My copy editor and beta readers tell me I write clean. Ha! What they don’t know is that I’m an obsessive editor who tends to go over every chapter with a fine-tooth comb approximately three (sometimes four or five) times before I let anyone else see what I’ve written.
The first editing pass is meant to clean up my far-too-quickly-written prose. I write the way I read — fast — which means that I leave out connecting words, explanatory sentences, and sometimes whole paragraphs. It’s all in my head — can’t you see it too? So, the first time I edit a chapter, the task takes nearly as long as it took to write the chapter in the first place, and I tend to add about 10 – 20% to the length in the process. (Yes, this makes me a putter-inner instead of a taker-outer). The result is pretty much like a normal writer’s first draft — still rough, but at least now the sentences flow and make sense.
For the last couple of novels, I’ve been editing the previous day’s chapter before starting to write the current day’s chapter, which works well since I’ve only 20% forgotten what I meant to say by that point. In a perfect world, I edit before/during/after breakfast, then walk the dog to figure out what I’m writing about next, and finally settle in for a relaxing morning of writing (my reward for pushing through the daily edit). But, with my current work in progress, I’ve been trying out a new method, where I edit the previous two days’ chapters before starting to write. This does result in cleaner work (and will hopefully mean that the agonizing first full edit will go more smoothly), but the technique has the unfortunate side effect of giving the dog time to go off and start hunting snakes before I get around to starting her walk.
Editing round three will come once the first draft is fully completed. This is where I read the whole book through at once, fixing big-picture problems and once again cleaning up the flow. Then, after getting corrections back from the copy editor, I read through one more time on KDP’s previewer window just in case there’s something my nearly-as-anal-as-me editor missed, and then I finally let the book go out into the world alone.
While I’m still on the fence about the write one, edit two method, I highly recommend write one, edit one. A writing book I read recently reminded me that editing is a learned skill just like writing and that we get better at it by practicing every day. Maybe in a few years, I’ll be fast enough to get all of my editing done before my dog gives up hope and starts rustling up her own breakfast?
(As a side note, how do you like the new cover for my upcoming novel, Pack Princess? I decided to outsource this one to a pro, and I love the result! But it can still be tweaked, so if you hate it, please let me know.)
The Write Stuff 
I love the new cover!!
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Thank you! I’m hoping it passes muster (and am contemplating getting the first book in the series remade to match).
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Great post, Aimee. Always interesting to see how other writers work. I do it very differently, but the important thing (to me) is that it does get done…the revisions and edits and smoothing out of the first draft, and then a final, detailed round of suggestions and cuts with my editor and I working hand in hand. The thing I hate the most is reading a book that has obviously had none of the above. A good story can be completely lost, so no matter the preference, I say just DO it. Revise & edit yourself to the best of your ability, then have a pro go over it again.
I think the cover is beautiful, and the only suggestion I would make is to have some reference to Book 1. (This is the sequel to Shiftless, right?) I can only speak for myself, but I really want a series I’m following to let me know which book I’m looking at, especially when I get into it late, and there are several books already out. I want to know which order to read them in, so it all makes sense to me, and I don’t find out something in one book that hadn’t happened yet in the next one I read. So that’s just a thought.
Otherwise, it’s beautiful. And I agree, it might be nice to have the same artist/designer do both covers. It’s great to have a consistent feel in a series, I think. Again, just my personal preference, but I do think it helps with branding.
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I’m on the fence about wasting space on an ebook cover with numbers — I see your point, but at the same time, the written title is right beside it on the webpage with the series information (Wolf Rampant Book 2) included. It seems like, with an ebook, what’s imperative is catching the eye in the thumbnail form so you’ll look at the book description. But I could be wrong! I may end up adding it in later if I change my mind. 🙂
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I can see your point, as long as you never do a print version. But you should do print versions, really. They’re FREE to do, and it offers you more exposure, and books you can sign for those who want copies, etc. And when I find a print book that doesn’t let me know which book in the series it is, I sometimes get more than merely frustrated. If it’s a long series, I won’t buy the book until I know if I can read it next. Not everyone feels that way, but if I do, at least some others will, too. Maybe you can add it to just the print cover? Again, just a thought. But I definitely agree on redoing the cover on Shiftless. They really should be connected via that image, I think. Not necessarily as similar as my WRR series will be, but a look that ties them together.
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I will definitely add it to the print cover! I often make the print cover a little different anyway — I just figure I have a bit more space since most people don’t see it first at the tiny thumbnail stage. So, a tagline, or series information, or even a review (if I have one) on the front print cover makes lots of sense.
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Your process sounds quite similar to mine, although I walk my dog from horseback 😉 I always edit the previous day’s work to start with, as that gets me right back into the flow of the story, and although I’ve seen advice that this slows production, I find it works for me – I think we all have to find our own way of doing things as we are all different – and just as well!
I love your cover and I think you should definitely get your first book re-done to match; that will make it much easier for browsers to connect them at a glance, even without reading the ‘no. 2’ in the description – in other words, that author branding the professionals all recommend.
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I’m glad to hear I’m not the only crazy person who edits as she goes! It definitely does keep me in the flow, and I think actually helps me write faster overall. Editing at the end if I haven’t worked on each chapter as I go is like pulling teeth….
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Definitely not on your own…
Over the years I’ve read interviews with many famous authors (sorry, can’t name one off the top of my head, but this was before ebooks, so all trad published) who say that’s how they work too.
Possibly why I started doing it that way, I can’t remember – it’s such an established working habit for me now.
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Well, as long as I’m in good company! 🙂
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Well, you’re in MY company, anyway! 😀 Don’t know how good that is. But if I’m writing a draft, and I suddenly realize I need to reword something, I do it, right then and there, or I’ll lose that thought forever. And I work with my Beta readers chapter by chapter, so I can rewrite things that don’t make sense to them. I can’t simply throw down ideas and leave them, it seems, and trying to do things that way upsets me, and THAT stops my brain, totally. I much prefer to do some editing as I go, and as reread what I’ve just written. I still do plenty of revising & cutting when the draft is done, before sending it to my editor, but I’m never going to be able to do the “vomit words on the page and keep going” thing I keep reading about. It does not work for me. (Maybe it’s that nasty “vomit” word?) 😉
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Beautiful cover!
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Thank you!
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