My Plans for Editing my WIP

Since my life is consumed with editing my WIP (work-in-progress) right now, I decided to talk about it here, as well. It only took me a few days to get through the first read through and putting my changes on paper. Now comes the more difficult task of translating those changes back onto the computer.

Sometimes, the process is awesome. Mistakes stick out to me and don’t seem too prolific. Other times, I rework a paragraph five times and feel sure at the end that it is worse than when I started. Sigh.

The worst part of it all is how anxious I feel. I’m anxious to share the story. I can’t wait to send it off to beta readers and find out how it reads to others. I’m anxious to send it off to an editor to make it better. Managing that feeling of rush is the biggest challenge, I think.

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​My predicted rounds of edits:

• Round 1

Continuity, spelling, and grammar. I wanted to catch any mistakes while making sure there weren’t any glaring inaccuracies or confusing character motives. This has included added a couple of scenes and a line here and there.

• Round 2

I plan to focus on point-of-view (POV). My story is told from the minds of five characters and I want to ensure that those characters are both consistent and distinct. Each time the reader is in Cass’s mind, I want it to sound the same. And yet, it should be obvious that Cass’s voice is not at all like Derrick’s, or Lena’s, or anyone else’s.

• Round 3

I plan to go chapter by chapter this time, fleshing out physical descriptions of characters and settings to make sure my readers feel immersed.  Also, I’ll make sure that each chapter reads well individually.

• Round 4

This last round will be one last thorough reading to make final improvements. The object will be to make the manuscript ready for beta readers.

And my final edit will come once I’ve gotten the work back from those beta readers. I will take into consideration their comments and suggestions and make any desired changes before sending the piece to a professional editor.
This is where my knowledge of the process ends, because I’ve never worked with an editor before. I imagine things will proceed as he or she directs from there on out.
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Keep in mind that this is also a rewrite – the second incarnation of my story. I’ve been focusing on this one pretty hard for a year, now. Wish me luck as I continue this phase of the process. 

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