Final Edits – Ack!

         Final edits? What are they? That sounds so . . . final. For me nothing is final. LOL

         Actually, I do realize at some point the story needs to be declared finished. Knowing I’ve reached that time is very hard for me. That is why I’ve changed my strategy for the first part of this year. Instead of working on a long project, with its inherent go-on-forever pitfalls, I’m concentrating on short stories and articles (and blogs). I really need to practice this final edit stage.

         I’m getting better. Creating this blog each week, keeping it short and interesting, to the point and posting it on time and in polished form, has given me a lot of practice. Now it’s time to use what I’ve learned on my fiction. I’ll back off for just a bit from my novels and create short stories. I’ll follow the same plan I’ve been using for this blog these past few months. I’ll spend a day writing the initial story, set it aside for a day, then return to flesh it out some more, adding conflict or characterization or description, whatever it needs. After a couple of days’ work, I’ll decide it’s time for the final editing and polishing. By giving myself a “quota,” I hope to generate the same sense of deadline imposed by this blog.

         Final edits is the time you make sure everything is in place and looks good. This is not the time to add a new character or subplot. (I’m talking to myself here!) It is the time to search the manuscript for overused words, the time to replace passive verbs with active verbs, the time to check and double check spelling, grammar and punctuation. It is the time to make sure your manuscript is formatted correctly (1 inch margins, double-spaced, you know the drill). Final editing is for that final polish that will make sure your piece will be well-received by an editor.

         So learn proper format and submit your work in that format. The Elements of Style,” by William Strunk is a classic. There are others. Search and locate. Find a good book, buy it for reference. Use it. If the publisher you are targeting has a list of formatting styles, study them. Use them.

         As you probably realize, this stage of the process in not a lot of fun for me. That’s why I’m drawn to sites and articles like this Rules For Editing site. It gets the points across while having fun. And the humor makes it linger so I actually remember the rules while I’m editing. That’s a good thing for this writer who prefers to keep playing with the characters instead of editing their story.