A.E. Albert: A Writer's Blog

Yes, Your Literary Mess Can Look Like  Real Writing

Editing: Yes, Your Literary Mess Can 

Look Like Real Writing

by A.E. Albert

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.” 

― Dr. Seuss

And you thought writing a book was hard. Now it's time to edit the bloody thing!

I'm a new writer myself and my blog is primarily for those of you out there like me.  Let's face it, we're stumbling around in the dark in this brave new world of self-publishing and I wouldn't have gone far if it wasn't for other writers blogging about their experiences.

We all have our own unique styles of writing.  A writer friend of mine is quite meticulous and aims that every line is perfect before he goes on to the next.  

Me, on the other hand, basically produces word vomit on a page.  I get in a zone and only focus on the concept.  Unfortunately, this requires  a lot of editing afterwards. Thank you, Thesaurus!  

It took about 3 hours to write a chapter, but 8-12 hours of editing afterward.  And this was the only the first editing phase. 

Raw writing takes a lot of energy, but editing takes time and patience. Of course, always have someone else read it over and if possible hire a copy editor. 

Read: Editing Your Own Book — The Top Ten Book Self Editing Tips


I Wanted To Write 'The Grapes Of Wrath,' Not 'Of Mice And Men'!!

So you've finished your book.  But wait, it's drastically smaller than you aimed for.  I know, this happened to me.  So I had friends and family read it over....and over and over.  Each time they gave me great advice.  

I needed to add humor here, more action there. This section is too short, you need to make it longer.  After having read it four times, I added over 100 pages to my manuscript.


Yes, We All Have To Copy-Edit.

Unfortunately, you're not near done.  However, I hope you can learn from my mistakes.  I read through it just to make sure I didn't use that in my dialogue, I didn't use my character names too often, I used contractions (especially in dialogue).  

That doesn't even count the times I looked for typos and grammar errors.  When I say I've read through my book about 100 times, I'm not kidding.

The Write Life

Have No Fear, The End Is Near!

If I've learned anything, it's that the publishing business is tough.  A good story is, of course, necessary.  But good editing is next on the list. However, if you're at that place, staring at your screen and thinking, "What is this God awful mess I've made,"  

Don't Give Up 

If you're anything like me, you've had more than a few moments of despair and felt like giving up entirely.  The truth is, I doubt I'm telling you anything you don't already know.  

Just keep going over your manuscript.  Before you know it, an actual piece of literary art will emerge before your eyes. You have a story to tell!  Trust me, I know the feeling.

What is your little tidbit of advice when editing? Leave a comment.

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You may be interested in the Following:

The Role the Indie Author Plays in the World of Publishing
Self-Publishing: Setting Goals
Staying True to Your Vision When Writing a Book
Are Fellow Authors Colleagues or Competition?
My Mistake in Writing: I kept Thinking My Book Was Done
The Importance of Beta Readers
Writing: The Importance of Doing Your Own Research
How to Promote Yourself: Taking Baby Steps and Starting Out Small
Constructive Criticism: A Writer's Best Friend
A Positive Attitude: A Writer's Armour


About A.E. Albert