The Five Phases of Big Picture Editing

Editing can be fun, but it also can be tough. It’s an emotional phase of the writing process that can batter a writer’s spirit. Not all the time. There will be projects that are easy to write and edit, but I’m not talking about those projects today. Today I’m talking about those larger beasts that tear at a writer’s soul. The projects that make us question whether we can write and why we want to do this in the first place. Those projects are the ones that test our resolve to write.

When editing these kinds of projects, it can be tough to retain objectivity. It’s tough to see the big picture. We get caught up in the emotions of the process. Is this good or crap? Will anyone like it? Will anyone publish it? Will I embarrass myself like those people who audition for singing competitions only to find out they cannot carry a tune? Will I fail?

The roller coaster of editing is real. And it is torture at times.

Can you tell I am neck-deep in editing my novel? It is my life these days. I’m covering my pages with red ink by day and dreaming of it at night. (I like to do a round of paper editing after working digitally for a few rounds). The only way I survive is by having someone in my corner who keeps me sane and on track.

I need help with this because after looking at (and messing with) a manuscript (or any long form of writing) long enough, I lose the ability to see it objectively. That’s when I tend to miss things and it helps to have another set of eyes.

My help happens to be an engineer who is highly logical and linear thinking. He sees the big picture as well as the tiniest details. He helps me take a step back so I can see the mechanics again.

Working with him has made me think about the process in a different way. It’s no longer just about story, but about how I can edit that story to make it stronger.

Here are some of the bigger picture editing I am focusing on now:

The Linear Flow of the Work—Basically, this is engineer speak for through-line. My husband has a way of seeing breaks in the through-line better than I can at this point. I am too close. I have written and edited so much already that I miss what he does not. He notices the points where I went off track and asks the right questions to get the story back where it needs to be. He offers a new perspective and path. Now, I am not advocating everyone use an engineer as a beta reader, but it does help to have someone who can see the whole without getting tied up in the emotion of the story or the process of writing.

Character Emotional Arcs—The through-line applies to character emotions too. People act in logical ways. There is typically a cause and effect. It’s physics. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Your characters need to adhere to that law too. When a story doesn’t feel right, look at what your characters are feeling. Is it a reasonable response to what is happening around them? Do the other characters react reasonably too? Is there story logic?

Character Development—Is the story intact for each character? Do they serve the story? Double check your character arcs and motivations. Are their actions following their emotions? Are they moving toward the ending? Are there any deviations that are pulling your story off-track? Do they serve a purpose?

Side Characters—Is your story peopled with characters who move the story forward? Do they complement the through-line or are they a distraction or loose thread? Make sure each person introduced has a clear role in the story and a purpose. Check their story logic and arcs too.

Flow—Does your story flow from the first page to the last? Or are there any bumps along the way that should be deleted? Think of it as a musical composition. Is the rhythm there? Is there a cadence that acts like a current pulling the reader along? Or are there riffs that take the reader places away from the ending?

Big picture editing is a crucial part of fixing your manuscript. Don’t worry. Every bit of writing needs rewriting to make it clean and good. I always start with big picture, moving things around in the right order and then I focus on this phase. Big picture stuff that makes a story work…or not.

Once this phase of editing is done, I will move to grammar and readability. For me, that means reading the entire thing out loud to catch those phrases and sentences that are too awkward to remain, words that fall flat, and the bits that are just flat-out wrong.

The sad reality is editing is never finished. Not really. I can pick up a piece published years ago and see things I would like to change. I suppose I will always feel that way. The best I can hope for is to edit my work to a place I can let it go without regret. This usually happens when the drive to create a new story overwhelms my need for revision. I’m not there yet. Not with this story.