What's your editing process? What do you focus on?

[Eldoria]

I see! Btw, i read your first chapter of vol 1 of blood rose princess. Really like it. I did notice something that could be a tiny mistake(might not be, could be a style thing), would it annoy you to get corrections or suggestions in the comments? Honestly well meaning, not trying to be rude or like a smart ass

Whats endurance reading? Just less mental strain

No problem. I appreciate any feedback, criticism, or suggestions.

 

[L1aei]

I see! Btw, i read your first chapter of vol 1 of blood rose princess. Really like it. I did notice something that could be a tiny mistake(might not be, could be a style thing), would it annoy you to get corrections or suggestions in the comments? Honestly well meaning, not trying to be rude or like a smart ass

Good attitude for asking if an author even wants to hear that first.

 

[SouthernMaiden]

No problem. I appreciate any feedback, criticism, or suggestions

Cool, Im in the mood for a story like yours (nice vibes), and didn't want to seem rude

Good attitude for asking if an author even wants to hear that first.

It feels weirdly intrusive? Like "Umm actually I found a mistake here mr/ms author?".

Even thought I would want feedback, suggestions and corrections on my own work! Doing it to someone else feels weird idk

 

[ElijahRyne]

I see! Btw, i read your first chapter of vol 1 of blood rose princess. Really like it. I did notice something that could be a tiny mistake(might not be, could be a style thing), would it annoy you to get corrections or suggestions in the comments? Honestly well meaning, not trying to be rude or like a smart ass

Whats endurance reading? Just less mental strain

I often read for 12+ hours a day.
T2S makes eye strain significantly lesser.

 

[SouthernMaiden]

I often read for 12+ hours a day.
T2S makes eye strain significantly lesser.

You're a legend. Just for fun? Work? Both?

What do you read? I have so many questions.

 

[ElijahRyne]

You're a legend. Just for fun? Work? Both?

What do you read? I have so many questions.

For fun, mostly I read stuff here, on RR, or -the grand majority- CNs that I let my browser translate.

 

[Hans.Trondheim]

Editing? I barely know her!

She's our school secretary, Mam Edithing.

*badumtss

This is essentially my process but your first stage is my final stage.

Formerly I'm the same, but I made the AI edits the first stage because, yeah, I still check the AI edits.

And I use ProWritingAid for my AI so that I can also learn rules in English writing.

 

[ElijahRyne]

She's our school secretary, Mam Edithing.

*badumtss


Formerly I'm the same, but I made the AI edits the first stage because, yeah, I still check the AI edits.

And I use ProWritingAid for my AI so that I can also learn rules in English writing.

My main issue with AI grammar checkers is that they are often inaccurate, or make a sentence flow worse because they aim for concise language. But often scenes should be spiraling with long hurriedly sentences, or colored to match the intended atmosphere, etc. I just use it to catch what I didn’t, and don’t want to run my text through one multiple times if an edit revamps an entire section of the text.

 

[Omarfaruq]

Editing? I barely know her!

Sensei you are really something ?
Without editing?

 

[MajorKerina]

My method has evolved over time and I know it will continue to evolve. I used to do more typing on an actual keyboard now I typically just use speech to text on a phone because it's much faster than the alternative however with names and particular designations the system is not very good at picking up on those.

When I was typing physically, I often used text to speech to hear how the writing sounded but unfortunately that era of editing didn't quite provide what I needed I used quill bot and other sources to edit. But one piece of software that stood out was Deep Learning AI it edited but also made the style a bit awkward. And the worst part was it gave me multiple choices for how to edit.

The current status of artificial intelligence editing text does still provide multiple-choice but with more focus and unfortunately I have to whip the agent occasionally before we start I have several presets like I completely refuse dashes and certain parallel structures like that's not X that's why. And I judge the recommendations with the most critical eye keeping in mind several aspects. And depending on what model the system decides to send it can be really good feedback versus really dumb feedback so the whipping sometimes needs to be harsh.

i've also changed my approach to editing I used to edit once the entire chapter was done but now I edit as I go and then just do a careful little double check typically with a standard spellchecker to polish it off but I often typically veto a few of the recommendations if they're just mostly aesthetic over actual issues.

 

[PancakesWitch]

I finish writing then copy and paste my chapter on grok and tell him to fix grammar errors, then I do a re-check and fix anything it missed or might have ruined.
I dont have the time to sit down fixing a chapter grammar for hours.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

I skim for errors, get caught up in a passage, start reading, stop when something doesn't make sense, go back a paragraph, try to fix what was missing, move a few words around, add a few, realize how much time I've spent on this, go back to skimming... repeat. ad infinitum.

 

[Zagaroth]

I write on Libre Office. Nice simple word processor and spell checker.

My first edit pass is when pasting it on to Royal Road, which I do via Chrome. RR is where I started, and I am only using Chrome for pasting into RR because for some reason pasting to RR via Firefox messes up my formatting. I lose the paragraph spacing.

As I do not use Chrome for anything else, I have Grammarly installed there, and I use the free version to catch basic mistakes like missing a word or having a tense wrong; i.e. the red underlines. I don't let it do real editing. This version goes to Patreon and my wife gets a copy.

Now the first real editing pass begins, and my wife offers everything from rewording suggestions to small sections of additional content, as well as finding the mistakes that Grammarly missed.

When she's done, she sends it to me, and I go through and decide what to implement, skip, or change in a different way. Sometimes her suggestion tells me that she's misunderstood something I wrote, which means I need to make a different change in order to make my intentions clearer.

