Blanket Writing and Editing Techniques To Help You Finish Your Story Once And For All By Sharon Forester
Welcome to the writing and editing technique list, fellow authors (and lovely others)!
To learn more about me and my books, go to authorsharonforester.weebly.com.
There might be one reason or another why you're wanting to read this list today. My reason for having this list is because I want to share with the world what I have found works best for me based on what I've learned in life overtime as a writer. I believe it might help someone out there who might be struggling with following through with their plans of discipline on their writing or editing processes. On that case, you might be someone hearing this for the first time, someone who has been looking for a list of techniques and are now ready to see what will work best for you. You, the reader, might end up being one of them, and I am happy to help! Alternatively, you might be someone who already knows about these choices, but you're looking for a new perspective in order to regain your inspiration or motivation.
1) Write In Pencil/Pen First, Then Type
Writing in pencil before typing the story in computer is not a waste of time. People don't realize that by doing this you finish the first draft and the first round of editing at the same time! There are writers out there who are able to type in their stories the very first time with no problem, but if you are like me, and the creative juices stop flowing and you loose that imaginative rainbow, an old-school writing session might be the perfect answer to help you concentrate on your story and... Get. It. Done. Of course, in the end, you are going to do what is best for you if this item on the list ain't it.
As you read through this item on the list, here is something you might think about: I say to you, "Write the story first because when you type it in, you are editing the first draft, thus making you ready to print the second draft." But you say to me, "How is this any different than typing the story in the first time around, and then print it to edit the first draft? It's still a two-step process, and neither one is any faster than the other." But I say to you, writing the story out works well because you are letting the story out in a concentrated flow, you can write in places where there is no internet, and when you start typing the story in with your first edit, you are making a lot of changes that make the story better. When the story has been typed the first time, you are reading through and fixing edits before you go back to change scenes, switch vocabulary words, add or subtract sentences, and more. When you print out the story, you are printing it for the intention editing the second round instead of the first, finally, and you save computer paper and ink.
I am used to writing before typing because I have done it ever since I was a little girl. Since the end of sixth grade, to be exact. For a while, I was convinced it was a waste of time just based on the thought that I needed to eventually type everything into the computer and start editing the first time around to perfect it as best I could. That's also what everyone around me said I had to do if I chose to write first.
As I got older and began to work the process of getting my writing typed in in its entirety before getting it printed, I realized I wasn't going to type everything in word for word. It turns out, that would have been unrealistic and indeed a good waste of time. I was unconsciously editing what I typed, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. It was inevitable for me to ignore the obvious errors on the pages. By the time everything was typed in, I had already gone through my first editing round, and therefore was ready to print out the second draft to edit it again, and get the story all that closer to publication. For me, that was the biggest accomplishment that changed my writing hobby for the better, and it might just as well do the same for you.
2) Print Out The Story Drafts
One major thing that will help you focus on editing your manuscript whether it's a short story or a full fledge novel is printing the work out. On the computer screen, the work is more accessible electronically but you are more likely to skim through the most important mistakes that could have been edited to change your book for the better. Printing the work out gives you the opportunity to write down specific notes when making your edits. The notes might involve stuff you are thinking about changing or enhancing as you correct the mistakes on the computer file. Some people like to print and edit several chapters at a time, other people like to print out the entire story and go from there. How you approach this is up to you, but they are suggestions offered to you for a better writing and editing experience. After printing out the files from your computer, you might be thinking about how to organize the pages that make up the short story or novel. Some people like to use rings to clip the pages together like it's its own book and call it a day. Others like to go more in depth and use paperclips to clip the chapters separately (if there ate any), and place the entire manuscript inside a manilla folder or a folder with pockets. What I do is get a binder and a pack of sheet protectors. I place each chapter inside their own individual sheet protector, and then place them inside the binder in story order. I have seen others go the extra cost and length of placing each page of a singular chapter inside a sheet protector and place the entirety of the story inside a binder.
