Tips in keeping consistency in editing.

[Hans.Trondheim]

I'm sure you guys faced a similar situation; having finished, or written a lot of chapters for, your novel, and then realized, "Hell, I want to edit this stuff I wrote." See, I'm in that situation right now. The Philippine Department of Education has just entered its "30-day uninterrupted, forced, mandatory, backed-up by law, vacation for all its teachers," so I got tons of time in my hands for the duration of this month (April). I'd like to edit my old work, The Saint Series (The Human Saint is Bored, The Beastman Saint is H*rny, The Demon Saint is Missing, The Elf Saint is a NEET, and The Dwarf Saint is Sleeping). Problem is, at 1.3 million words and 400+ chapters, it's tedious to check for every mistake and 'off' parts of the story.

Well, I know what to expect and how to do things. My only problem is to keep consistency, since--as I said, editing a million-word work is tedious and difficult. So, again, I need suggestions on HOW TO KEEP EDITING, not how to edit. Any suggestion is welcome, including ways to make this part faster and easier. You can also tell me straight to just "Stop writing, you wannabe author hack," explain why, and depending on the points you threw, I might really drop writing altogether (I'm serious on this part coz I've been wondering lately if I'm just wasting my time)!

For short, any help is appreciated.

P.S.: Can't hire an editor since it's expensive in a third-world shithole like the Philippines, and a Filipino teacher's salary can barely keep a single teacher alive. Same goes with AI apps, and Scrivener-like programs.

Here's my sexy and spicy illustration, courtesy of @pangmida as advanced thanks!

Edit: Guys, I need advice, not "haha" reactions.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Uhm, I'd give you suggestions, but that might get you nowhere. If I help, specifically on this topic, it will be like everybody came together and collectively gave up trying.
It took me two years of constantly starting, pausing and starting again from the beginning, before I finally got to the point where I'm close to finishing the revision of a mere 220+ k novel.
But if anyone has suggestions, I will just camp out here and parasitically profit off of your question.

 

[TinaMigarlo]

at one chapter a night, we're talking just over a year. How long could these chapters be? Two chappies a night, under a year easy. I'm wondering what one hour a night could do for you... writing, there's no guarantee per unit of time, but reading and editing? Predictable.

 

[Conqueror_Quack]

I remember @LeilaniOtter being an editor, maybe she could provide some advice? @Representing_Tromba should also have experience with this sort of thing.

 

[Ellie_in_Pink]

To keep consistent with editing, you can't let yourself think of everything. All your works, all the ways they could be improved. Do that, and you'll burn yourself out in short order. You have to narrow everything down into manageable chunks, knowing that editing will be kind of a permanent part of your life for as long as you keep writing.

Once you narrow the scope of your editing to the *one novel you want to edit most* get someone to look over it. Honestly? They probably will only need to read the first 1-3 chapters. Because the problems that are there, are going to be the most prevalent ones in the rest of your story. Next, ask them what your *three* biggest problems are. Not three errors, but three overarching problems that are causing the story not to shine as brightly as you want it to.

Finally, take those *three* problems and apply them to every chapter of your book. Improve others things if you want to. But have a list of the three biggest problems with you at all times, and put all your effort into determining that those three will not be a problem in your next draft. Rinse, wash, repeat.

It will take a *lot* of time. Editing is not an easy thing you knock out in an afternoon. It's a longer part of the process than even writing the first draft. However, this method *will* yield massive results. And, little by little, you'll discover that your massive collection of things to edit are dwindling.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

To keep consistent with editing, you can't let yourself think of everything. All your works, all the ways they could be improved. Do that, and you'll burn yourself out in short order. You have to narrow everything down into manageable chunks, knowing that editing will be kind of a permanent part of your life for as long as you keep writing.

Once you narrow the scope of your editing to the *one novel you want to edit most* get someone to look over it. Honestly? They probably will only need to read the first 1-3 chapters. Because the problems that are there, are going to be the most prevalent ones in the rest of your story. Next, ask them what your *three* biggest problems are. Not three errors, but three overarching problems that are causing the story not to shine as brightly as you want it to.

Finally, take those *three* problems and apply them to every chapter of your book. Improve others things if you want to. But have a list of the three biggest problems with you at all times, and put all your effort into determining that those three will not be a problem in your next draft. Rinse, wash, repeat.

It will take a *lot* of time. Editing is not an easy thing you knock out in an afternoon. It's a longer part of the process than even writing the first draft. However, this method *will* yield massive results. And, little by little, you'll discover that your massive collection of things to edit are dwindling.

Already did the 'division into manageable parts'. Anything else I should do?

 

[JordanIda]

Editors get attribution on mainstream books for a reason. The writing constitutes just half of the work to be done. Editing is the other half. Literally.

There is no "fast and easy" way to edit. When planning a timeline for production of a book, take the time you expect to spend writing the book, and double it. That's how much time you need.

Of course this presupposes that you want a quality product, worthy of mainstream production. In the self-pub/vanity world, anything goes. Let MS Word edit it. Bingo-bango-bongo. Done.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Editors get attribution on mainstream books for a reason. The writing constitutes just half of the work to be done. Editing is the other half. Literally.

There is no "fast and easy" way to edit. When planning a timeline for production of a book, take the time you expect to spend writing the book, and double it. That's how much time you need.

Of course this presupposes that you want a quality product, worthy of mainstream production. In the self-pub/vanity world, anything goes. Let MS Word edit it. Bingo-bango-bongo. Done.

