editing stats
I am doing something New & Strange with this revision.
Typically when I’m working, I have Word’s display set to 85% of full size, and I have the style set to normal, so there are no particularly noticeable page breaks. I really loathe the print view, where each page is wholly separate. It throws off my mojo. But for this revision, that’s how I’m looking at the manuscript: one page at a time, and at 100% magnification.
I actually think it’s making a significant difference. It means I’m looking at a different screen, and one of the things I’ve come to notice is that when it comes to revisions and editing, changing the font, the line spacing, the margins, all of that, can really help, because my eyes are already accustomed to the patterns the words make in my usual viewing style and a different font/style/whatever means I have to look harder. So I genuinely think this change is making a difference, and that’s a good thing to remember for future revisions.
Chapter Five
page 100: in the original manuscript this was page 109. Already I feel accomplishful. :)
page 110: I am a consistent creature. I forgot to turn pages in the printout, but I’ve made the same cuts I did on paper. Go me.
Moop. 700+ pages is an awful lot of book to go through.
page 130 original/120 new: hrm. ok, this would be the place to add in a new Belinda scene, if I’m going to do that. Which I don’t yet know if I’m going to-might actually need editorial feedback on that decision. Or maybe when I get to re-reading the revised printout I’ll have an epiphany and know if I need to.
Aw. Got to the end of this chapter without striking any pages. No! I have managed to cut one. Yay! (It’s the little things, I tell you.)
Chapter Six:
Nip, tuck, WHACK WHACK WHACK. Three pages gone, but now to stitch what’s left back together. It might be lunchtime after that.
Ok, not bad. Cut three pages, only added one, and the scene’s better for it. Possibly it’d be better yet with a little more to it, but I think right now I’ll leave it as is and go have lunch. :)
Chapter Seven:
page 153: I repeat the earlier moop. Page 153 and I am *nowhere near* even the 1/3rd mark, much less anything more significant. Moop.
page 163: Ooh hoo. Okay. Are we ready, folks? This is the big chunk to be stricken. Again, it might get posted on the website as DVD extras, but essentially, it can be reduced to a couple of paragraphs without losing much in the way of story. Page count upon arriving at page 163: 705.
*drumroll please*
Pagecount after striking this stuff: 695. Aaaaand…voila. Even with the text revised so it’s all stitched together, I’m still at 695 pages.
Of course, that was by far the biggest chunk I could take out. On the positive side, it does mean I’ve cut, what, 24 pages out of the first 165. That’s not nearly as much as Jenn hoped for, but it’s *got* to tighten things up a bit. Go me!
Chapter 8
Ok, if I can cut even one page out of this I will be pleased. *snip, snip snip* Ooh! I did it! Yay! Think I can do two?
Oh look, it appears I can, as I’ve got another two pages crossed out here. *attempts to configure that into something coherent* Oh, look, again, this is the first place Betsy and I have both cut a substantial chunk.
Not bad. Down to 693 pages.
Chapter Nine:
page 200: A hundred pages so far today. Not bad, although I’m certainly not turning this in on Friday at this rate. Ok, time for a break and then I’ll come back and see if I can get this sucker down to 690 pages.
…oh, I love this scene. :)
page 210/231: this would be me freaking out because my printed manuscript goes from page 231 to page 259 without warning. Several seconds later, this would be me feeling foolish because that’s *Betsy’s* version of the manuscript, and she only sent the pages she marked up. Doh. :)
Darn. No pages cut from this chapter.
Chapter Ten
Tiny snips cut a page out. Also, hey, I passed the 1/3rd mark without even noticing. That’s rather nice!
End of day stats: manuscript length: 690 pages. Total pages cut so far: 27. I’ve quite literally cut 10% of the manuscript: on the original manuscript, Chapter 11 starts on page 275. On the revised manuscript, it starts on page 250.
…that’s quite good, actually. I’m quite pleased with that.
(x-posted from the essential kit)