work until it's the way THEY would have written it.
I've taken some worthwhile tidbits from the editors I've talked to, but overall I think I'm done with them for a while.
For an outside party? I have a theory that hired editors have a mental checklist of "wrong stuff" that they look for and highlight without really seeing the story. I've gotten such feedback from 2 editors and a rather unpleasant critic on Authonomy. Invariably they try to make you change the work until it's the way THEY would have written it.
I've taken some worthwhile tidbits from the editors I've talked to, but overall I think I'm done with them for a while.
Joined
·
1,682 Posts
Not unless you have absolutely no clue as to what you are doing.nikkarina said:
Joined
·
1,716 Posts
Yes, I feel you can over edit. First issue I have with excessive editing is that the author is striving for perfection of some sort, or an internal fear that their work is not "good enough" or that people may not like it. There will never be a book that is perfect that everyone will agree on. Someone will complain about something, even if it's as trivial as a font size 11 vs 12.
Excessive editing keeps you from moving on to the next project and if you start to edit while you are still writing... You become that guy who still hasn't finished his novel and now counts how long its been in the works by decades.
Have a system that produces a quality product and stick with it. I, write the first draft and while im writing it, I hand each chapter off to my editor who does a line edit. Once its all done, I apply the suggested edits and it's the first time I have read my book. I correct any plot holes and any other content issues that wrote down or came up from the editor. Next I sit with the editor and we go through the whole thing line by line, chapter by chapter. Then I hand it off to beta readers but I set a time limit. If they cant get it done, I don't wait for them to finish before moving on. My editor and I will then do a reading of the book out loud. Then we sit on it for a week or two and if any last minute suggestions issues come up from the readers, I revise. We do a second reading of the book and then I format. After the format, we go over it once more fairly quickly to address any formatting errors and then it's released to the wild.
So. First draft, Line item edit, revisions, comprehensive sit down edit, beta readers, read out loud edit, 1-2 week wait, feedback and second read out loud edit, format, last minute scan, then release.
Print is pretty much stuck at this point as it costs $$ to correct. E-books I keep a list of anything that gets back to me and when there are enough items to justify my time to correct I do. Someone complaining about a comma splice isn't going to get me to reload the book. But 2 missing/wrong words, a ship name not italicized, a missing period and a butchered name combined will. Or if there is something glaringly wrong that we missed like having the word "sitting" with an extra "h" after the s.
Excessive editing keeps you from moving on to the next project and if you start to edit while you are still writing... You become that guy who still hasn't finished his novel and now counts how long its been in the works by decades.
Have a system that produces a quality product and stick with it. I, write the first draft and while im writing it, I hand each chapter off to my editor who does a line edit. Once its all done, I apply the suggested edits and it's the first time I have read my book. I correct any plot holes and any other content issues that wrote down or came up from the editor. Next I sit with the editor and we go through the whole thing line by line, chapter by chapter. Then I hand it off to beta readers but I set a time limit. If they cant get it done, I don't wait for them to finish before moving on. My editor and I will then do a reading of the book out loud. Then we sit on it for a week or two and if any last minute suggestions issues come up from the readers, I revise. We do a second reading of the book and then I format. After the format, we go over it once more fairly quickly to address any formatting errors and then it's released to the wild.
So. First draft, Line item edit, revisions, comprehensive sit down edit, beta readers, read out loud edit, 1-2 week wait, feedback and second read out loud edit, format, last minute scan, then release.
Print is pretty much stuck at this point as it costs $$ to correct. E-books I keep a list of anything that gets back to me and when there are enough items to justify my time to correct I do. Someone complaining about a comma splice isn't going to get me to reload the book. But 2 missing/wrong words, a ship name not italicized, a missing period and a butchered name combined will. Or if there is something glaringly wrong that we missed like having the word "sitting" with an extra "h" after the s.
Joined
·
1,133 Posts
.
Overcooking can happen at any level because you only know what you know and don't know what you don't know. So you'll do too much of the wrong thing at every turn.
.
Writing more and working with someone better than you currently are with a feedback loop helps a lot. I exchange work with a friend who went through an MFA program so they have a different perspective than I, an Engineer (but my plotting and development editing skills are useful to them). When we trade we use Libreoffice and turn the edits on. Wacky and funny comments from time to time but it's a process that improves the work. Also reading nicely written and edited books gives you a new hurdle. Checklists help to error-proof.
.
But never forget that you must ship. Some writers edit/revise/rewrite the same story for months or even years and become more fearful with every change. You have to release it into the cold world at some point. The thing to remember - it's electronic so if you need to change something you can republish and in 24 hours the update is live. Powerful.
.
.
Overcooking can happen at any level because you only know what you know and don't know what you don't know. So you'll do too much of the wrong thing at every turn.
.
Writing more and working with someone better than you currently are with a feedback loop helps a lot. I exchange work with a friend who went through an MFA program so they have a different perspective than I, an Engineer (but my plotting and development editing skills are useful to them). When we trade we use Libreoffice and turn the edits on. Wacky and funny comments from time to time but it's a process that improves the work. Also reading nicely written and edited books gives you a new hurdle. Checklists help to error-proof.
.
But never forget that you must ship. Some writers edit/revise/rewrite the same story for months or even years and become more fearful with every change. You have to release it into the cold world at some point. The thing to remember - it's electronic so if you need to change something you can republish and in 24 hours the update is live. Powerful.
.
.
Yes. But I think that line is much further away than most new writers think it is. I also think you can over revise based on too much varied outside feedback.
One thing I've seen a few of my newer writer friends do is take feedback literally. For example, if the beta reader (to keep it simple) says, "I hate the hero when he did XYZ. He should do ABC instead." and you hear other feedback that makes you think the hero isn't a hit, so you do ABC.
The answer isn't to do ABC. The answer is to figure out why people hate him, where they start hating him, if that's the right response, if it's the response you want, if it's not, where can you make changes...etc. The answer isn't to do what your beta reader wants.
Your manuscript isn't Choose Your Own Adventure
One thing I've seen a few of my newer writer friends do is take feedback literally. For example, if the beta reader (to keep it simple) says, "I hate the hero when he did XYZ. He should do ABC instead." and you hear other feedback that makes you think the hero isn't a hit, so you do ABC.
The answer isn't to do ABC. The answer is to figure out why people hate him, where they start hating him, if that's the right response, if it's the response you want, if it's not, where can you make changes...etc. The answer isn't to do what your beta reader wants.
Your manuscript isn't Choose Your Own Adventure
Joined
·
681 Posts
When working with a good editor, based on my experience: they're great at helping you clean up your manuscript, e.g., catching passive voice, unnecessary verbiage, bad syntax, repetition, typos, errors, etc., etc. But over-reliance on an editor risks having your literary voice emasculated, your unique style homogenized. Always stay in control as you work to make your manuscript as good as it can be.
Joined
·
2,307 Posts
Though I can tell you from experience that a story which offers a vote based on branching choices is a) extremely fun to write and b) certain readers really enjoy.Caitie Quinn said:Your manuscript isn't Choose Your Own Adventure
There's no good way to do that outside of on a website, however. So unless you paygate or accept tips, it'd be just for fun. (I did it for marketing purposes back when I was still relying on paychecks from bosses.)
But if you're into it, and have enough readers to vote (even 20 or so interested) it can be a load of fun and generate some cool discussion.
1 - 20 of 61 Posts
