Thursday, February 26, 2015

Editing Confessions


On Tuesday, I approached the subject of editing too much.  One of you admitted to former over-editing, another to under-editing.  Still another is friends with writers who edit overboard.

I think every writer has editing tendencies we don't speak much about.  We talk about editing, sure, but not the little things.  We dare not breathe a word about our quirks, hatreds or dirty little shames.  So... let's go!

Confessions:

I sometimes don't edit poems I write... at all!  It's rare, very, but some poems come out whole.  Even a prizewinning one.

The more I dislike a piece, or myself, the more I edit my current works into the ground. If a published piece is back on my desk, I'll rip it to shreds in my disdain and utter contempt for the drivel I spew.

I edit my fiction meticulously.  While a rare poem makes its way to me gorgeous, stories never do.  I edit even the smallest pieces repeatedly.

Once an editor starts making suggestions, my first instinct is to cave and change everything he/she wants me to.  Not so they publish me, but because they know better than me.  Of course, I do stand up for my writing if it's something that would destroy it. But not before my brief idiocy.

I neither love nor hate editing, it depends on the project.

I often edit poems as I write them so the true originals almost never exist.  And I don't keep consecutive drafts, either.  What's done is done!

My first edits are almost all done by hand, not computer.
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Okay, those are some of my editing confessions.  What are yours?

6 comments:

  1. On the rare occasions when I write poetry I go for the spontaneous effect. What comes out for the most part is as it should be I think--as long as we have relatively good grammar and all. I might correct spelling if need be, or punctuation, but when I'm composing poetry I usually do so with meticulous intent sot that what ends up on the paper would almost be sacrilegious to mess with.

    In fact I write my prose in much the same way. I edit as I go--typically--and go back to make only minor adjustments of omitted words and such.

    Arlee Bird
    A to Z Challenge Co-host
    A Faraway View

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    1. A lot of people would condemn you for that. Nowadays, it's all about editing until your eyes water.
      And trust me, if you write a book and go through a traditional publishing house, they'll have major reconstruction for you to do. It almost never fails.

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  2. I do not consider myself a writer! But I am learning to lose words I overuse. I am terrible with punctuation.

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    1. We all have pet words, even the most talented among us.

      I'm not great with punctuation, either and I write in extreme passive voice which is a huge no-no.

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  3. I edit in small sections--one chapter at a time. That's about all I can take of the pain of it!

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    Replies
    1. It's a great way to go about it, actually.
      I think I'd go bonkers attempting to write a novel, much less get one "publication-ready".

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