{"id":521,"date":"2013-12-03T00:31:00","date_gmt":"2013-12-03T00:31:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jeremyvarner.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/5-tips-for-less-painful-editing\/"},"modified":"2015-07-28T18:29:01","modified_gmt":"2015-07-29T01:29:01","slug":"5-tips-for-less-painful-editing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/jeremyvarner.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/5-tips-for-less-painful-editing\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Tips For Less Painful Editing"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, as of my writing this (December, though you may see this in the future, hi future!), the National Novel Writing Month just ended and you (the hypothetical you) have just spent the last month putting together the rough draft of your novel. Some of you might have done it for a laugh or just to prove to yourself that you could do it. But I know for a fact there\u2019s a lot of you out there right now who intend to publish or try to publish what you\u2019ve so painstakingly put together. In fact, I\u2019ve heard from multiple sources that the first week in December is one of the busiest times of the year for agencies and publishers as they see a sudden influx of manuscripts.<\/p>\n

This is a bad<\/b><\/i> idea.<\/p>\n

I understand, you\u2019re incredibly enthusiastic about what you just put together. But, please, be aware that you wrote your piece in less time than it takes some casual readers to actually read the thing – you may want to edit first. And, actually, in the spirit of hyping internet trends that promote writing, remember that Pitchmas<\/a> is coming.<\/p>\n


\nWhat\u2019s Pitchmas? Well, Pitchmas is a magical time when you can take your manuscript and pitch it directly to agents and editors rather than going through the dreaded slush-pile. However, one thing that is an absolute requirement is that your manuscript is complete<\/b><\/i> and polished<\/b><\/i>. That polished requirement can be a real pain in the ass and not a lot of people are prepared for it.<\/p>\n

However, the free-for-all #pitchmas<\/a> day is the 20th of December this year, so you\u2019ve got a little over two weeks to try to polish your work. Mind you, that\u2019s still not the recommended length for editing time, but I\u2019d rather you do that than submit the very next day.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, no one<\/i> likes to edit. In fact, it\u2019s probably one of the most painful parts of writing. So, let\u2019s talk about how to go about it with minimal meltdowns.<\/p>\n

1. Read it aloud<\/h2>\n
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This is one of the most commonly shared pieces of advice on the internet, so I\u2019m getting out of the way first. When you want to edit your work you\u2019re going to want to read it to yourself, out loud and where you can actually hear your work. This will be one of the fastest ways to detect all of the little hiccups in your grammar, flow and sentence structure. If it sounds awkward when you\u2019re reading it, it sounds awkward when other people are reading it.<\/p>\n

It seems like a silly concept at first, but remember that most of the time when you read silently you\u2019re scanning rather than fully comprehending. There\u2019s also a tendency for the way something looks to not perfectly match how it sounds. For the quickest example of this, I share this video:<\/p>\n