Harsh Editing Advice | Tough Love for Editing a Book

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Time for a bit of fun! I'm giving some harsh editing advice! Just a few things, hopefully nothing too earth shattering. If you need a kick in the pants for editing your book, hopefully this helps.
A note for #2: Obviously self publishers will almost always hire an editor for their work, so this bit isn't in regard to that stage of publishing. This harsh advice relates to needing an outside editor to rewrite your early drafts to make them coherent. Another person shouldn't be rewriting your book FOR you (and heavy editing is rewriting).
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Опубликовано:

5 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 241

@marinewauquier8630 4 года назад

If you can't bring yourself to delete or edit a sentence/a scene because of how perfect/beautiful your writing is, create a document specifically to copy the sentences or scenes : you'll always keep a trace of your genius work AND your agent, editor, and publisher won't resent you for not being cooperatove on your editing.

@thetherrannative 4 года назад

This is a very good idea. I always keep a document of _everything_ I cut from a draft, whether it be things I go back and cut while I'm writing because the scene got off-track, or paragraphs and even pages I need to remove during the editing phase. That way I can always refer back to the descriptions and actions and dialogue I used in those parts and reuse them later if I genuinely like them and think they could work in a different context, and because of this I never feel the grief of losing something I'm proud of. It's not lost; it's just not in this particular book.

@AndreaHecklerWriter 4 года назад

Yes! I always do this when I’m reluctant to scrap something 😊

@meredithj8175 4 года назад

Yes! I always do drafts on separate documents so I have all of them if I need them!

@SpiritedHeart94 3 года назад

That’s a good idea, because what doesn’t work in one book could end up finding its place in another, you never know 🤷🏻‍♀️

@ceve 2 года назад

I'm only at page 150 of my first-ish draft but I already have 75 pages worth of cuts. Not something I'm proud of.

@madmadame1508 4 года назад

"Generally, I have an adverb problem," she said without a trace of irony. ;)

@tlf2818 4 года назад

LOL I didn't notice!

@avivastudios2311 Год назад

Wait, the word generally is an adverb? Someone once told me that yesterday is an adverb too. It didn't make any sense to me.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@jillswan9654 4 года назад

I’d add: don’t try to incorporate everybody’s feedback all at once, verbatim. This is the opposite of the ego-driven response-the person with confidence so low they assume their writing is always garbage and try to edit their book to satisfy their CPs and beta readers.

@FaithMurri 4 года назад

I agree. I would add that sometimes, I'm both people. Recently, I decided to change some of the structure of my novel because so many people kept saying the slight headhopping was bothering them or confusing, but only because they expected the scene to be one perspective only. I wrote the book intending to emulate the styles of classic third person fiction where such headhopping was commonplace but has fallen out of favor with modern audiences. I really didn't want to change this to accommodate but since so many people said it weirded them out, I decided to make the change. I'm not happy with it though

@pipitameruje 4 года назад

@@FaithMurri Go back. Return to the headhopping, readers will adjust, so long as there's a clear sign that you've hopped heads. Section your chapters when you change POV, or write different chapters for different POVs. If you want to write classic third person fiction, do. Just accept that you may have a smaller audience for it, or that the audience will actually learn to work with it and enjoy it. Don't "dumb down" your work, simply make your style clear. It's you, it's what you want to write. When we write what we like, people often like what we write.

@AMMA83 4 года назад

This is so true.

@MRuby-qb9bd 4 года назад

@@FaithMurriI know a lot of people complain about it, but as I a reader, I quite like head-hopping. I've been reading Winston Graham's Poldark series (which is like from the 40s I think?) A lot of my favorite scenes head-hop between sentences. The characters all have that "polite British doublespeak" thing going on and the head hopping makes it more apparent who gets the game and who doesn't. It's great!

@ruthanne6729 Год назад

I learned that the hard way.

@MichaelRichardson36 4 года назад

I’m an academic writer, but I find that a lot of your advice applies to all types of writing. I just realized that I used a crutch word way too much in a recent publication and now I can’t unsee it 🤦‍♂️

@r.a.fraley1616 4 года назад

It's okay--try to think of it as a learning experience

@DrVVVinK 4 года назад

For me it's the word 'especially'.

