Draft 1 of Book 2 has finished its two month stew. I literally can’t remember what happens in this book, which means I’m ready to edit it.
To prepare for editing Book 2, I read Book 1 over the past two weeks. This was to ensure character, plot and tone consistency between the two books. I’ve never written a series before. OK, I lie. I wrote a series when I was in secondary school, but let’s say I’ve learnt a lot since The World With No Name! Book 2 happens very soon after Book 1, and a lot of shit that goes down in Book 1 that needs to be referenced in Book 2. I wanted to make sure Nadir’s experiences were carried with her over to the new book, and she didn’t start Book 2 a clean slate.
I hate admitting this, but Book 1 still needs a lot of work. There’s nothing awful in there – just a few small inconsistencies and the writing needs tightening. I also found quite a few grammar and spelling mistakes…. As much as this frustrates me, I have to remember I am only one person. I can’t spot everything. That’s what editors are for. If my book ever makes it to a publisher, that’s who will spot these makes and correct them. As an author you become so close to your work you find it hard to spot these errors. You need a fresh pair of eyes.
Having said that, an author has to do some editing. It’s a painful prospect, but a necessary one.
Liking when it comes to the art of writing, everyone edits differently, but there is a certain formula that most authors and editors follow when it comes to the editing stage:
Draft 1
The word vomit. Literally. This is you getting the story out of your system without looking back. Shove this hot mess in a draw somewhere for eight weeks after you’ve finished it and leave it to ferment.
Draft 2
Picking out the peas and carrots from the vomit. This is you looking at the story, identifying the good bits and picking those bits out. Flush the rest. I use this draft to look at the big picture of the book – at the world building, the characters and the plot. I slaughter my darlings – cutting out scenes because they’re not right for the plot, stripping down the word count and squeezing it into better shape.
Draft 3
This is the last draft where the language is scrutinised. The finally spelling and grammar errors are smoked out and corrected. Sentences are rewritten to perfection and those awful metaphors you thought were so good at the time of writing are culled.
I think in the professional world, authors and editors usually work up to five drafts, which allows for in-depth scrutiny of the language. But with just 12 hours a week and 4 months to work on my book, three drafts is all I can squeeze in.
I don’t show anyone my book until draft 3 is done. I know that some authors send their book to their agents or editors after draft 1, but I would hate that. I get books out of my system by vomiting words onto my Word processing document, therefore they are always a mess. It would be embarrassing showing someone that. No one wants anyone else to see the mess they’ve made after vomming. I know some writers go back over their draft ones as they write them, meaning they write their draft ones and twos at the same time. That process is a lot slower, but I bet it makes that first editing stage a lot less painful!
I’ll let you know how Book 2 editing goes every month in my wrap-ups, but I’ll also be updating Instagram and Twitter as I go. Feel free to give me a follow and share with me how your editing process is going. It sure is lonely being a writer and it’s always nice to hear from fellow authors who are going through the same experience.
Bookworm Scribe 