Finding things to fix in our writing feels like a never ending experience. Even when we’ve edited it numerous times, there’s something that can always be added to the story to make it better and more solid.
After a draft, the story continues to linger in our minds. We think about the characters and the structure of the story. We contemplate if everything works and if there’s something that’s missing. If we conclude that everything is airtight, we feel that the story is done.
That is until we find a mistake. It could be a tiny mistake, such as a spelling error or the wrong use of “their” vs. “they’re”, or a big mistake such as a character trait inconsistency or a choice that they made that makes no sense. It’s as if we’re blind to these mistakes because the story already make sense in our minds.
Another pair of eyes can be crucial when editing a story (and to catch these mistakes). When we have someone else read it, they point out the things that we were blind to. They see the glaring errors that we skipped over, and can suggestions on the pacing and the word usage (i.e. if a paragraph/sentence is too wordy or if the wrong word is used).
What I do toward the last edit is compare the last version to the second to last version in Microsoft Word. I can see what edits I made, and if I should keep them or revise them. This way, I’m not exhausting myself by rereading the story (after the 10 time) and focus on the changes instead.
Fallton Havenstonne 