@yvesgomes Год назад

If you apply your academic writer background to write a novel, let us know how it goes. I hope to do that at some point.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@deadringer-cultofdeathratt8813 4 года назад

Your harsh advice videos are among my absolute favorite “writing” videos on this platform.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@aylapantswb 4 года назад

My challenge is still trying to hold off on editing until I finish the first draft. All my previous writings have stalled because I couldn't stop myself from going back and editing the same scene over and over before moving on. This time around, I'm trying really hard to resist temptation!

@SpiritedHeart94 4 года назад

Omg I have the exact same problem. Send Help. 😅

@indig0icee 4 года назад

Same!!!!!!!!!

@melodid5023 4 года назад

You can do it... I'm struggling to keep my hands off now to distance myself and it's super hard... XD

@tathoiclassicalindianbollywood 4 года назад

I have the same issue, so I now always click the prompt that says "start from where you left off". Also, if I am trying to read any previous chapters to remind myself of a detail, I do it in revision mode, which is where if I make an edit, it comes on the side, which really annoys me so I don't edit as much. That way, if I do spot a "the the" or other minor errors, I can edit that but I am not rewriting the whole thing. At the start, I used to have a PDF version to read without editing but that meant I would be very frustrated when I couldn't edit these basic errors.

@MrTechGamer180 4 года назад

Same here, Its really hard. i worte like chapter-1 ten times.

@lilithcrow6675 4 года назад

Perfect timing. I just finished my first draft yesterday.

@r.a.fraley1616 4 года назад

Congrats!

@NixLaLoupe 4 года назад

Congratulations!

@Bobaloo92 4 года назад

Congrats, @Lee Crow what’s your pitch?

@libraryofadventures7800 4 года назад

Congrats! And all the best editing!

@r.a.fraley1616 4 года назад

@@TackJorrance Yes, not allowing it to sit is when the editing-till-you-butcher she spoke of at the end comes in.

@BriarMaeriSibyle 4 года назад

when i was writing my first 'novel' thingy that basically just got thrown out, i used 'nodded' so many times you'd think my characters were bobbleheads

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@thegirlwiththecontroller1164 4 года назад

Being stuck at home is really getting my creative juices flowing and really making me want to pick up writing again. Thank you for yet another great video.

@benfarmer-webb1016 4 года назад

I've started doing that by writing a fanfic and I've already written two chapters. It's nice because you can get immediate feedback on each chapter but of course there are a lot of differences between fanfiction writing and book writing

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@gomiho91 4 года назад

I 100% agree. Some people think that "art" means whatever you can throw down and then you're done. Artists research, they hone their craft, they are extremely knowledgeable about the kind of art they produce not just what they do but the art style itself. Writing is no exception.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@acrimsondaisy5513 4 года назад

it's interesting how we have different repition words in writing and in speaking - for example, in my writing, I overuse "in fact", "actually", and "even" but when I talk, I overuse words like "really", "like", and "fucking" - words I barely use in writing and vice versa

@lesleybarklay798 4 года назад

I use 'that' too much, and I've also found myself overusing 'of course,' and 'a moment later/ in a moment.' *Facepalm*

@bellac6311 3 года назад

I use "just" way too much nd am workign on it

@NixLaLoupe 4 года назад

The biggest piece of editing advice that I've ever had to teach myself is to go with your gut feeling. You are capable of looking at your work as you would anyone else's work. If you feel like something isn't right, isn't flowing right, has something problematic going on, you are in control and you can fix it. It might take some time to consider, but you can put your best work out there. Think of all the times that you read a book and something didn't stick right with you. If you're like me, you thought about all the ways that it could have been better. Do that with your own book. Implement change.

@elizalagonia1049 4 года назад

I feel this way and then I doubt myself. When I'm editing I basically set up a notebook with every scene- who's in it, new or old character, what's it about and word count before edit and word count after edit. And sometimes I put, I don't need this scene. I can cut it, but I don't cut it until I get another opinion on it. I know in my gut that I can do without it, but I doubt it for whatever reason.