3) Use Different Colored Pens
There are people who don't need to be so detailed with this step, but if you are like me and need a colorful (or more organized) boost for focus and concentration, then colored pencils or pens are writing utensils you can use to help you through the writing and/or editing process of your story project. I normally print my stories out in black ink, but there are times where I will use a different colored ink to save on black (because it is used for everything else you print out and it can get pricy to restock). On either case, I use colored pens that are not the same color as the printed document to make the edits stand out when I need to look them over and type them into the computer when imputing them. I use one color pen to start editing, and when my brain feels done with that pen color, using another color to continue my edits does the trick. Some people--maybe it's you, maybe its not--like to use colored pens spontaneously like that. You might not read the same page multiple times, but you might find yourself reading slowly to make sure you caught everything before moving on. Now, other people--again, maybe it's you, maybe it's not--like a more organized approach. I've tried to organize my various edits by assigned pen color to fix everything at once. It was not something that has worked for me in the past, but I am open to trying it again in the future. I have the tick of wanting to fix everything in every editing category on one page with the same color pen before moving on to the next page because it seems like less work. Here is an example of this: I used a green pen to correct punctuation, blue to correct grammar, purple to correct story development errors (like plot holes), orange for added scenes or sentences, and red for deleted scenes or sentences. This kind of usage might require you to either read the same page several times or read the page very slowly to make sure you caught everything. How you structure your reading and construct your color-coded editing categories depends on your personal preferences and what works for your brain. This is when it is a good time to explore your organization tactics as you edit your story.
4) Read Out Loud When Editing Your Story
This is a really big item that took me a little while to learn. Reading your work out loud allows you to catch errors you need to edit more easily versus just reading it in your head as you move along the page. When you read out loud, you spot errors more easily, you finish the project faster, and it will withhold the obstacle of overthinking about editing and overediting the story. These things are exactly what you want to accomplish here. When you read in your head, your brain goes through this process of automatically correcting or adding any missing data in sentences without realizing that that data is the very thing we are trying to catch during the editing process. It's not a good thing to feed because it'll make the editing process take longer, it will cause you to overthink how or what you should edit, and you might find yourself overediting the same piece or the same page multiple times, making it hard to move forward. I avoided reading out loud for most of my life because I was convinced that it would waste my time. I thought that I could handle editing my stories without any other exterior help if I just read everything carefully and slowly in my head. When I gave in to the technique a while back, I was mind blown to realize I caught mistakes that mattered by starting to do this when I edited the third draft of my book. Obviously, I decided reading out loud was something I was determined to put into practice during my editing process from now on. It causes me less headaches, I edited my stuff much faster, and I wasn't overediting non-existent mistakes on the same page over and over again.
5) Write Notes About Your Story Project One helpful hint for the writing and editing process is to always write notes about your story. It doesn't matter if you are in the writing or editing process. This will be equally as helpful to you. When thinking about the word "notes," we mean ideas for sentences, scenes, dialogue, descriptions with the intention of adding or changing information in the story. These notes might include ideas for new stories after this project is done or if you want to work on an alternative project. Some people like to have a separate electronic document or a notepad or diary/journal app where they type in all their notes. There are people who like to have a separate notebook or separate pieces of paper they put in plain sight in various locations to write down their notes as ideas come up for them. Some people prefer to leave notes when they comment on the printed or electronic documents they are editing. How you want to approach this is up to you, but this is a solid tip that is guarantee to help you move forward in writing and editing your stories. You are letting your thoughts, emotions, and ideas about the story flow freely and onto paper one way or another so you don't forget them. Those ideas don't always come back after you are done thinking about them when you've ignored the opportunity to jot things done, so take advantage of taking notes when that happens.
6) Grasp A Comfort Toy To Stop Nervous Ticks
If you have nervous ticks with your hands like I do, then you will want to have something on your person to occupy your hands, especially for the specific one feeding the ticks. Your ticks may look different than mine, but my personal nervous tick is pulling my hair, a common thing that happens to a lot of people. For this reason, I have a small blush doggy and a small plush bunny (both normal toys), and a squishy cake stress toy that I hold in my hair-pulling hand to withhold the habit. It keeps me more focused on my work and I don't end up bald on the front of my head. For some of you, the object may be a random item that isn't a toy. (I have met people that have told me they hold a big eraser or a banana in their hand to keep it occupied from hair pulling, and snapping fingers, or rubbing fingers together into a rug burn.) For others, it might be a normal toy, a fidget toy, or a stress toy. Whatever the material or type of toy or object, do what works for you. This process may take a bit of effort to incorporate, but if you stay disciplined, you will remember to tackle the behavior preventing you from staying focused in your writing or editing, and you may even get rid of the nervous tick altogether.
