Normally, it takes me about 5 edits to finish a story. It could take more, of course, but that is the average for me. I’ll describe the process below.
The first edit consists of rewrites and changes to the story. I might change the characters names, the location, and even the turning points. It’s about looking at the overall picture, to make sure that the story is cohesive and that it has a clear beginning, middle, end. The first edit is a structural analysis of the story.
The second edit consists of working on the details and adjusting the scenery, fixing the pacing, etc. It’s not as intensive as the first round of editing, but a lot of edits are still made. I might delete entire paragraphs and change the sentences around. The second edit is about making sure the story is communicated properly.
The third edit focuses on flow and word usage. I pay more attention to homonyms such as “they’re,” “their,” “there,” and I tighten up the dialogue and the paragraphs. It’s basically a refinement edit.
The fourth edit is more like a proofread where I’m checking for spelling, punctuation, and grammar. I can’t begin to tell you how many times I drop words even though I will have read a passage 3 or 4 times already.
The fifth edit is a comparison edit, where I compare the 3rd and 4th drafts using the “Compare Documents” feature in Microsoft Word. I look for the edits I made in draft 4 and decide if I should keep them or revert back to the original (the 3rd edit). It’s a buffering and shining edit.
And before I publish (especially on Amazon), I usually send my story to a reader to have another pair of eyes on it, to see if the narrative makes sense, as well as to check for spelling/punctuation and grammar errors.
With each published story. I continue to improve my writing. I learn from my mistakes and carry the lessons I’ve learned onto the next story. It takes a lot of work and time to revise and edit a story, but it’s worth it to have a polished story in the end.
Fallton Havenstonne 