The Word Cloud

Hi, all. This is the first time I've posted here. I'm in a bit of a bind, and hope others in similar situations might be willing/able to help.

You see, I had an idea for a book. I wrote some of it. I went to the Writing Festival in March 2011, and when I saw that meetings with agents/book doctors were included, I thought 'why not?', and submitted what I wrote.

I almost didn't go to the meeting with the agent, because I convinced myself it would be totally pointless. Then I told myself I had nothing to lose, and the worst he could say was it wasn't marketable. It was what I was expecting anyway. So I went...annnnnd, he asked to see the full manuscript.

Fastforward to now. I finished the full thing (massively too long) in November. It desperately needs editing down, and chopping up and bits rewritten, and I know everything that has to be done to it. I just...can't get off my butt to do it. It seems like such a mammoth task, and even though he told me I should take as long as I need to get it exactly how I want it, I feel like I already missed my shot for taking this long. The more I stress myself over getting it done, the less I want to go near it. Add in a madly busy term at Uni, and a small child to look after, and I'm starting to think I'll never get this finished.

So basically, what I'm asking is - when you've never edited a manuscript before, and are daunted by the task, where do you start? How do you get going? Is there a way of breaking it up so it's bearable? Hell, even telling me to shut the hell up and just do it might help at this point.

Thanks for any advice.

It will be very interesting to see the professional advice.

One thing that may help is printing off a hard copy and only marking up what doesn't feel right as you read it - don't worry about how it could be fixed, but just in identifying what doesn't work. You could then review your mark ups and decide if the problem is structural, at scene level, or a smaller problem with a paragraph or a sentence. This lets you get a feel of how much is to be done, and to work from the bigger picture down.

After another read through, it might be worth getting a review.

That's good advice, thank you.

I do have it printed out in hard copy, as editing seems to make more sense to me with a pen in hand. The result being, I have pages with red ink all over them - and when I go to change it all up on the computer, I'm still left with pieces that I don't know how to stick together properly. That's what it feels like, at least.

You're right though, I think. Getting rid of the bits that definitely don't work first is, at least, a place to start. It'll have the added bonus of knocking the wordcount down too, which it desperately needs. >.>

Thank you for commenting!

Hi Lena,

I have no idea about this having never got to the editing stage. I just did edit a 2,200 word short story for a comp and I know what you mean, daunting and that was a piddly amount of words. I printed it off then read it. Amazing what you pick up on the page. On the laptop it looks different. I'd just take it in bite size pieces and then when you think you are done print it all off again and give it another read. Also, get someone else to read the paper copy. I spelt some really obvious stuff wrong. So strange, that I keept missing these glaring mistakes. I think sometimes your brain reads it how it should be and not how it is so I'd get someone else to have a go too. Best of luck - sounds like it's a great ms you've got there so just DO IT!!
Jen

Gread advice from Barb.

This is what I'd do - it's not the only way at all, but it is a good way for many people.

If you've got a marked-up MS, then I'd suggest working your way through it, resisting the temptation to follow up ever hare that is started by something you're doing. Unless it's really, really quick to fix without getting diverted from the forward march through the novel, just make a note of the problem or query or whatever (either with pencil and paper, with the pp and line number so you can more-or-less find it later, or with a comment box on screen) and keep going. The pile of pages not yet done gets lower encouragingly fast. You'll then have an MS which is a huge step closer to being right, and a snagging list, as the builders call it.

You can then either sort the snagging list out into TYPES of job - sorting out a whole plot-strand, or beefing up a character - if that makes sense - and do each job one by one. Like having the electrician in one week, and the plasterer the next. Or you can just work your way through the novel in order again. Either way, I'd do it on screen. More stuff will turn up - do it now if it's quick, or if you're in the middle of sorting out something big like a plot strand, put it on a brand new new snagging list. Then deal with that list on screen.

When you've got no more snags to snag, I'd print it off again and read it aloud. (lots of water, and a firmly-closed door), marking what stumbles, trips, typos confuses or just occurs to you with the minimum mark that you'll know what you meant, and keeping reading. That way, you read it as a reader reads it, because your brain processes words for reading aloud in a different place - so it really is like reading something you've never seen before. Then do those on screen. Then you're (probably) done.

The advantage of doing this is that you keep moving forwards through the story, which is how a reader reads it, BUT you never just lose track of other ideas that float up.

"You can then either sort the snagging list out into TYPES of job - sorting out a whole plot-strand, or beefing up a character - if that makes sense - and do each job one by one. Like having the electrician in one week, and the plasterer the next. Or you can just work your way through the novel in order again, like getting the dining room perfect before you start on the sitting room. "

I blogged about a similar cry for help here:

http://emmadarwin.typepad.com/thisitchofwriting/2011/06/how-to-eat-an-elephant.html

I think sometimes your brain reads it how it should be and not how it is so I'd get someone else to have a go too.

Hi Jen. Thanks very much for commenting! And I've quoted the bit above, because YES. This. And I've noticed that distance definitely helps with this one, as well as getting someone else involved.

EmmaD, that's massively helpful advice, thank you. I hadn't really thought about it in terms of doing types of job at different times. I kind of just try to fix everything all at once, and then can't understand why it's still messy at the end. Definitely going to try it this way, once I've re-written bits I know need doing first. :)

You're welcome, Lena. I think it's really hard not to get embrangled in it all. Good luck with it.

(And yes, I agree that sometimes you read what you think is there. Or what you know is there, but haven't quite got down on the page for anyone who doesn't already know what you're trying to say - which is anyone except you.)