On editing, part 1

I'm neck deep in editing Tendrils to the Moon, so I thought I would write a post about editing. Of course, I have to preface it with a note about writing, because how badly (or how well) I write affects how I edit.

When I write a scene, I constantly review what I've just written. Usually I'll think of something that needs to happen two paragraphs sooner to set up something that happens later. Or I'll think of interesting dialogue to fit in the middle of existing dialogue. Or I'll realize that a character's reaction to a situation was wrong. Or I need to adjust the flow of information to accurately reflect the characters' concerns.

This could take place over a few nights. My first pass at a scene seldom stands pat. It takes time for me to really settle into my pov character's body. It's not unusual for a scene's to double or triple in length from the first time I write it until I move on to the next scene.

I don't consider any of this to be editing. This is my writing process. If I don't touch a scene for a few days, I consider all subsequent changes to be edits.

As I worked through the middle and end of Tendrils, I kept a list of things that needed to change in earlier chapters. Things like character development, because I'm a discovery writer and I didn't know when I was writing chapter 1 that the pilot would have such a big role in chapter 7. Or scenery detail. I didn't realize a certain feature of my Moon colony made no sense until five chapters after I built it.

Some changes to chapter 1 I have been looking forward to making for 4 months. As written, these scenes are like finding a piece from the wrong puzzle in the puzzle box. They need to be shaped and colored to fit with the rest of the puzzle.

This is what I call the middle level of editing. I'll get into upper-level and lower-level edits in the sequel post.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think! I'll respond to it as soon as I can.