Sonja Foust

Editing

After drafting and setting the draft aside for a month or so, I print it. I tell myself it’s because it’s easier to read on paper, but really, I just like to see a stack of pages that I wrote. I read the whole thing in one sitting, looking for plot holes, themes, and other Big Picture stuff I need to fix. I make minimal notes and try not to get bogged down in copy-edits.

Once I’ve fixed the obvious stuff, I send it to my best friend for a read-through. She points out other gaping plot holes I’ve missed, gets on my case about using too many commas, and gives me other amazing advice. And I once again sit down at my computer to edit.

After another read-through from me and fixing everything I can possibly fix, including all the little stuff like forgetting the second F in “off,” and stuff like that, I save it. And back it up. (Of course I’ve been backing up my drafts during this entire process, and you should too. Back up, back up, back up, the first three rules of writing on a computer.)

Then, I’m ready to submit.

Related posts:

1. Story Building: How I Do It
2. The Process: Submitting
3. The Process: Pre-Writing
4. The Process: Drafting
5. Epiphanage