Tag: editing

How To Make Starting A Novel Revision Less Stressful

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Starting a revision can feel very overwhelming. There are a lot of moving parts and things to think about. With any multi-step project, thinking things through and making decisions before you start can help alleviate some stress and help you start things on the right foot. 

 

Method

The first decision would be figuring out exactly how you’re going to do this revision. Are you going to print out the document and bind it in some way? Are you going to work directly on your computer, probably in the program you used to write the first draft? Or are you going to turn your manuscript into a PDF and upload it onto your iPad or other tablet and use an app, like GoodNotes, to annotate by hand? I have used all three methods and they work for different types of drafts, so think about how you like to work and decide now which method you’re going to use.

 

Type

The next decision you’ll need to make is what type of revision you’re doing. Are you going to go from Once Upon A Time all the way to Happily Ever After, revising the book in a linear fashion? Or are you going to go through the book multiple times focusing on different topics or problems? For example, you go through the whole book working on the main character’s arc and then go through again working on subplots and finally you go through and tighten up and edit descriptions.  Both of these work, it really depends on you and your book. 

Setup

The final decision I would like you to make before starting your revision is what I call the setup. How do you write best? Do you need a writing ritual where you have music, candlelight, fancy beverages and snacks? Or do you write in silence? If you used a ritual during your first draft, utilize similar things and keep notes about what works and what doesn’t work.

You should also ask yourself how you want your desk to look like, or if you even want to work at home. Maybe drafting on the couch was perfect, but now you need more focused time so you need to write from the library.  These things can all depend on how you like to work best, the draft you are on, and what’s going to help you revise your novel. 

 

Final Things To Think About

Making these three decision before you even touch your manuscript can free up a lot of brain space, a lot of worry and stress so you can sit down and get to work making your book better.   Once you have your answers, you can prepare your manuscript for the method, write up notes about the problems you need to solve, and gather all the supplies you might want to have on hand for your ritual.  Having all of this before you even sit down with that red pen is going to give you so much confidence that you’ll be raring to go!

I would love to know which method of revision you’ll be doing, so let me know in the comments below. 

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4 Tips For Keeping Motivation High During Editing

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

Yay! You’ve finished your first draft – congratulations!  Now, are you ready for the editing process?  Don’t be scared. Yes, editing is a totally different beast and it can get long and lonely, but following the advice below will help you keep your spirits high and motivation even higher.

Make it FUN

Editing can be a long process with lots of moving parts.  I know my editing list includes things like: fix character voice, add more details and descriptions, and totally change the ending.  It’s a multiple pass system where I’ll be focusing on different issues on different days.  Editing is not always fun so you have to make it fun by using writing rituals that light you up. I like to light a candle, turn on my book’s playlist, and pull a tarot card before each editing session.  Figure out 1-3 things that will make you smile before opening your document or grabbing your notebook.

Another thing that helps me keep the editing fun is mini goals and rewards.  I like to set weekly goals and bigger mini goals of finishing either things on my list or a percentage of the book and then I reward myself.  For weekly goals, I’ll reward myself with a full day off and for bigger goals I’ll buy a new eBook, take time to read a whole magazine and drink a cup of coffee, or even just relax with a movie.  Whatever makes you happy will be a good reward.

Find your people 

Editing, and writing in general, can be a lonely process – where you spend hours, days, weeks, months (not at one time hopefully) sitting by yourself in a room with your notebook or computer working away so it’s good to have some people that understand what you’re going through.  Writer’s groups, people online, real life friends and family.  Make sure you’re taking breaks within your writing schedule to stay connected to the real humans in your life, even if they are online friends.  Cultivate those relationships, share in their wins and aggravations too so it’s not a one-way street.

You can also use social media and your online support group for accountability.  Post on your Instagram your weekly or daily goals, or post a picture before your writing session and again afterwards.  Not only does this keep you on track, but it’s fun – and shares your behind the scenes with potential readers of your book.

Get organized

Editing is messy even if cutting and pasting happens digitally (for the most part) it’s still messy so make sure you have one place for keeping all of your notes.  It can be somewhere on your laptop or phone or a battered old spiral notebook, but make sure you choose one for each project.  You can always change it up on the next book but if you have too many places to look for character name changes, ideas, and plot twists you’ll lose them.

Having one place always helps if you want to blog about your project. Blogging about your book really helps get those readers interested in the characters, the backstory, the why you decided to write this particular story, and about you as a writer so when you launch that book they are ready to jump and buy it on day one.  Even if you don’t want to share, keeping a journal of what you did each day gives you a boost of happiness and keeps you motivated.  Seeing progress helps on those days when motivation is nowhere to be found.

Use Tarot

When the blahs settle in and you’re feeling less than ready to sit down and work, grab your favorite Tarot deck and ask it for help.  Ask why you might be feeling stuck or what your main character wants you to know at this moment.  You can even ask it for advice on a sticky area or something that’s just not working.  