@NixLaLoupe 4 года назад

@@elizalagonia1049 You know your work best. If your instincts tell you that scene can be cut, do it. If you are really anxious about it, save the draft as Title 1.0 then make a new document with everything in it from the first for your revision. Call it Title 2.0 and make all the changes you want without fear that you're losing anything for real. Keep doing that until you have the best possible manuscript. At that point, you can use the older drafts to see how far you've come, you can delete them, or you can print them out and squirrel them away. If you hate how draft Title 2.0 turns out because you feel like it needed that scene you cut, turn it into Title 2.1 with that scene put right back in while you still have all the other changes you made. :)

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@stigdyrdal 4 года назад

Your tough-love videos are always so inspiring! They're some of my favorite videos you do!

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@chaoticmimo7984 4 года назад

another pro of fanfic: you work your self-editing skills A LOT 😂👌

@AndreaHecklerWriter 4 года назад

My first-draft characters spend waaay too much time smiling, laughing, and nodding 🙈😂 So thankful for revisions!

@kanashiiookami6537 4 года назад

Oh yeah. Going through my first draft of anything gets me groaning/sighing/shaking my head at how often I write those. But what else are you going to do but smile at someone, or nod as a nonverbal agreement? (Because I hate it when people say "she shook her head yes" to get around using "nod", or they use "she shook her head no" because now they can't just say "she shook her head" as a way of meaning "no" because they screwed themselves up by not using "nod") I'm not writing for a Bollywood audience where a shake can mean either/or depending on your expression, where I live shaking your head always meant no, so you have to nod. There is no feasible way around that is there? (Sigh)

@akossiwak 4 года назад

Editing/revising a novel is hard. I had to do 2 rounds of major developmental edits on my last manuscript. With each round I took my book apart and made a book map for each round. IT HURTS! 😭 And I have another round to do before I'm ready to query. Join me for a good cry!!! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@christinabriggs1782 7 месяцев назад

I'm right there with you currently revising my own novel. Ugh.

@lenlordofknowledge 4 года назад

Is it bad that I’m feeling proud while watching this video? I love editing, and I edit not only my own writing, but my friends’ so I can improve myself. Even though I’m only writing fanfiction right now, I plan on moving to full novels once I’m more confident in my skills.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@missmermade9331 4 года назад

Thanks! This really motivates me to learn English grammar. It's still hard for me, I constantly mix up the grammar of all three languages I speak.

@ACyrrock004 4 года назад

Tough love shouldn't discourage you; it should motivate you!

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@nuny4592 4 года назад

This is amazing, because I just started going through the edits of the first draft of my book, and this will be really helpful! Thank you and keep doing what you're doing!

@MichelleSchustermanAuthor 4 года назад

omg I always tell my students to take weeks/months from their first drafts before revising, and I am 100% guilty of literally never doing it myself 😂 Great advice, Alexa! I have a shelved novel or two where the premise itself was the problem, so I really appreciate that last bit. It's brutal but real.

@dropslemon 2 года назад

I always like to jump into another writing project right after a short break to give myself that space! It scratches that itch AND gives me time away from the manuscript both to learn from the new project and let the old one air out. It might help that without fail, halfway through one project I'm suddenly getting ideas for another and having to force myself not to jump to the Shiny New Idea™.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@livmilesparanormalromanceb6891 4 года назад

I was just re-watching your harsh writing advice, so this is perfect. Thank you! :)

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@mageprometheus 4 года назад

Thank you this was great. Before this, I watched Brandon Sanderson's 2020 lecture #8 that had a good section on his editing workflow.

@elizalagonia1049 4 года назад

I'm lucky to have a CP who is a trained editor since this is my first novel. He told me right off the bat my issue was I was writing a screenplay as a novel and some of the scenes I had in there, that would work in a tv show or in a movie just slowed my book down completely. He knows me really well and he understood what I was going for and showed me what I was doing wrong. I also had him and someone else questioned the introduction of a couple of my characters. The bad thing was the moment they said why the didn't like the introduction of these characters. One character I really like and will probably get them in later in the series, but the other character I realized the piece is so much stronger without her. Very good advice. Thank you.

@tlf2818 4 года назад

Yeah, deleting certain scenes or phrases, no matter how much you love them, is still a lot easier than deleting characters. You get so attached to them. But you can keep her and maybe use her in another context, another book. Maybe a shortstory?

