Is editing a novel really that hard?

[akitsukino]

I once put up a forum post asking people how many drafts they'd made before they felt they had a good novel. I was surprised to hear so many people say that they didn't have multiple drafts, they just posted whatever came out of their hands and called it a day. I too am currently posting a first draft to Tapas, but I'm doing it with the intention of eventually going back and fixing it.

I heard a commentator on a different post I made say that editing their novel took a whole year. A YEAR?! I hadn't even thought of that. Some authors go through multiples drafts too. No wonder it can take people so long to make just one novel. I've heard of people using professional editors, but I've also heard that those can be expensive and risky.

How many of you have edited a whole novel before? How long did it take? Do you think it paid off in the end?

[sei_gogone]

I mean.... This is from me speaking as a professional editor, but yes, on the whole it is. Especially if you're editing by yourself. But at the end of the day, it comes down to what you're looking for and what standard you're trying to reach with your writing.

People usually go with the first draft for a number of reasons:
• They are content with where their writing is right now.
• They've adapted their style enough to get away with it/to not mind errors.
• They haven't grown enough to see the errors.
• They're fine with the errors.
• They don't want to go through the added hassle to edit and risk getting frustrated.

After that, editing varies. If you're doing light edits to just add some polish, it won't take very long. But if you're doing deep edits, especially to try and establish a style, it could take a while. Editing is usually what gets people from one part of the drafting process to another. Usually, you end up coming up with better ideas and figure out how to adapt scenes.

Editing absolutely pays off in the end. Even getting into the habit of light editing as you write can greatly add to or build your writing skill. It'll help you figure out what you want to aim for as a writer and/or it could help you communicate with someone who's going over your writing.

I've edited a slew of written and interactive media for over a decade now, and it has changed what I value as a reader and a writer. It also helps me tell others how to improve or achieve their style without compromising much. Professional editors can absolutely get expensive when you employ their services. So I definitely say get into the habit of editing. Light editing to start off with because you can pick up basic habits.

Developmental editing is something I say people should think about when they're reviewing their work and are trying to find ways to improve or change their style. (Editing is one part of that process, but that's a different discussion altogether.)

[Plyasm]

I would have to say yes. Yes it is hard.
BUT, that is with regards to editing your own work. We humans are flawed in that spotting our own mistakes is just not as easy as spotting others. So what do you do then?
I would refer you to this other thread by Pablo. C. S.:

I hear lot's of questions on how to write better, how to be consistent, how to have good pacing and lot's of the answers boil down to perseverance, dedication, willpower, discipline. Don't get me wrong, these are crucial for authors, really any professional/dedicated hobbyist in any field to be honest. But, at least in my experience, an editor has proved indispensable! But won't an editor ruin ruin my vision? A good editor will never try to change your overall story, only the way it i…

It talks a good amount of the benefits of having someone help you with editing, and we also had a good discussion about it.
Hope you take away some good points from it!

[TAMAnnoying]

Haaa Im still working on my final edits :''''D They will never be done. Finishing a story takes a lot of discipline and like Plyasm said its hard to see your own mistakes. I have in total did prob about 4 read overs to each chapter before moving on to the next, after about 20 chapters later i did another 3 edits over the chapters ive already done before moving ahead, and now that im finished im on my final edit run, which im still in the middle of now and still have to keep going to earlier chapters to make sure everything is consistant. Having a second pair of eyes either a friend or a team is really nice because they will always see things you will always miss because you will just auto correct the problem in your head without a second thought. Its hard but doable, and eventually when i finish these final edits i will indeed say it was worth it.

[MuffinMusing]

I don't know how people can just write something and then immediately post it. I've always been amazed by the confidence in those folks. Half of my editing is just me struggling to make things at least half as terrible as I think they are.

That said, my edits can take up a lot of time because I like to let things sit. My editing is at it's best when I've gotten some distance from my writing. After returning to it, I usually go back and rewrite sections a few times, as needed. I don't think it would take me a whole year, but it still takes a while. That's just for Tapas though. I'm not sure how long it would take if I wasn't on a self-imposed deadline.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

If I spent a year editing a novel, that would mean I spent a year writing the novel. I don't know how you can separate the two so cleanly. In other words, I edit as I go.