7) Take Advantage Of The Imaginative Rainbow
We all have bursts of happiness and sadness in our lives just as much as we have bursts of inspiration as well as discouragements. When you feel utterly inspired to write or edit your story at a moment's notice, it is so important to stop what you are doing to work on the project taking over your mind if you are able to do so. Even if it is sloppy on the page, you can always go back to fix it later, but remember that you can't have the idea back after it's gone. Savor the ideas or sessions when the creative juices are flowing and that rainbow is working because that is when the most creativity lies. It is normal to be taking a shower or cleaning the house or running an errand, and suddenly that rainbow inspiration hits hard. Sit down with your document and ride the way of the rainbow until it runs out. It is one of the best writing or editing sessions you will ever have. You don't want to miss out on the spur of the moment ideas that come with a suddenly active imagination. The reason it's so important for us to do this is because that rainbow means you suddenly have the most amazing ideas ready to come alive. When your brain is active like this, pour out your ideas onto the page because there is no better time to do it. I have found to been more likely to finish projects, amazing changes or additions, or have the most written ideas this way. This item on the list is related to the item informing you to take notes. Most authors carry a little notebook with them to write down notes in case of random bursts of inspiration. This is something I suggest you do as well if you are a writer. It will help you in the long run. It has genuinely helped me (note: I use the notepad app on my phone to take my notes when I get that rainbow).
8) Take Much Needed Breaks
No matter what we do, the mind will sometimes run out of energy for the current activity you are working on, eventually forcing you to take a break from writing or editing your book or story. At this point, your brain is telling you it needs to refresh. This happens for numerous reasons: mental overload, feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome, writer's block, burn out, and more. Taking mental breaks from writing or editing can help you regain control of your writing and editing process all the sooner than wasting time sitting there staring into space as time passes. If you are determined to finish your writing project but your brain is fried and not letting you, then a wonderful tip to put into practice is to taking a break from writing and/or editing to refresh the mind. One of the most common things you can do is keep your mind busy with another hobby for a while, watch some TV, listen to music, play games, or do some puzzles before returning to the writing/editing. You could do things beyond another activity, like practicing mindfulness meditation, taking a walk, getting a chore done around the house, going off to run an errand, or hanging out with a friend before returning to your writing/editing. After 10 minutes, 30 minutes or an hour, you might notice your brain is ready to start writing/editing again.
Now, this little part here is a warning about what you choose do when you are taking a break. Doing any of the activities up above are great ways to take mental breaks from doing one activity and occupying yourself with another. But there are dangers that can come with this. While you are switching activities, it is very important not to become distracted with the activities you are choosing to do. For this reason, you need to be disciplined in keeping your story in mind. You gotta prepare yourself to switch back to it once you feel your brain is ready. When you start playing a game, watching a show/movie, getting the sudden urge to rearrange your house, or staying out of the house for hours at a time, you might find that the day has passed you by. If you have a brain that wanders all too easily, then you might want to consider setting a time limit versus going with the flow of things. Test the waters during your break time without getting pulled away from your writing/editing to see what works for you.
9) Read Other Stories/Books
We might come to a point in our writing or editing process that feels kind of bland. You might find yourself repeating the same words or sentence structures, as if your brain forgot all of the vocabulary and grammar you have spent years mastering in school. Reading other people's works helps you study creative writing as you enjoy someone else's story. As a result, you mentally feel capable enough to zhuzh up the story you're writing/editing. (Note: Creative blandness may also be a sign of burn out or a case of writer's block.) This is a golden nugget of a suggestion that not only helps you enhance your writing skills but also gives you something fun to do (which has some health benefits of its own). Reading other people's works helps you regain the freshness of all that writing knowledge locked away in the back of your mind. Not only that, but it also materializes ideas about the story you are working on alongside the enhanced sharpness of grammar and punctuation, sentence structure, and vocabulary. If you're suddenly beating yourself up comparing yourself to another author, a act caused of imposter syndrome, then it is advisable to take a break from your writing and reading, and return to the story with a clearer mind after occupying yourself with a different activity or allowing yourself some time to rest. Getting back to work on your own writing after you've read someone else's work is very helpful in making you feel better about your own writing skills when you are not undergoing imposter syndrome. The next time you sit down to write or edit, you see your enhanced skill accomplishment recorded on paper and you realize that you ARE good enough to be a writer. And that is always the best feeling the world.