@elizalagonia1049 4 года назад

@@tlf2818 I'm writing a series so one of the characters I can bring into the next book more naturally and it's a better place to start her arc. The other character was part of the original idea for the series when it was a TV show idea and with all the changes I made she stopped making sense now that it's a book

@tlf2818 4 года назад

@@elizalagonia1049 I see. It's tough. Good luck on your series, nonetheless =] Don't stop writing.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@grethen123 4 года назад

OT: love how the eye-shadow complements the blouse (or vise versa XD)

@keiths2902 4 года назад

Y e s!!!! Thank you for all your vids! They’re always so timely!

@annalenastache7598 4 года назад

Your videos have really been helping me with editing! I actually found the word "really" four or five times on one single page... I never would have thought to look for crutch words if it hadn't been for you!

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@kaylachelsey 4 года назад

I love your videos and appreciate the “harsh” advice. These videos are some of my favorites. Keep it up! 💖

@moonpetrie 4 года назад

Regarding crutch words, a word/phrase frequency counter (which is easy to find free online) can be a huge help. I knew deep breaths and wide eyes were some of my crutches, but I was shocked and embarrassed to find multiple uses of “the hubbub died down” in one book!

@minortalentshow2653 4 года назад

I was just thinking this morning to start editing my draft . . . oh! what a great timing 😱😀

@manjasan 2 года назад

Excellent help, thank you so much!

@seleciaa 4 года назад

Perfect timing for this video! I'm going to start editing the second draft of my novel in 4 days, so I really appreciate getting to hear this advice. :)

@jacklawrence2212 2 года назад

Crutch words/phrases definitely. It's something I'm going to work on... so thank you, Alexa, for bringing it up.

@gabskozlowski 4 года назад

Love this advice and your sense of humor - thank you!

@CrankyChristian 2 года назад

I agree with almost everything. Great video and great advice. Being raw and real is the best way to really reach people with advice like this. Regardless, you kept a straight face and remained professional without being too cynical or pointed with the “harsh” theme

@meemossis 4 года назад

I love the sassy little shoulder tilt.

@tatumwildcat123 4 года назад

Thank you so much for these videos! I'm a newer writer and these have helped me so much! ❤

@paolobarbados8747 4 года назад

"Generally I definitely have an adverb problem." (6:08) Lol, I like your humour, Alexa!

@Mo-vu7jc 4 года назад

thank you for another amazing tough love vid

@writerbyday 3 года назад

I appreciate the “level up” advice. I have a story I started in 2015 and it was a mess. I re-wrote it in 2020, but even with editing, it isn’t close to what it should be. I have decided to shelf it and give myself other projects that are working for now. I’ve started to see why the other one wasn’t working and I may reuse characters from that piece in a different one.

@davidmathie8360 4 года назад

Your advice is inspirational. My first draft /edit sucked .I have learnt so much from your videos. Take care in these scary times .I live in Scotland .The USA seems a very frightening place to be at present .

@randywu526 3 года назад

Hi Alexa, I enjoyed your frank and honest advice. I just completed the rewrite of my first book and am about to edit it and then self publish it on Amazon. I don't want to send it to an external editor as my earlier book was not well edited. But I am not sure if I should do it, until I came across your video and now I feel reassured after hearing your advice. Thank yuu

@leocunhadabahia 4 года назад

Love your videos! The 6 months thing caught me by surprise! Would never imagine such a long time was the ideal. But since I've never even finished a draft I couldn't say. Cheers from Brazil

@r.a.fraley1616 4 года назад

It does sound like a long time. Scott Sigler recommended the same in So You Wanna Be a Writer Episode 1.

@lostinabookcase3796 4 года назад

At the word "grease-fire" I couldn't help imagining handing off a burning manuscript to an agent with a smile on my face XD

@kaiqueaswani9885 4 года назад

I totally agree!!! I enjoy your channel!!!!

@rachelbybeetheharpist 4 года назад

The advice given is so!! Good!!! Especially when it comes to times where the book is uneditable. I had a series that I kept rewriting over and over because I came up with the premise when I was in 6th grade. I ended up dropping it in sophomore year in high school and I've never regretted it. The new story I've pursued since then is such a big step forward and has helped me become a better writer more than my old story ever would have.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@jaydingiesler5280 3 года назад

I absolutely love that shirt 😍 so cute!!!

@mischarowe 4 года назад

I love the way you word things. "Don't jerk yourself off." :)

@NicklasNylander87 Год назад

First time author, I feel liberated in hearing that self-editing is a valuable skill! I will try to learn as much as I can.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know...............................................

