Finishing Part One

As far as editing goes, I'm doing pretty well. I'm not finished with the mark ups that I need to do. This novel is a lot longer than some of the other things I've been editing so I'm still plugging away but I have less than 100 pages to go before I'm finished with that process.

When I get to the actually editing process - re-plotting and whatnot that needs to happen in some parts- I should be good because I already have my changes written in a time line. Keeping track of the time in my novel has been a pain in the ass so I tracked it before I started editing so I have a sense of where everything needs to be. Let me tell you, my novel is so far off from the mark in some places that it's painful.

I can't wait until I get to the actual re-writing of the scenes part of my novel. As much as I hate that part of it, I know that it's going to be worth it in the end.

Editing And All That Fun Stuff

What is the one thing you struggle with when it comes to editing? What is the one thing that you find easy to do? What is your favorite editing tip?

Bonus: Take a selfie/novel-ie of you/your novel in the midst of revision.

My biggest issues when it comes to editing a novel is finishing the edits. I struggle with rewriting the parts that need work. I have no problem tearing through my novel, though it takes me a lot of time since I'm a little picky but it's worth it.

Editing in itself is a monster, especially when it's your first time. I've edited  a few things but the only things I've ever completed were a few short stories. The satisfaction just after finishing those was rather nice and I'm hoping that I'll feel very accomplished after finishing editing a novel. 

My favorite editing tip would be to know what you wanted your story to be about before you start editing. It seems like a weird editing thing but by knowing what you want from your novel will help you focus on where the changes need to happen. Sometimes, I lose focus on what I'm working on but I have it written down in a place where I can see it, so it keeps me on track.

The image above is the closest thing I have on the novel I'm currently editing.

Results of January

This January wasn't one of my best considering my goals and all but I learned a thing or two along the way about editing. I'm not sure if it's just for this particular novel but that's something I'll figure out as the year goes on.

My totals for the year are:

• Editing: 50 hours
• Writing (typed): 22,515 words
• Writing (hand-written): 1,219

I think that's all I have for this month's goals. I didn't finish editing Call of the Piper but I did figure out where I wanted to go with the story. It's not going to be perfect but after I finish rewriting some of the scenes, I'll be on the right track. I won't have to go through and change everything again.

February is going to have a nice range of goals. Some of them are more personal.

• Finish editing Call of the Piper
• Continue working on handwritten novellas
• Write Hush for the Keeping Warm in February challenge
• Consistency Challenge (750 words a day)
• WriYe Blogging Circle 
• Work on creating a healthy lifestyle
• Apply for Jobs

 That is all I have for now and frankly, that's all I really want to have for the month of February. There are going to be small challenges during the month that I might partake in but I'm not sure I'll have time. I want to keep them simple. I want to start working out again and eating better. Hell, eating more at home would be a good start.

I have my art goals that I want to do as well but I think I'll leave that for my crafting blog.

Writing Resolution: Editing

 Goals: What is your one main goal for this year? Call it your writing resolution. Not two. Not five. Your main and only one. And why is it your goal? 

Bonus:Make a mantra to tell yourself all year when you feel as if you can’t reach this goal. Share it with us! 

(WriYe Blogging Circle Prompt)

  

This year, for me, my focus is all on editing. I have a lot of projects to get through this year. One might not be fully finished by the end of the year due to the massive changes but I want to get it out of the first draft stage. There will be writing but it's not what I'm working with this year. Most of my writing will focus on short stories rather than full on novels. I will write a few novels this year but I don't have many planned. 

Editing is my primary goal because it's the next step I need to take if I want to try to publish something soon. It might not be a novel just yet but a short story or a series of short stories. Whatever it is, I just want to get something ready for publishing.

As for a mantra, I don't have one that goes with my current goal. At least, I don't have one right now. One might come to me later, as I continue to edit.

Progress Update: Discovering New Things

I started editing the first novel of my Radley series since the first of January. Well, technically, it was the first of March. Between then and now, I realized that my novel didn't flow, so I changed it a bit and added the flow. I moved around scenes and let everything come together like it should. Though, now I realize that the process is going to take a bit longer. That, or I'm going to have to work double time on this.

So, even though it's been a few days into the new year, I've discovered a few things that help me with the "dissection" of my first draft. I don't think I need to use these all of the time, for every draft. This is just for me getting back into editing and changing certain scene significantly without rewriting the whole darn novel.

The one thing that really helps me is taking notes on my scenes so I know what needs to be added and where it needs to be added. Also, keeping my workspace distraction free is key to getting things done.

Thanks to my brother, Lee, I'm not obsessed with Pentatonix. I've been avoiding listening to their music for a while but now I have a few of their albums. I have to keep my phone and my headphones off my desk if I want to get any work done.

For now, I don't really have a set method for editing but I'm hoping to discover something that works for me as I continue to edit novels and short stories throughout the year.

A Year of Editing

It's finally the new year! That means, setting goals. For me, it's editing. I mean, all editing. I have several novels and short stories that need to be revised and looked over. There will be some writing, but only 2 or 3 novels this year and some short stories randomly scattered about the year.

The goal is to bring at least one novel to the final stages and possibly releasing it into the world, published. There's still a lot of work to get to that stage though.

The first novel I'll be working on is Call of the Piper (temporary name). I've been working on this since March (2014) and I have so much work to do on it. A good chunk of the novel will be changed. I can't wait to get started.