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| Photo credit: mpclemens on Flickr |
Now, that’s not to say I haven’t done any revisions—on the contrary, I’ve done loads of revising over the last couple years. But after having printing issues a while back, it occurred to me that there are other ways to change formats so that I can look at the manuscript with fresh eyes.
- E-bookify! Exporting my draft as an e-book (using Scrivener) and reading it on an e-reader has been my favorite new method for a first read-through, specifically using iBooks on my iPad, which I’ve already blogged about.
- Font fun. I’ve also heard of people changing the font and font size between drafts, and while I haven’t tried that myself (yet), it sounds like an easy way to change the way you look at your WIP.
- Read it aloud. For purposes of revising for flow, reading your book aloud to your dog, a family member or an empty room works wonders.
So those are just a couple quick options, but now I want to hear from you: do you print your manuscript for editing?
Twitter-sized bites:
Can't print your MS out to edit? Here are a few other options to see your WIP in a new light. (Click to tweet)
Writers, do you print your MS for editing? Join the discussion at @Ava_Jae's blog. (Click to tweet)
27 comments:
I bought a laser printer for this exact purpose. Reading my novels on paper with a red pen in hand makes editing much easier for me (especially on the eyes). I typically only do this for the second draft. Subsequent drafts are usually edited right in Scrivener.
That's really interesting! Come to think of it, when I did print my manuscripts, it was also an early draft (although I think it was often for the first read-through). After that I completed all edits directly into Word.
Now it's even better - my first drafts are written on a 1950s Smith-Corona typewriter not unlike the one in photo on this page (same color, too). Saves me from having to wait for the thing to print!
Wow, really? I think I only know of one other writer who works with a typewriter—it sounds like quite the experience. :)
The ability to slow down and think about what I'm writing before committing it to the page has helped me work out my prose quite a bit. Plus, the sound of the keys is hypnotic. I end up writing pages at a time without noticing how long I've been working. I love it. :)
I definitely understand that. I've found that when I handwrite, my writing is often more...thoughtful, I suppose? than when I type. I'll often handwrite scenes during revision just because it forces me to slow down and really think about what I'm writing.
Same here! When I'm not at my typewriter, I've got a pen in hand and a notebook on my lap. It all ends up in Scrivener in the end (the tool of the writing gods), where I can really mess with it and move things around as necessary.
Scrivener is now my word processor of choice, as well. Love it! ^_^
Yes, I always print my manuscripts. I usually do three revision rounds on paper, one on screen (after getting my beta readers' feedback), and then the last one on my Kindle.
I've never printed a manuscript to edit it, though I've certainly thought about it recently, with the major overhaul I was doing on one of them. I do read parts out loud, or have the text to speech thing read them to me (which is kind of a delight). I've heard the "change the font" advice as well, but also have never done so. I guess it's kind of a shortcut way to get "fresh eyes" on a piece that you're so familiar with?
Wow! That sounds very organized. Much more so than my exporting process. :)
I've never printed out a manuscript before. What I've done is make PDFs and read them on another device, usually my iPod. It definitely makes them feel… different.
I have to try this text-to-speech one day.
It's meant to be a way to look at it a little differently, which helps particularly when you've been editing a lot and have read your manuscript several times. So yes, it's a method to get fresh eyes, so to speak. :)
It's weird, isn't it? Seeing your words in a different format helps to distance you from the words, in a way.
It's fun! I found a free one just to try out, though I think there are ones of varying quality you can actually pay for.
It makes seeing a typo or word-omission painful. Do you look back on your prose and find patterns?
Patterns of...typos?
I used to always print out stuff but recently I've been sending my word doc straight to my Kindle (no conversion required) and reading it on there. Feels like a real book (that needs a lot of work).
mood
I know exactly what you mean about it feeling like a real book that needs work. It's a pretty cool experience, and to me at least, makes the read-through and editing that much more enjoyable. :)
I don't print mine because I like to see where my word count goes as I edit. Maybe on my third one I'll give it a try though.
Interesting point about word count. I like to keep tabs on that too, although when I did print, I just waited until I inputted my changes onto the computer. But editing directly certainly solves that. :)
Good luck with your edits!
I've never printed a manuscript for editing. Instead, I'll change the font, read it out loud, or use a different computer! For example, I draft my manuscripts on my laptop. But my desktop has a huge screen. So, I'll edit on there because the mistakes will pop out at me, literally!
I've found that the only way to make me actually read it properly, is for it to be printed. I skim if I'm reading on the laptop. The other thing I like about printing it is that I can staple the chapters together and then kind of keep them separate. Then it feels like small chunks, whereas on the laptop I'd have the page count in the corner glaring at me. I tried splitting chapters into separate documents but it didn't help me.
The other great thing about editing on paper is that I can take a few chapters to work with me and read through them on my lunch break. I can't lug my laptop along with me, so paper copies are really useful.
This is getting really long but I have one more thing to say! I found that if I edited everything on paper and then went to make the changes to the laptop version, I thought about the changes I was making again and saw things slightly differently. In a way it allowed me to do two revisions in a short frame of time.
I hadn't thought of switching computers, but I can definitely see how that'd change your perception. Although I usually work on a giant desktop, so switching to a laptop I suspect might just frustrate me. :)
Sounds like printing is definitely the way to go for you! I totally understand the small chunks vs. giant manuscript feeling—I usually break it up by making a list of things I need to fix and tackle each item separately, so similar idea.
I've also experienced what you mentioned by editing twice, in a way. When I printed, I did the same thing you did and thought about edits as I inputted them, and now that I don't print as often, I tend to use comments first to mark down edits, then think them over again as I actually implement them. Same idea, different media!
Thanks so much for sharing, Lesley! And never worry about a long comment. I like thoughtful responses. :)
I keep it on the computer for months, writing and rewriting scenes as I go. But when I feel I'm running out of steam and just starting to tweak it, then I print it out, take it to a comfy reading chair and attempt to read it as if it was a real book. Because I'm now in "reading" mode my brain expects something better than what it actually has in front of it and the problems leap off the page at me. I scribble all over the printed pages with a red pen, and then I take the paper version back to the computer and work through, page at a time, addressing all the issues I found. This can take a couple of months. Then I print and repeat. Each time usually takes slightly less than the time before.
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