One Way to Write

Editing a Chapter Before Publishing

Some authors don't do this. But I do. Of course, once the book is complete, I go back a month or more later and edit again with fresher eyes.

Why is editing important (to Lena)?

First drafts are fine to share, for me. Rough drafts are not. I never want to post my rough drafts for readers. They deserve better than that. My book deserves better than that. My first drafts aren't perfect, but I want them to be comprehensible, easy to process, and contain enough emotion to affect readers.

How Lena Edits a Chapter Pre-Publishing to Wattpad

Step 1: Write a paragraph or ten.

Step 2: Read back over what I just wrote. Tweak anything that's clunky or awkward. Fix typos and punctuation mistakes.

Step 3: Continue doing the above until the chapter is finished.

Step 4: Go back and reread. Immediately edit whatever stands out as being subpar.

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Here's an example using an excerpt of Chapter 36 of This is Not a Tragedy (spoilers ahead):

After Step 3 (before Step 4):

As soon as Hitori opens his eyes, waking from sleep, I leave for work, honestly somewhat glad to get away. The night was long and I realized I haven't slept in more days than appropriate. The tiredness weighs down my body and brain. It makes it that much more difficult to reason, which is why I avoid spending the morning with Hitori. It's also why my negotiation takes a while.

"Are you alright?" Kyo asks after having to take over the last negotiation.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

We load into the van.

Ian sighs heavily. "Glad to be done! * After the debriefing, we're going to go drinking. You're coming, right, Natsu? You promised."

After Step 4:

As soon as Hitori opens his eyes, waking from sleep, I leave for work, honestly somewhat glad to get away. The night was long and I realize I'm a couple of days overdue for sleep. The tiredness weighs down my body and brain. It makes it that much more difficult to reason, which is why I avoid spending the morning with Hitori. It's also why my negotiation takes longer than usual.

"Are you alright?" Kyo asks after having to take over our final negotiation.

"Yeah. I'm fine."

We load into the van.

Ian sighs heavily. "Glad to be done!" He turns to me, his place in the vehicle now where Amelia's used to be. She now sits in the back for obvious reasons. "After the debriefing, we're going to go drinking. You're coming, right, Natsu? You promised."

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See inline comments for explanations as to why I made the edits I did.

✧ Editing this way makes writing a chapter take a bit longer, but if you're like me and want at least four star quality on a first draft, this method ensures for that.

What do you edit?

Every author has a different mental checklist depending on their strengths, weaknesses, and intent. Here's what I watch out for:

- Clunky sentences

- Repeated words or phrases (In TNoN, I watch out for too many "I"s. They're tough to deal with!)

- Non-stylistic repetitive sentence structure

- Missing details (e.g. How did they get from the bedroom to kitchen?)

- White room (e.g. Where the heck are they?)

- Talking statues (e.g. Dialogue lacking any body language or actions or useful facial expressions)

What are some things you keep an eye out for when you edit?

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Takeaway: Edit as you write.

Best wishes in writing! What topic would you like me to tackle next?