@cctwin5537 4 года назад

💚💚💚💜💜💜 perfect timing

@r.a.fraley1616 4 года назад

#2/#3--My husband/editor told me this years ago in the form of "It's not my job to write the book for you." I was really frustrated at the time because I just wanted an example of what he felt I needed to add, but this is what he was getting at. #5--One of my CPs pointed out that my characters always "looked" at each other.

@MariaWarrenWrites 4 года назад

I really needed to hear this. I hire a developmental editor off Fivver (I know, but I actually got lucky , she delves super deep into the manuscript and I know she's read the thing from her comments) but you've helped me through so many writing struggles, and your advice is so very unique and I love how it comes across. Thank you for the tough love so we can all improve

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@jodavis6820 4 года назад

Oh my god, hi! I love this series! I'm trying to write my first book, and this series has been really helpful. Would you recommend reading books in the genre you're going for as a good first step?

@rachelcapps6464 4 года назад

I love this advice!

@hollyA.04 4 года назад

I needed this! ❤

@saram9434 4 года назад

Omg, I needed it ~☹️❤️

@joana8615 4 года назад

Love it, thanks! Also, how you say « edidding » is cute haha

@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache 4 года назад

Editing can be tedious

@m.gfaust8828 3 года назад

Your videos have been very helpful. I would like to here your thoughts on programs such as Grammarly. While it helps me, I have to have the confidence to overcome some of the program's suggestions. Where did you find an editor? Beta readers? How to you market your books?

@springthyme1 4 года назад

I say "they smiled" too much. 😅 I'm awful at coming up with synonyms or other reactions. I usually rely on a thesaurus.

@168katie 4 года назад

Love the shirt!

@TheEccentricRaven 4 месяца назад

Best tough love I ever heard❤

@DeelightingLindsay 4 года назад

Yay! I’m in the process of editing right now and I’m doing these things! Crutch words are killing me right now! Also, so surprised about the 6 month distance! I get it though... I’m going to have to try that! But it seems so sad to say goodbye for that long... haha. Thanks for delivering the harsh advice!

@kanashiiookami6537 4 года назад

Yeah...life will get in the way, other projects may get in the works, or other time sucks, and before you know it, it'll be a year or more. I've been there. But on the plus side, you have time to think and stew, and, without you knowing it, the direction of your writing will change, and the character development of X will be seen with different eyes, and when you get back to the editing/rewriting you will return with an excitement and enthusiasm and churn out better pages than before. It even lets you feel less guilty about the sometimes drastic change you end up making to the story, because 6 months (or more) gave you time to detach and see your WIP as something other than the bubble world you wanted to live in forever. So yeah, it seems unthinkable and far fetched now, but later, if you stick it out, you will understand why it's such a good thing.

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@CC-lo8jj 4 года назад

Great video! Regarding waiting six months before you edit, is that possible when you’re working with an agent/publisher? You can definitely do it when you’re revising it yourself or before you send it to prospective agents? But I’m just wondering whether you can do that once you have an agent, once you no longer decide on the deadlines.

@annmurry8589 4 года назад

I edit too much. It sloowwwwssssss me down. But then I get stuff that I really like.

@LoonAtticLtd 4 года назад

Thank you so much Alexa! Brilliant video as always. I have a question for you or anyone else who'd like to answer. Do you think a first draft needs to be completely finished before you take the executive decision and revise? I'm doing a page-one rewrite of my MS becuase I have a lot of macro issues with the plot and tone. I would call the first draft charitably about 80% done, and I'd like to revise it with more minor rewrites for style and storytelling, but I feel like I should set it aside because it's realistically not as important as the newer draft. It's kind of between feeling bad because I haven't fully finished the 1st draft, and feeling bad because I'm spinning my wheels instead of moving forward. I'm very conscious that a lot of writers can't move on from one story and I don't want that to be me, but I also don't want to be the kind of writer who never finishes anything. Am I Number 7 or is this just a part of the editing process?

@OBieMavuso Год назад

Been writing my autobiography since 2017 and yo! lol it's a lot of work and I have been so insecure and also snapped out of my insecurities and I have been learning how to be develop my writing and editing over time. Been reading more too. These tips help so much, thanks!

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know...............................................

@megastar3740 4 года назад

XD I’ve been going through a deep editing process of a comic I’ve been working on. Cheers for the tips!