This version is then what goes live on both RR and SH, and is usually the end of my base editing for web publishing, though readers still sometimes find mistakes.

-------------

I now have a contract with Podium for publishing 3 books worth of my series, so things get more complicated. A deep pass edit has been performed of book one by first my wife and then myself, and that was then submitted to Podium. I have also copied these edits to both RR and SH.

A professional editor has done an initial developmental pass on book 1, which is now back in my hands, while my wife is doing her part on book 2.

The current expectation is that after my current edit pass of book 1, the editor will be doing at least one more pass and sending it back. 2 more passes is quite probable.

This will repeat for each book that is published.

I do not enjoy editing, but it is the thing that must be done to polish the story and make it the best version it can be.

 

[JayMark]

I do all my own editing.

I read the entire Harbrace handbook to get a better understanding of English Grammar and use what I learnedto avoid unintentional mistakes. However, if I read it aloud and it sounds good despite being grammatically incorrect, I will keep that structure every time.

I spell phonetically, so I allow the WP spell checker to save time. I write a draft of the narrative, second draft to fix the narrative and make it more readable, third draft to make it more readable again and remove typos and unintentional grammar mistakes. I'm more worried about being repetitive than anything else because I latch onto words and repeat them too often.

Then after that is incidental editing and checking for typos. This doesn't change the story, but makes it more readable.

 

[Juia_Darkcrest]

I read over what I wrote first, making sure I am somewhat happy with the content of the chapter.

I then plug it into grammarly and fix any major errors.

I then reread it, making sure it makes sense

I post it

Then I re read it again and find minor issues, so I fix those even though it has already been posted... I cant seem to avoid this last step =P

 

[PancakesWitch]

I write on Libre Office. Nice simple word processor and spell checker.

My first edit pass is when pasting it on to Royal Road, which I do via Chrome. RR is where I started, and I am only using Chrome for pasting into RR because for some reason pasting to RR via Firefox messes up my formatting. I lose the paragraph spacing.

As I do not use Chrome for anything else, I have Grammarly installed there, and I use the free version to catch basic mistakes like missing a word or having a tense wrong; i.e. the red underlines. I don't let it do real editing. This version goes to Patreon and my wife gets a copy.

Now the first real editing pass begins, and my wife offers everything from rewording suggestions to small sections of additional content, as well as finding the mistakes that Grammarly missed.

When she's done, she sends it to me, and I go through and decide what to implement, skip, or change in a different way. Sometimes her suggestion tells me that she's misunderstood something I wrote, which means I need to make a different change in order to make my intentions clearer.

This version is then what goes live on both RR and SH, and is usually the end of my base editing for web publishing, though readers still sometimes find mistakes.

-------------

I now have a contract with Podium for publishing 3 books worth of my series, so things get more complicated. A deep pass edit has been performed of book one by first my wife and then myself, and that was then submitted to Podium. I have also copied these edits to both RR and SH.

A professional editor has done an initial developmental pass on book 1, which is now back in my hands, while my wife is doing her part on book 2.

The current expectation is that after my current edit pass of book 1, the editor will be doing at least one more pass and sending it back. 2 more passes is quite probable.

This will repeat for each book that is published.

I do not enjoy editing, but it is the thing that must be done to polish the story and make it the best version it can be.

Podium doesnt advertise their stories, so I wouldn't recommend it, 99% of what they publish gets no sales at all. Try to go for something like Aethon or I guess Mango Media if you really want a publisher.

 

[writerwolf359]

My method goes against most writing advice, but it works for me. I do a lot of editing as I write my first draft to ensure the chapter is doing what I need it to within the wider story and flows properly. Once I have a first draft done, I do a pass with Grammarly to catch any grammatical errors (I only use the free version) and then submit it to my beta readers. After they've had a look at it, I do an intensive editing session and then publish it.

Does it take me a couple of weeks to finish 2-3k word chapters? Sure, but I do finish them.

 

[Zagaroth]

Podium doesnt advertise their stories, so I wouldn't recommend it, 99% of what they publish gets no sales at all. Try to go for something like Aethon or I guess Mango Media if you really want a publisher.

Well, we're a little late for that option, having already signed the contract and received the advance for my first book. They have also commissioned an artist on their dime and hired a narrator for the audio book, in addition to having hired a developmental editor.

My agent was pretty happy with the contract, and one hires a professional to listen to their advice.

 

[FleecedSheep]

I have an outline, and write week by week. Probably a bad strategy in hindsight, but my process takes so long and my life is busy in other ways I cant write ahead enough and maintain 1 chapter a week. ?

Writing a whole batch sounds like the way to do it, pretty painful to do 30 at once though. You must write a lot at once right? Whats your rate?

Basically i think my problem is that im a slow bitch ?

Depends, I can just about keep up with the releases, which is about 3 chapters per week while maintaining a decent sized reserve. I write about, 3,000 words a chapter too, which works to about 10,000 words a week. Depending on the arc I'm on, and the chapters, I can write a good number of chapters in a day, otherwise its very stop and go as I work through more difficult arcs, or chapters.

 

[PancakesWitch]

Well, we're a little late for that option, having already signed the contract and received the advance for my first book. They have also commissioned an artist on their dime and hired a narrator for the audio book, in addition to having hired a developmental editor.

My agent was pretty happy with the contract, and one hires a professional to listen to their advice.

You have an agent??