Chapter Evolution (pt. 2)

This is a continuation of my process in writing a chapter. You can see part 1 here.

After the first (spelling/grammer) pass of a new chapter, I print it out and re-read it. (Mind you, I 'only' print the new chapter, nothing else!) The previous step is about preparing for this step. This re-read/edit is about polish. This is where I can see things like wording issues, points that need to be cleared up, and some sentances or paragraphs that just don't flow and need re-written. I make notes, scratch out text, write in new words that make more sense, and sometimes just note that something isn't working or I need to add more info about something. This only takes an hour or two but I think it is vital. (This step was the new component I stumbled upon hlaf way through NYC and allowed it to evolve into what it is today.) Again, printing out only the chapter is about minimizing distractions (like the rest of the story) and this gets rid of them all.

Then, I take my pages that are marked up and commented on and apply those changes to the text on the computer. Sometimes the notes are specific like use this word instead of that one. Other times, its an idea or concept that needs added so this is where that gets fleshed out. For example, in a revision in NYC, I simply commented to add more technology to a specific scene. So, my edits (notes, comments, corrections) on the page are more like a guideline for this revision.

Lastly, I do another grammer/spelling pass. This is very short as I'm just prepparing to post the new chapter. Usually, I just skim the text backwards looking at the grammar errors Word picks up on and try to reword it if possible to correct the error. Sometimes, its just a word change or a reorginazation of the sentance. Other times, I don't want to correct it as I want to keep my particular voice (like my single word sentances).

After that, I'll copy the new chapter, and any revisions to prior chapters, to the online file and create the PDF for posting.

With the chapter done, I'll usually write the blog post which introduces the update. This includes a small description of the new chapter and any revisions to existing chapters. So, on Thursday mornings, posting the story revisions and the blog post only takes about 5 minutes. And that's nice since I start work pretty early.

Well, I hope this was informative, interesting, and somewhat understandable. Until next time...

Oops, I Forgot

I forgot to include a part of my process in the previous post so I'll just include it here. Another thing I do while actually writing is to have Dictionary.com open to check spellings of words and sometimes to varify the meaning of a word. This is helpful becuase I prefer to use the correct word at first. Also, the online dictionary helps in finding other words that I could use for more variety.