I also like to keep my character’s cards front and center when I’m working so if I do get stuck I can journal a conversation with them and ask them for help.  Our characters know more than they’re letting on so if they aren’t doing what we want, ask them why – they might unlock a whole lot of stuff that you can use in this draft.  

What do you do when you are feeling less than motivated during the long editing process?  I’d love to know below.

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How To Create An Editing Plan

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I took a break from my manuscript and now I’m ready to dive back in for what I’m hoping will be the fourth and final round of edits.  If you read my last blog post you know I had some feedback from my editor, so I sat with that for awhile and then made an appointment to speak with my editor about a plan.

We talked about being methodical with the draft so I don’t miss anything – because I’m serious, I’m ready for this book to be out in the world – and really going as slow as I need to accomplish that goal. We also came up with some really good guidelines that I think will help other writers.

Read and create a Reverse Outline

And while you read, take notes – lots and lots of notes. I plan on doing this right in the Word doc I sent to my editor and making my notes and comments in a different color than her notes so I can see them both.  As I’m reading I will create a Reverse Outline – which is my editor’s favorite thing – and for good reason, it helps you see all the big problems right away.  A reverse outline is simply an outline you make after you’ve written your book – instead of mapping out where you want to go, it helps you see where you’ve been (or where you haven’t been). 

Once I’ve read through my book, read through all of her notes and made all of mine, and created a new reverse outline – it will be time for the next step.

Priority Checklist

Since a lot of my editor’s notes were about things that I need to fix book-wide, I’m going to make a checklist of all of those things and look over them while I’m editing.  Things like – are we in a white room or is there description? Do my characters sound the same or different? Is everyone mad or angry or is there variety?  Having one checklist to look over will keep me organized and on track to fixing those book-wide issues that I seem to be having this round.  I call it my priority checklist because these are things that NEED TO BE FIXED!!  Like major attention needs to be paid. 

Planning

Now comes the somewhat fun part, planning my writing sessions. I will look at my calendar and my digital planner and I will start working out how much time I’m going to have each week for editing.  2-3 sessions a week is usually my average with some weekend times thrown in there.  And I usually average one chapter per session so I can plan on having 30-35 days of work to get everything done.  OK! 

Side tip! Get yourself a reward system — use stickers for each day you do your writing and after so many stickers give yourself a treat – either a day off, or a fancy coffee, or time with YouTube.  Make this part fun!

Start working and writing

Once I have my notes, my general checklist, and my plan it’s time to actually start. I will open up the Word Doc and my Scrivener file and  get to work – little by little, fixing each chapter. I read through the notes from me and my editor and fix those first.  Then I’ll go through the checklist and make any and all changes to make sure my chapters are near perfect.  I’m hoping I can get one chapter done per editing session but some chapters might need more sessions so I can adjust as I go.  Try to remain flexible with your own plan – things happen.

Final read through

Since I would like this to be my last major edit, I will do a final read through at the end and run a spell check to catch any glaring errors before sending it back to my editor.  Whew!  That was a lot of steps, but when you want to do something right you need to buckle down and do the work, right?  Right!

Have you ever edited a major project? A book, or large term paper perhaps?  What were your steps?  What are you still curious about in terms of editing?  Let me know in the comments below or email me and I’ll get back to you with my answers.

How I’m Making Writing More Fun

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

I go through cycles of my author journey where writing feels really carefree, fun, amazing, and then there are downright muddy, painful, and just plain hard times too. I’m in a hard phase right now, as you know from last month but I’ve decided instead of just staying in the muck, I’m going to pull from my bag of tricks and work on making the writing more fun!

Music

I need music to write and edit but with my husband working from home and my son doing remote learning and our apartment being just a tiny bit too small it’s hard to find a space to play music, but since I’ve started writing more in the morning before everyone wakes up, my headphones have become my new best friend. It’s been so nice to listen to my Etta and Gina playlist while I work on my novel again. 

 

Timers

I’ve talked about timers before but seriously, playing beat the clock and doing quick sprints creates so much fun. Set a fifteen-minute timer and I try to see how many new words I can write, or how many paragraphs I can edit. Or even how many toys I can pick up or how many dishes I can clean. Pair this with music and my next tip – rewards – and you have a quick burst of energy and some good work getting done.

 

Rewards

Coffee is my number one reward when I write in the morning, but I also like to have weekly rewards for hitting my writing session goals. Time with a cup of tea and a magazine, time to just lay on the couch and watch an old movie (the Back to the Future trilogy is on Netflix – FYI), or just time to put on a face mask and lay down with my eyes closed. Lovely!