Ah, so you're saying that it is normal to take years in editing a work? I mean this as a serious question, not sarcasm or whatever.

If so, should I just focus entirely on editing and put a stop to anything I am currently writing? Or a rephrased question would be, "Editing will take a lot of effort, no?"

 

[Ellie_in_Pink]

Ah, so you're saying that it is normal to take years in editing a work?

Absolutely. Especially if editing is new to you.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Absolutely. Especially if editing is new to you.

Not really new to me, rather, I'm used to fast 'churn outs'. Thanks for the advice btw.

at one chapter a night, we're talking just over a year. How long could these chapters be? Two chappies a night, under a year easy. I'm wondering what one hour a night could do for you... writing, there's no guarantee per unit of time, but reading and editing? Predictable.

Did this already; didn't take long before I burned out. Though in my mistake, I tried editing every day, and that's impossible.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Editing killed my desire to write. My suggestion would be to make a goal of editing 1 page a day. Maybe get an accountability partner to read through it after you edit each page. It will eventually get done. Hiring an editor can be expensive so I would avoid it until you've edited a few drafts yourself.

 

[FlutterOfCrows]

Perhaps the Pomodono method might be something useful to you.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Bingo-bango-bongo. Done.

I'll hold onto that wording for you.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Editing killed my desire to write. My suggestion would be to make a goal of editing 1 page a day. Maybe get an accountability partner to read through it after you edit each page. It will eventually get done. Hiring an editor can be expensive so I would avoid it until you've edited a few drafts yourself.

Can't hire one all the same.

My teacher salary is already low as it is, and made even lower coz that stupid war in ME. I earn Php 32k a month, tax and other deuctions not yet included in that; a professional editor's price here can fetch as high as Php 10k per 60k words, which is the normal length of each of most of my 21 volumes.

 

[FlutterOfCrows]

Realized in my first post I didnt mention the method at all.

Perhaps the Pomodono method might be something useful to you.

The Method is you choose between 30 and 45 minutes, once you have, work that amount of time.
Then you take a 5 minute break. and draw a tomato on a notepad, then rinse and repeat four times, and once you've done your fourth block of work, take a extended break of an hour. If you feel like continueing, then go back to working on 30-45 minute block cycle.

The goal of this method is the idea that humans cant focus for too long blocks of time. So the goal is to further divide your focus and time itself. With 5 minutes meant to allow your mind a period to 'cooldown'. its reccomended that you dont go too large on the large blocks of time, else you'll risk the problem agian. Once you do 3 small breaks, you take a longer break to let your mind fully rest.

The reason why you draw a tomato is for long-term gratification. Because you brain can visibly track your progress, it will feel more inclined to continue editing when it might not feel like it otherwise.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Ah, so you're saying that it is normal to take years in editing a work? I mean this as a serious question, not sarcasm or whatever.

If so, should I just focus entirely on editing and put a stop to anything I am currently writing? Or a rephrased question would be, "Editing will take a lot of effort, no?"

Technically, no. It won't take years. Yesterday, I think, once I actually sat down to work on it, I managed quite a lot in two hours. It's reading with editing.
The problem comes into play, once you've edited once. You will be blind to your mistakes, until your brain forgot what you wrote to a certain extent, since it's prone to not actually "reading" anything; it's skimming over the text, filling in with memory. When you edit, read aloud, to force your brain to read a bit more proper.
And once you are finished, well, you would take more time, since it's a lot you got there, you could probably start from the beginning, but I'd suggest to go through it and let it rest until the next revision.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Technically, no. It won't take years. Yesterday, I think, once I actually sat down to work on it, I managed quite a lot in two hours. It's reading with editing.
The problem comes into play, once you've edited once. You will be blind to your mistakes, until your brain forgot what you wrote to a certain extent, since it's prone to not actually "reading" anything; it's skimming over the text, filling in with memory. When you edit, read aloud, to force your brain to read a bit more proper.
And once you are finished, well, you would take more time, since it's a lot you got there, you could probably start from the beginning, but I'd suggest to go through it and let it rest until the next revision.

Yah, this one happened to me, that 'bljnd to my mistakes' coz I edited it as soon as I wrote it.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Can't hire one all the same.

My teacher salary is already low as it is, and made even lower coz that stupid war in ME. I earn Php 32k a month, tax and other deuctions not yet included in that; a professional editor's price here can fetch as high as Php 10k per 60k words, whicj is the normal length of each of most of my 21 volumes.

That is completely fair. Also, that is an insane price.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

That is completely fair. Also, that is an insane price.

Nah, tis actually the Philippine market standard. Research writers cough up even more higher prices for having their theses checked.

 

[TheKillingAlice]

Yah, this one happened to me, that 'bljnd to my mistakes' coz I edited it as soon as I wrote it.

While you will find obvious things that way (it's better to check for those before you post), it's not going to catch nearly as much as needed.
You always need distance. You need to feel a bit like reading a story you haven't read in a long time.
Don't know if it's my scatter brain, but there's always scenes I completely forgot exist and they catch me off guard. Like, I know I wrote them and why, but I didn't remember until I read them. Once that happens, you have the clearest look at your story, as you also take steps in "understanding" what you wrote. There were parts I read and realized even I had to read them twice to remember what I was trying to say - needless to say, it had to be edited. Sometimes, you yourself are your best retarded reader.
EDIT: Nah, that last thing might be a me-problem, because I'm retarded.