Normally, the inspiration strikes and I punch out 2 or 3 chapters before I call it a day. The next time I come back to write, I re-read those chapters to get back in the mood, make all the necessary edits, and then punch out 2 or 3 more. Then next time I re-read all 4-6 chapters, edit again, then punch out 2 or 3 more...rinse and repeat until the book is done.
Older chapters need fewer and fewer edits with each iteration, and by the time I've gotten close to 10 chapters, I'm usually ready to put the first ones up on public display. When I can't find anything I want to change anymore, they're done.

The idea that someone could just write a whole book and THEN go back to edit it is kind of unfathomable to me. So when you re-read your earlier work, it just looks...FINE to you?? You never have one of those days where you get emotional and type 3 pages worth of garbage and the next day you have to go back and delete it all?? Or do you not...re-read??

[TAMAnnoying]

That feel when you write out three entire chapters and then delete them and start over.

[spicy_sweets]

Ya no, I race through the first draft to get my idea out my head, revise/rewrite a bit/add/cut content during the second. If I spent every chap of the first draft editing each one after writing it I'd never get to the end

[DokiDokiTsuna]

Inconceivable...do you just write shorter books?? Because for me it would be physically impossible to do the ENTIRE first draft before I lost any of my ideas. Writing just 2 chapters usually takes me about 5 hours. If I want to get ideas down fast, that's what I have outlines for.

Besides, if I did do that the book would be guaranteed to turn into garbage. I always get new ideas as I go along; I write myself out of plot holes and come up with motives that can give the story momentum. But changing things like that means that you have to edit the earlier chapters or else they won't make sense. And I'd rather edit them immediately than trust myself to remember all the things I changed a month later, when the story is done. Not worth it.

[spicy_sweets]

You have your way, I have mine. I'm currently writing an 80k~ word novel, and not stopping to edit til I get to the end. As a planser, I do the completed outline first, but it's not set in stone. Works for me, as I'm aiming for traditional publishing. All depends on your end goal/intentions with your work. ‾_(ツ)_/‾

[DasIstWunderblyat]

It's not always confidence, it's ignorance and indifference. Because people like us can't even detect our own mistake or even understand what we are doing or just don't bother because it's still crap anyway.

I post my chapters raw, and only edit it if I'm reminded of something.

Yes, editing is that hard.

[Lady_DarkStar]

they just posted whatever came out of their hands and called it a day.

This type of writing is very evident to an experienced writer or reader for that matter. No matter how engaging a story is, if they didn't at least get the grammar right, I don't continue reading anymore. There is just too much good writing I want to read to suffer through bad writing. Not bothering to edit your work is bad writing. Even best selling authors go through multiple drafts and professional editors.

I've heard of people using professional editors, but I've also heard that those can be expensive and risky.

Professional editors are highly recommended, with the caveat that you don't send them your first draft. They get very expensive when they have to correct every little spelling and grammar mistake you made. Edit the hell out of your manuscript before you get a professional editor, and then make sure you are employing the type of editor you need. Yes, there are many types of editors, from style to continuity, and everything in between.

Editing takes time. For my short stories, it's approximately three times the amount of time it took to write the first draft. I usually have four to six drafts, and the final product may not resemble the starting draft, though often, it does. Is it worth it? You better believe it's worth it. Editing turns garbage into works of art.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

No matter how engaging a story is, if they didn't at least get the grammar right, I don't continue reading anymore. There is just too much good writing I want to read to suffer through bad writing.

This is me, unfortunately. ^^; I really wish I could put up with bad spelling and grammar, but I can't. And I'm not talking about stupid little things like the Oxford comma; I mean when they make errors even Google Translate wouldn't make, again and again, I just have to leave.

I feel guilty about it mostly because the authors in question are usually those for which English isn't their first language, and there probably aren't as many opportunities for them to reach readers in their native tongue and they deserve at least a little slack.
But it's just too immersion-breaking for me. There's a limit to how engaging your story can be when it appears that the characters don't even know how to speak their own language.

[ZoeBlessing]

A year to write and finalize a story sounds reasonable. Mine usually go through several rounds, usually between 5 and 7 drafts. Some of that time is actually just letting the story sit for a month or so in order to gain objectivity. If we read and reread it constantly, we become blind to all the things that need fixing. Letting the story breathe a bit in between revisions is important. A lot of the time is also spent waiting for feedback, which is also important to the revision process.

[beta1042]

Like most things in life... if you want to do a good job, then yes it is hard.

I imagine most people who don't think it is that hard either
1- are very very experienced in it
2- Really really inexperienced in it, so much so that they are unaware they are not doing that good of a job.

I also find it's way easier to edit other people's work than my own, unless I've been away from my own for a long period of time.