 

Location

The old joke about real estate (location, location, location) is true – if you’re used to writing in a certain spot, or going out of your house to write, and that isn’t feasible or working right now – switch it up. Usually write at your desk? Write on the couch! Usually head to a coffee house and that’s not possible right now?  Find a jazzy radio station, brew up a fancy coffee in your own kitchen, and try sitting at your dining room table! Typing not working? Try a quick walk in your neighborhood while you dictate some words to your phone. Write in bed, write on paper using a pen, just try something different. Take notes and think of it like an experiment – you never know, you might find a place or a situation that just works!

 

Mindset

Sometimes, the only thing you can do to get out of a funk is work on your limiting beliefs. If I’m thinking, “This isn’t fun anymore!” then I’m not going to have fun the next time either, it becomes harder to start writing. I use daily affirmations that I write down to help me stay on track, but when I get into a real funk sometimes I have to journal my thoughts out and see what’s going on. Lately, I’ve realized that I was more worried about the end result and not about the process – which is a real problem for me. So I worked on those issues with daily affirmations.  For example, Writing is fun. My writing is a joyous process, an adventure I get to take. My characters are friends who I love hanging out with. You get the idea, and it’s cheesy but if you’re writing them down in a notebook or journal – no one is going to see them. 

 

Story

Also, related a little to my mindset and the fact that I was stuck on results and thinking way too far ahead, I gave myself permission to work on whatever made me happy during that writing session. I’ve hopped around and written new chapters instead of working in a linear fashion, chapter one to chapter two, and so forth. If I feel like editing, then I go backward that morning. If I wake up and really just want to work on a blog post or some Instagram posts, then I do that without guilt. If I wake up and really just want to jot down a bunch of ideas for a new story or quickly write a short story (or some bad poetry) – then I do that. Anything to keep writing and to make the whole process FUN.

 

If you’re a writer – how’s the whole process feeling during this time? If you’re feeling mucky, can you infuse a tiny bit of fun into your writing again?  And if you’re a reader – how are you infusing fun into your day?  This isn’t just for writers, this is a hard time for everyone and I think we all need some levity, self-care, and rest in our days.

 

 

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How The “New Normal” Is Affecting My Writing Life

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

“How’s the novel coming?”

 

This question, to be honest, leaves me feeling cold lately.  The writing is just not flowing. Editing feels like I’m trying to create a beautiful statue from a giant slab of marble, slow and meticulous. Kinda tiring really. 😞

 

We discussed a few weeks ago the concept of new normal, well today I’d like to tell you how that new normal is affecting my writing routine.  Before Covid-19 I was just getting into editing my novel, doing my morning stuff and then writing before coffee. Then quarantine happened, kid and husband were home, work duties, school stuff, and general uneasiness threw off EVERYTHING!

 

It took me a month of lockdown to just get back into a morning routine, figure out how school and work could happen at the same time and keep everyone happy (including my clients).  Now, I’ve got to figure out when to write – not just the time of day or week, but how much energy do I have to expend to pursue my creative projects.

 

I ❤️️ writing, but it’s not what pays the bills and feeds my family.  It’s not going to help my 3rd grader with math (but if you know what will – send help because math and I don’t always get along). It can’t be my sole focus right now. I have to find a balance. 

 

Before I valued the weekends with my family, relaxing and catching up on things around the house and playing games of Roblox, but I have found that weekends are the perfect time to get my weekly editing sessions in now.  I had to learn to be flexible and think a tiny bit of the box.  

 

Weekends are so perfect because there’s no client work to worry about, no school to think about, my husband doesn’t have to be tied to his computer all day, and my son is happy doing his own thing sometimes.  I can get a few 20-minute sessions in and still have time for gaming, household cleaning, movies, and baking.  

 

So how’s the new normal affecting you? Are you using a more flexible schedule? Can you celebrate even the tiniest of wins this week, even if you’re not getting all the things done?

 

For me, I’m celebrating writing this post and writing the new ending of my novel! 🎉

 

 

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A Few Of My Favorite Things…When I Write

Posted on by Jennifer Gregson

It is now firmly into 2020, almost the middle of January and you know what that means? It’s time to get some writing done!

As I gear up to start revisions again I thought you might like to see a list of the things I need to start writing.

☕️ Coffee – mmmm, coffee

📕 My beat-up project notebook (see image – this thing has been in numerous bags and flung all over my desk/office area)

🖊 Various blue pens – my pen color of choice for most things (like I’m lowkey upset that the emoji is a black pen)

☕️ Coffee – ok, I’m all set up, I’ll grab a 2nd cup

🎼 Music, I actually created a playlist specifically for this revision/draft to help get me into the mind of not one but two teenage girls

💻 Scrivener and GoogleDocs – I did a lot of my outlining and pre-writing for this draft over in GDocs so I could share with my Editor/Writing Coach but now I need to get those notes back into Scrivener where I do most of my actual writing

☕️ Coffee – can never have too much!

Are you a writer or creator of some kind, tell me in the comments below what you need to start working on your projects?

 

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