It’s Difficult Keeping Things Strait
Right now, I am self-editing two books, finalizing an outline for three books, working with an editor, and editing two articles. The resulting effort adds or alters many (fictional) facts. So, how do I keep the confusion to a minimum and prevent mistakes?
The short answer is that I rely heavily on my memory. My next lines of defense are multiple rounds of self-editing, my beta reader, and professional editing. This effort uncovered many significant issues like he/she mistakes. Readers hate obvious typos and leave angry reviews, so a good writer must constantly be on watch for mistakes.
Continuity problems are the hardest to uncover. Recently, an editor pointed out a plot issue with a sinking ship. “All the lights went out.” Ten paragraphs later, “They watched the deck lights go underwater.” Yikes!
The best way to combat such issues is to understand and adapt to my failings. Can I do more? Like a structured fact/logic/grammar check? Or develop a big list of facts? How about a self-editing schedule? Writers can go crazy endlessly checking their work.
Over the years, my techniques for avoiding and uncovering errors have evolved. My most important discovery is to begin writing/editing with a clear mindset. I have seen awful results too often when I write angry or am distracted. My next big discovery was to begin all writing projects with an outline and then review it many times before starting the first draft. For example, in a book about to be released, I discovered that the core plot made no sense at the outline stage, and the side plots added nothing. It would have been a disaster if I began writing and later discovered the issue.
My third technique for avoiding errors and getting into the right mindset is to begin writing by looking three paragraphs back. This allows me to get into the flow of the action and ease into the new words. While a trivial technique, it has saved countless editing hours.
My mind often struggles to remember all my invented facts. Even remembering all my blogs is difficult. It’s not all bad news. I like the challenge, and I see improvements. Or did I invent that fact? Human minds provide a false sense of security. Wait a minute. Who said that?
You’re the best -Bill
February 12, 2020 Updated November 29, 2024
The short answer is that I rely heavily on my memory. My next lines of defense are multiple rounds of self-editing, my beta reader, and professional editing. This effort uncovered many significant issues like he/she mistakes. Readers hate obvious typos and leave angry reviews, so a good writer must constantly be on watch for mistakes.
Continuity problems are the hardest to uncover. Recently, an editor pointed out a plot issue with a sinking ship. “All the lights went out.” Ten paragraphs later, “They watched the deck lights go underwater.” Yikes!
The best way to combat such issues is to understand and adapt to my failings. Can I do more? Like a structured fact/logic/grammar check? Or develop a big list of facts? How about a self-editing schedule? Writers can go crazy endlessly checking their work.
Over the years, my techniques for avoiding and uncovering errors have evolved. My most important discovery is to begin writing/editing with a clear mindset. I have seen awful results too often when I write angry or am distracted. My next big discovery was to begin all writing projects with an outline and then review it many times before starting the first draft. For example, in a book about to be released, I discovered that the core plot made no sense at the outline stage, and the side plots added nothing. It would have been a disaster if I began writing and later discovered the issue.
My third technique for avoiding errors and getting into the right mindset is to begin writing by looking three paragraphs back. This allows me to get into the flow of the action and ease into the new words. While a trivial technique, it has saved countless editing hours.
My mind often struggles to remember all my invented facts. Even remembering all my blogs is difficult. It’s not all bad news. I like the challenge, and I see improvements. Or did I invent that fact? Human minds provide a false sense of security. Wait a minute. Who said that?
You’re the best -Bill
February 12, 2020 Updated November 29, 2024
