…amounts...of...editing…?

[AC Benus]

Just curious to compare. I'm coming to the conclusion of editing a novella, and although I don't normally print it out to edit, I did this time. Attached is a random page with my markups. I'm just wondering how this compares to other people's level of 'clean up.' Do you do more; less?

 

I'd like to know

 

Edited July 6, 2016 by AC Benus

[Valkyrie]

I would say I do less technical editing.  I tend to edit as I write and generally write pretty cleanly.  Sometimes I like to print out a chapter or story to make notes or changes, and in that case it looks very much like the paper you've pictured, usually with a lot more red.  

[AC Benus]

There are very few technical edits here - only one typo. Most edits are for content - to balance flow - and the subsequent punctuation changes needed for it. That also explains the re-writes    

[Cia]

Mine varies. I edit as I go, then do a content/line edit, send it off to betas, do a second content/line edit based on that, then do a read through, then do a reverse edit looking for things I missed. So yeah, you're not alone in a lot of red ink (though mine is usually online).

[Emi GS]

Ask me about red ink and blue ink and multiple colors. Gosh!!! You'll think differently, if I print it and show it to you guys...

[AC Benus]

Ask me about red ink and blue ink and multiple colors. Gosh!!! You'll think differently, if I print it and show it to you guys...

Print it and let's see it! I started this hoping we could all share info about our process    

[William King]

I usually do about the same amount of editing as you show there, but I don't print it out. I do probably more when editing the work of someone who does not have English as their first language, but that's what you would expect.

 

I read through what's been written, edit, read it a second time to check for anything I missed, upload it to GA and read it a third time for anything I may still have missed and for the formatting, if I forgot a bbcode.

 

I know when asking about bbcodes I was told about the GA rich text editor, but like a lot of things on GA I've never found it!

[Aditus]

If I would print out my chapters there would be a lot more red. First edit is always insane. Sometimes I shift whole paragraphs around, delete superfluous words and descriptions. 

[metajinx]

I don't have a printer, so I do all my editing on the PC. I do use the Scrivener color highlighting option, especially while writing. I sometimes can't remember an English word, so I write it in German, mark it yellow and go on in English. Pink is for "check phrasing, this doesn't sound right", and after longer pauses, I use turquoise to highlight passages I don't especially like and might want to rewrite at some point.

Since I usually edit only small portions before I'm bored, I can't actually say how much editing a scene undergoes, but I'd say I'm about as high on the red as you.

[Aditus]

... I sometimes can't remember an English word, so I write it in German, mark it yellow and go on in English. ..

Yep, that's what I do too, sometimes even in Italian.

[AC Benus]

I don't have a printer, so I do all my editing on the PC. I do use the Scrivener color highlighting option, especially while writing. I sometimes can't remember an English word, so I write it in German, mark it yellow and go on in English. Pink is for "check phrasing, this doesn't sound right", and after longer pauses, I use turquoise to highlight passages I don't especially like and might want to rewrite at some point.

Since I usually edit only small portions before I'm bored, I can't actually say how much editing a scene undergoes, but I'd say I'm about as high on the red as you.

Yes, I use the teal to remind myself (or my editors) of things like tenses, but also to highlight words or phrases I'm unhappy with. I too get fatigued when editing, so I flag them to come back to several times. Thanks for the input   

[AC Benus]

If I would print out my chapters there would be a lot more red. First edit is always insane. Sometimes I shift whole paragraphs around, delete superfluous words and descriptions. 

Thanks, Adi. This printout roughly shows the third or fourth edit - most the the rearranging is done electronically, although even here you can see me rewriting a phrase off to the side. For this work I needed to coordinate a re-imagining of a particular character's way of speaking, so printing it out helped save a ton of time and headaches.        

[AC Benus]

I usually do about the same amount of editing as you show there, but I don't print it out. I do probably more when editing the work of someone who does not have English as their first language, but that's what you would expect.

 

I read through what's been written, edit, read it a second time to check for anything I missed, upload it to GA and read it a third time for anything I may still have missed and for the formatting, if I forgot a bbcode.

 

I know when asking about bbcodes I was told about the GA rich text editor, but like a lot of things on GA I've never found it!

One technique I've found helps me 'see' errors better is changing the fonts to one with serifs, and printing as a pdf. That slight change of look from what I'm used to makes some things pop out better. Thanks for your input. 

[Guest]

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Edited January 21, 2021 by Guest

[AC Benus]

Editing is not my forte, but I'm learning (hopefully improving) as I go. I do many edited drafts electronically for spelling, structure/content aspects. Then I'll print it out like yours, which helps me check punctuation and repetitive words. I also use a device to read it back to me to check it all flows. I find this helpful because I can also hear where words are skipped (like 'to', 'the') that my eyes might automatically add.

(To edit about my editing: no matter what I do I can't get it right, but luckily others have been kind enough to help me!)

Thanks for the info. I've been thinking about getting a narration download as well, and for the same reasons. Hmmmm, I should do it