I don't know if these are techniques you've ever tried, but I have two approaches to editing.
The first is print it off and get a coloured pen (red if I'm feeling harsh, or something pretty if I'm feeling like being a bit kind to myself). It's so much easier for me to edit what's held in my hand and see the words on paper and scribble all over it.
However, obviously printing budget is limited sometimes, so in these cases I always, always save the file under a new name first. Maybe this is really obvious but I only started doing it in the last couple of years and it means not only do I have evidence of the 'progression' file-wise, but I don't have any hesitation or regrets about deleting chunks if they don't currently work.
Also, again sounds silly, but I try to edit my work in a different physical place to where I write. So I have free-flowing creative space and critical editing space. These things might sound stupid or obvious, so I hope I'm not teaching my nan to suck eggs, but these are the Luce Ways of coping with the editing
Comments 2
Reply
The first is print it off and get a coloured pen (red if I'm feeling harsh, or something pretty if I'm feeling like being a bit kind to myself). It's so much easier for me to edit what's held in my hand and see the words on paper and scribble all over it.
However, obviously printing budget is limited sometimes, so in these cases I always, always save the file under a new name first. Maybe this is really obvious but I only started doing it in the last couple of years and it means not only do I have evidence of the 'progression' file-wise, but I don't have any hesitation or regrets about deleting chunks if they don't currently work.
Also, again sounds silly, but I try to edit my work in a different physical place to where I write. So I have free-flowing creative space and critical editing space. These things might sound stupid or obvious, so I hope I'm not teaching my nan to suck eggs, but these are the Luce Ways of coping with the editing
Reply
Leave a comment