@gtkozik 3 года назад

Good Stuff Alexa. I wish You were my critique partner. I need my ego in check. It suffered a lot from my editor but there is still room for more. Love the video.

@baharhoshyar6752 4 года назад

Hello Alexa! I'm a big fan. Just a question. Do you edit your novel on the screen or you print your manuscript? Thanks!

@alainabrubaker948 3 года назад

7:00 "The point of editing is to make real substantive changes to make a book better" This is great, thank you!!

@human.yoohoo4646 3 года назад

While these tips COULD seem harsh, I think they're more liberating in a sense. I feel reassured that taking my time is okay.

@ladynightmare7401 3 года назад

I love watching your stuff, so helpful. I wonder though if you could a video on the differences between beta readers, critique partners, proofreaders and editors and what order to utilise them?

@vivafelipe 4 года назад

sister SNAPPED

@CamSchellsLuna 2 года назад

Awesome video

@lauramccullagh980 4 года назад

“Generally I definitely have an adverb problem.” ~iconic~

@AlexaDonne 4 года назад

YOU CAN'T TAKE THEM FROM ME!!! :P

@morriganpuhr8407 4 года назад

You look really pretty in that shirt !! Go girl!

@jasperdent4363 4 года назад

One thing I always tell myself when I'm editing is "do not keep something in this draft for purely aesthetic reasons and create all kinds of convoluted explanations for how that thing works just to keep it in there. If it services the story, fine. I love aesthetics. But don't convolute your story". I even wrote it down in my editing notes notebook so if I'm tempted to excuse something or spend a lot of time coming up with explanations for it existing I can snap myself back to reality. It's kind of like trying to avoid a snowball effect of explanations just so you can keep one cool scene or event. Keep it simple and logical and both your own brain and your future reader will thank you!!

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@jasperdent4363 Год назад

@@Kevinakletva sure I’ll help you, would you like to email me the chapters? Probably one at a time is best

@nviz47 4 года назад

👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🔥 thanks Alexa!

@taylorthatwriter6865 4 года назад

I finished my draft a year ago, and I am just now having the chance to go through it and REALLY revise. I’d tried to make changes earlier and it was the surface level stuff and I was getting frustrated because it wasn’t improving. Finally, I got the chance to sit down and tear through the book. *evil grin* You should see the pen marks and crossing outs and re-workings. Okay, maybe not. It might still be too light but it’s definitely improved the writing craft, the story flow, the characters and the plot. It feels good to rip it apart because it makes it better 😂

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know

@queendsheena1 4 года назад

Hi Alexa. Could you do a video about what writers should do when they lack reading and word comprehension? I help writers with creating their drafts and trust me. Some don't know Carl or Joe the second the person's name's not mentioned. Like when I put in 'He picked up the envelope'. They're asking me who's 'he' despite the fact it's from Carl/Joe's perspective and he was supposed to pick it up as part of the plot.

@mrsiz218 4 года назад

Agreed!

@ssstasis Год назад

I published story pretty quickly in 2020. It didn't feel good after the intro so I kept building it and the story all felt like filler. I edited the entire thing two or three times a within a year and I felt the same about it. I've gone back in and it actually seems good now. So giving it time before editing, 6 months or 3 years, it certainly helps.

@havvaalexander9520 4 года назад

I gave myself almost 8 years before I picked up my WIP to revise and edit! It’s an Epic Novel. It needed time; I needed time.

@cristiah.j.1642 4 года назад

I have been submitting my debut novel for almost two years and also I've been editing it way too long. I never hired an editor, but shown my work to some critique and agents. They have been staying that my writing is good and the premise interesting, but it doesn't seem to match today's market. Maybe it's time for me to move to my other book, but believe me, I don't want to edit this story any longer, because I don't want its essence to be lost... well, if you have any advice, I'd appreciate it. Otherwise, thank you for your helpful videos. I always enjoy them. 🙏😊

@cadengrace5466 4 года назад

Great eye makeup! Your hair color has been evolving, but I hope you stop that right now. This tint and hue is perfect for your gorgeous skin tone. I know it has been a hard road of late, but have emerged like a butterfly from that time. You are beautiful!