10) Crush Imposter Syndrome Like A Bug
When you do a search on Google, the engine defines imposter syndrome as: "a behavioral health condition that causes people to doubt their skills, intellect, or accomplishments, even when they have evidence of success." None of us will argue that this is one of the worst feelings in the world.
When you're in the midst of writing or editing your work and you start feeling like you are not good enough, this is a time in your journey where your mind is out to get you by not wanting you to finish your work. Why? That's the million dollar question to creatives and other dreamers alike. I don't know why our brains do this to us, but it is the reality of something we need to fight hard against if we want to get anywhere with our dreams--in this case, our writing--whether its just to publish for fun or for profit, or both. Otherwise we are letting our minds control us, resulting in regret at the end of the road of life in not having achieved a thing.
There are a lot of important things you can do to keep the imposter syndrome at bay (a mixture of things mentioned in the other items of this list would help), but the one I will mention here is one of upmost importance in the mental wellness field: positive affirmations. Feeding your brain positivity is the healthiest thing you can do to clear your mind of negative toxicity that plants an obstacle in your writing dream. You can practice saying positive things to yourself (positive affirmations) wherever you are. You can also go to a place where there is a mirror, look at yourself, and dictate the words to yourself. This suggestion might seem silly, but the action rewires your brain to be kinder to yourself overtime, which is what you want in order to reduce, and, hopefully, eliminate negative self-talk. You can write down positive affirmations and stick them in places you know you will see them. Read them from time to time to give yourself that much needed reminder.
One other important practice (as mentioned in the "Take Much Needed Breaks" item) to exist on top of the mental health field is mindfulness meditation. There are different ways to practice MM than just sitting down with crossed legs and closed eyes. There are endless techniques out there. You could try movement mindfulness meditation if you prefer to be more active, or you could try game-like meditations if you prefer to do something more interactive. Do some deeper research on the concept and try different techniques to see what works best for you. It's a wonder way to help manage your thoughts and feelings to reward you with more loving decisions towards yourself.
11) Change Your Working Environment
If you notice that you start having trouble concentrating and a multitude of tactics hasn't worked, then you need to spice up your environment a little bit because there might be a problem with it. Going about doing this depends on the kind of person you are and what works best for you.
If silence is what helps you concentrate better, then you will need to make sure the room you are in is an environment that won't have noisy distractions. Alternatively, if background music is what will help you focus and concentrate, then you can do a couple of things to satisfy that. You can put on background music or a random tv show or movie for the purpose of relaxation or white noise for your brain. Something about the intentional background sounds helps a lot of people get things done better than trying to shut the world out. It might be something that works for you too. It works for me but it depends on how I feel from one day to another.
One important thing you need to keep in mind about this is that the music or white noise should be something you are unfamiliar with or vaguely familiar with. Being too familiar with the sound risks the cause of distraction, which is the very thing you are trying to avoid. You can pick something you are familiar with, but you need to make sure it is something that won't steal your focus when you need to be writing or editing your work. Otherwise, you will have to change the sound or try something else. If, no matter what you do, you have trouble concentrating in the environment you are currently working in, then another thing you can do to ensure a proper working environment is to move to another environment that is more likely to meet your needs.
12) Start An Alternative Writing Project
When feeling burned out, distracted, or unfocused, starting a different writing project before returning to the original one can do wonders for your writing or editing process. Some of us operate better doing one project at a time. Sometimes I hate stopping a project to do another one because it makes me feel like I am taking two steps back on my writing path, but there is nothing wrong with doing this for the sake of your mental health and writing momentum. The fact is when your brain feels done with a project, it temporarily loses its creative juices. You try dragging yourself along to finish it, but doing that will make you end up wasting more time than saving it. Even 5 minutes of switching projects to refresh the mind can help you get back on track in your original work. The bright side of this too is that you advance in two projects at the same time instead of just one. Additionally, you practice writing more often, which is a useful thing to do.
Congratulations! You have reached the end of the writing and editing technique and tips list! I appreciate the fact that you've read this far. I hope that you have gained some new knowledge or insight with this list that you can use with your own writing and editing projects. I've grown as this list was accumulated, and I'm always ready to hear what your story as an author is (and what your creative story is), and what process works best for you personally. Learning new ways to do things is an exciting adventure! And I could always use new ways of improving my writing and editing skills. See you next time!