{"id":24111,"date":"2021-05-21T03:00:57","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T10:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=24111"},"modified":"2021-05-13T09:38:30","modified_gmt":"2021-05-13T16:38:30","slug":"6-steps-to-editing-your-novel-an-unconventional-guide-by-keri-kruspe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2021\/05\/21\/6-steps-to-editing-your-novel-an-unconventional-guide-by-keri-kruspe\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Steps to Editing Your Novel: An Unconventional Guide by Keri Kruspe"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"6<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist Keri Kruspe<\/a> as she shares with us \u201c6 Steps to Editing Your Novel: An Unconventional Guide.\u201d Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo write is human, to edit divine.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013 <\/span>Stephen King<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh sure, what does a worldwide bestselling novelist know?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

I bet he has a legion of folks following him around, dedicated to analyze every word he writes so he doesn\u2019t have to. <\/span>*Sigh*<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For us struggling artists<\/strong>, there isn\u2019t anyone stumbling over themselves to do the heavy work that has to be done in editing our novels. It\u2019s up to us to do it all by ourselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jeez, whine much?<\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, back when I began my writing career<\/strong>, I <\/span>*cough*<\/span><\/i> assumed my publisher would take care of all the pesky details my sloppy writing left behind. I\u2019d happily go about my business, pumping out one best-selling novel after another once the first draft was done.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ha!<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for reality to slap me upside my stupid head.<\/strong> Especially after I sent my manuscript out to several publishing companies as well agents galore. I was lucky if I got back the \u201cthanks, but no thanks\u201d letters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Head low, I got off my high horse and went back to the drawing board and delved into one of the reasons <\/span>why<\/span><\/i> I was being rejected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Editing Your Novel: When I Started\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u201cIt is perfectly okay to write garbage \u2013 as long as you edit brilliantly.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013 <\/span>C. J. Cherryh<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I may have begrudgingly edited my own stuff in the beginning, but I have to admit I actually enjoy the process now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I imagine myself as Michelangelo<\/strong>, whittling away excess marble to uncover that yummy, robust statue of David (hey, I\u2019m a romance writer. I like to dream about hunky, muscular men\u2026).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My biggest problem is knowing when to stop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ezra Barany (Barany School of Fiction)<\/span><\/a>\u00a0once told me the time to quit editing was when all I did was \u201c\u2026 just move furniture around.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words,<\/strong> if all I\u2019m doing is replacing one word for another with the same meaning, it\u2019s time to let go.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dr.<\/p>\n

Admittedly, that\u2019s toward the end of the editing process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With that in mind, let\u2019s look at how my editing process is now.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013 <\/span>Dr. Seuss<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

6 Steps to Editing Your Novel\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

In a nutshell, here\u2019s the 6 steps I use to edit my work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please keep in mind this is a \u201cliving\u201d document and has the right to change whenever it wants.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Start with the end in mind\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

When I run though the rough draft for the first time, I focus on how the characters turned out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n