@kopfgefickt Год назад

I wrote my first draft after one year writing experience when I was 17 and it did not work that way, so I would’ve all the reasons to just drop it, instead I complete rewrote it and fixed it and luckily it works now. Btw your videos were the reason I got the skill I needed to do so so thank you for that :) Update: I’m almost finished with the first draft of the sequel to the book ᵕ̈

@Kevinakletva Год назад

If some good soul wanna give me advice does my book needs editing, based on few free to read chapters, let me know...............................................

@Manda_Kat 3 года назад

I'm not even on the editing phase rn. I'm in between. Technically my story has been 'written' but also it is so short I need to add more scenes. So I'm looking at both editing and underwriting advice

@RocketJo86 3 года назад

Oh, that reminds me. I once had a writing teacher telling me "Your characters sight so often in this scene, they should be blacking out by the end". And it's so true *lol* Ah and your last advice. I make AMVs (Anime Music Videos) and when I started, I often had ideas of a song and specific scenes going good together and then breaking the video over it, even if I realized that the only fitting thing was this one line and this one scene. Nothing more. Not sufficient for a full song. Not even for a short clip in most cases. But I was reluctant to throw away the work I had done so far. Nowadays as soon as I realize that the idea will not work I give up on the video. Not always, as I know sometimes it's my lack of skilll or patience (or in some cases material, which comes back to patience ^^). But in the most cases. And I guess this helped me with my writing as well. If I realize that an idea will not work out, I will put it aside, maybe even forgetting about it in the long run. Some things are not meant to be, I guess. And often times with the AMVs it's "But I want to work with that song!" so I try hard to find something to fit it at least a little bit, just to work with the song. It's never worth it. It's better to let the idea grow over time. It will come back, if it's ready to get taken on. Trust me. If not, then it wasn't ready to become something more than an idea in the first place.

@werelemur1138 4 года назад

I'm trying to learn how to revise. How do I know when something isn't working, isn't serving the story? How do I need to know what kind of structural revisions need to be made? It's really overwhelming, but I need to figure it out!

@kanashiiookami6537 4 года назад

I go by gut feeling. If a scene or bit of dialogue, or even a chapter is nagging me for some reason, I make a note in a separate word file (or on a piece of paper if you like the ease of that. Bonus, no worrying about "did I just discard hours of writing by accident!?" this way) then I keep reading, keep making notes each time I get that nagging feeling. Then one by one I go down that list, figure out why I didn't like X, or what I should have written, and slowly rewrite those scenes, add better or more description where needed, even delete scenes entirely when the read through made me realise they weren't needed. It'll take time, and you may have to go over those notes and reread those scenes again and again, and you may get discouraged if you can't find the right thing to say in the moment of editing. But you can always leave that part for another time and come back to it later. It may take some time, but you'll get through it, and soon it'll be second nature. You may even find yourself making editing notes as you go, but just little snippets so you know you need to change/add things, but not interrupt your writing zone. Don't forget to breath calmly, and know it's okay to step away for a while if things feel too overwhelming. Sometimes all you need is a little space and a clear head.

@jayashreechakravarthy4949 9 месяцев назад

The daily briefs will also have vocab words, I think. I’m asking for it.

@jaydeo7850 4 года назад

"Six months distance." I found a book I wrote when I was twelve, is that good?

@celseac8107 4 года назад

Alexa, may I ask, is it convenient to traditionally publish in the US while being in another country? :/

@adolphaselrah9506 4 года назад

“Staggering pile of genius” The problem is I am the opposite. I hope it’s not a pile of garbage.

@hann3880 4 года назад

Unrelated to the content of the video, but your eye makeup is stunning in this one!

@AScreenwritersJourney 4 года назад

1:59 THANK YOU!!

@SysterYster 4 года назад

Took me 6 months to write my book. After 8 months I'm still editing that book, and I'm not nearly done yet. XD

@stonersiren 4 года назад

unrelated but your eye makeup looks bomb here

@tilurwatki2468 4 года назад

I'm trying to avoid filter words (phrases) as I write my first draft, but I'm finding it's taking me longer to write a scene. So, I'm totally in sync with "being lazy" with the first draft because I just want to finish! I can see the finish line. ... :]

@JacquieVlogsHere 4 года назад

Ugh, I also have an adverb and smiling problem! Often at the same time, because I'll change a smile to 'said amusedly' or something, which is just swapping out one crutch for the other. -___-