From time to time, I link to products or services I love using with affiliate links. This means that I may receive a small percentage or fee for referring you to any product you may purchase from one of those sites. It does not cost you anything. These small fees help sustain my small business. I truly appreciate your support.

Last Week

Last week we began by taking a look at my writing process, as a means for you to examine how other people write, and to take from it what will suit your writing life.

Your writing process will evolve over time. You’ll try something out, find it doesn’t work and discard it. You’ll try something new, find it works for you and keep it.

Your writing process, or creative process, isn’t just about how to sit down at your desk and write. It’s about how you approach the entire process; from coming up with a story, committing that story to paper, refining and improving it until you have a last draft you’re happy with.

After that, you have a decision to make. You either query agents or self-publish.

Last week we looked at Step 1, the importance of mulling over your story idea and determining whether it’s worth pursuing. If it is, this is when you brainstorm the idea, jot down notes or even plot your novel.

Step 2 is to write. We delved into how and where you write, and what goals to set yourself at each session. Let’s move onto Step 3.

Step 3

Dragon Anywhere

This step is where I transcribe what I have handwritten onto the computer. I used to do this manually but I now use the software Dragon Anywhere. This is a piece of dictation software, so rather than type out what I’ve handwritten I can dictate it and then save that the dictated file to my computer.

This has been a lifesaver, as you can imagine! Not only has it saved my body from the rigour of all that typing, but it also saves me a lot of time. What might take me half an hour or more to transcribe by hand, I can do in 15 minutes with the dictation software.

If you write by hand and then transcribe, I absolutely recommend you try out Dragon. It takes a bit of getting used to and the software needs to tune into your voice and accent but once you’re up and running, it is amazing!

A Second Edit

One of the things I like about handwriting then transcribing is that when I do the transcription, I am also doing a second edit. It is not a full edit, but I can take this opportunity to smarten things up a little and take out anything that seems unnecessary.

Perhaps it no longer fits the novel because something else has occurred further down the line which renders it obsolete. Or it may be as simple as changing a character’s name. I can do that quickly and easily when dictating.

Now I can move on to Step 4.

Step 4

Step 4 is the self edit. This is where I go through the book much more carefully, reading aloud what I’ve written and trying to catch not just typos but put the story into better order.

I can use this time to rewrite paragraphs, improve dialogue or add new scenes were necessary. It’s also the time to look at the structure as a whole. Does the story flow well, does the tension build sufficiently, how are my characters shaping up?

Because I write my first draft so quickly, this is the stage at which I need to go back and do a timeline and name check. Invariably I change the name of one of my characters, or I amalgamate two people because they are serving the same purpose.

I go over the characters’ timeline. My stories are all set in the present day, so I have to ensure dates I mention correspond to the character’s age. For example, if in the past they were caught speeding, were they old enough to drive?

This is also when I look more closely at the weather and seasons. Are there leaves on the trees, a cold wind, snow on the ground? What clothes are they wearing? Is it summer and the sky is light until the late evening, or is it winter and the sun has set by 4pm?

I also do a five senses check. Have I explored what the character smells, touches, hears, and tastes, not just what they see. This is a powerful edit to do and adds many wonderful layers to your story.

As part of this step I will go back again and look for spelling mistakes and typos. I do not have an eye for detail and am generally a terrible speller so I pick up a lot of things in this round of edits, all the while acknowledging that there are many more errors and typos I have missed!

A timely reminder to you and to myself is that grammar, spelling, etc, are not your superpower. Your superpower is storytelling, and that is why, later on down the road, you will ask others to do those detailed checks for you. That might be your editor, proofreader, beta readers, and in my case my mum!

I return to these edits throughout all the subsequent Steps. As mentioned, I’m a dreadful speller so I come face to face with typos right up until I send my book to my editor. Even at the last minute I’ll realise I’ve got the season wrong in a chapter of the book, or that their age doesn’t fit the timeline.

It’s a work in progress!

Step 5

This is when the book goes to the editor for a structural/developmental edit. This is both an exciting and terrifying experience. It is terrifying because I know my editor will come back with lots of improvements. It is, after all, what I’m paying for!

But it’s also an exciting element of the process because I know it will make the book so much better. I love that she can see all the structural gaps that I wouldn’t have noticed in a million years.

So the book goes to her and I sit with bated breath for 6-8 weeks. Then comes Step 6.

Step 6 

This is where I go through all my editor’s notes, make the changes needed and generally improve the novel as a whole. To date, for me, this takes anywhere between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on the comments she has made and how big the structural changes are.

For my latest manuscript, there are quite a lot of structural changes to make. Either they will take a lot longer than expected, or it may make everything fall into place and will be a painless process. Time will tell!

Step 7

Decision Time

As an independent author, I have some financial factors to consider.

In an ideal world, and if my budget allows, I send my book off for a second round of edits. This pulls it into the best shape I can make it and is definitely my first choice.

However, if budget does not allow, I have to be sure I have read the book 3 or 4 more times before I send it out to a proofreader. Again, if budget allows.

So, in Step 7 (budget allowing), I send my manuscript for a second edit, and make the necessary revisions. These are usually less demanding than that structural edit. In my experience it has focused more on character development, adding in extra details or minor scenes that round out a plotline.

Step 8

This is the step I send the manuscript to my mum! She has a better eye for detail than me, and will pick up some of the more obvious typos and errors. She may also make suggestions as to how I can improve the story.

Strong Recommendation!

I urge you, though, do not skip Step 5. If you need to save up, do so, but hire someone to give your novel a big picture edit. It will be invaluable. Not just for this manuscript, but for all future ones. I have never learned so much as I have from my editor. With every edit my books go through I learn another valuable lesson, whether it be about structure, or character development.

Next week will be the last part in this mini-series, and I will take you right through to publication.

If this article was useful, you’ll love: 

• https://emmadhesi.com/blog-post/writing-process-1/
• https://emmadhesi.com/blog-post/writing-routine/
• https://emmadhesi.com/blog-post/showdonttell/

Emma Dhesi writes women’s fiction. She began writing seriously while a stay at home mum with 3 pre-school children.

By changing her mindset, being consistent and developing confidence, Emma has gone from having a collection of handwritten notes to a fully written, edited and published novel.

Having experienced first-hand how writing changes lives, Emma now helps beginner writers find the time and confidence to write their first novel.