[to do] Planning for the summertime!

[miss_haitch]

When I'm in the mood, deadlines are a good motivator. Of course, sometimes they can be nightmarish, but I'm going with motivating for now! My Ultimate Deadline is September, as that's when I'm going to be starting my teacher training and I'm going to have a lot less spare time.

What I want to do by then is:
--Complete the first edit of the novel-first-draft (colloquially known as the superpower story) I recently finished. It's currently lying around so I can distance myself from it enough to look at it with clear eyes.
--Aim to reach about halfway through the novel-first-draft I'm now working on (colloquially known as the deathworm story). That target gives me a lot of leeway for days when I'm too busy or just don't feel like writing.

I've never drafted while editing something else (or edited in a methodical way, really), so I'm feeling a little apprehensive for when I start. I think it's going to be a challenge switching between editing-mode and drafting-mode, so fingers crossed for that one...

I also want to write at least four short snippets for Three Weeks for Dreamwidth. I've done one so far for stayintheroom, so I feel cautiously confident about that.

Do you folks have any editing tips -- or, conversely, tips for switching off your inner editor?

Comments

[shanaqui]

This is my favourite tool for switching off the inner editor: Write or Die. You just have to write. Or it will prompt you/play annoying sounds/eat your words.

[anthimeria]

Having just edited the first of my novels that I thought was worth editing (does that sentence make sense? I think so), my biggest tip is this: Your first full-draft edit will take twice as long as you think it's going to.

At least that's what happened to me. I had a time-crunch, so I laid everything out neatly, and then freaked when I realized I STILL hadn't completed draft 2 a month and a half into the process.

However, every subsequent draft took less time, because there were fewer things to address (though the remaining issues got more finicky with each draft. By the time I hit draft 5 I could spend hours reworking dialogue in a two-page scene). So I DID get everything done in time.

Don't get discouraged! Just adjust your schedule as you go. And, actually, I found draft-writing to be a nice release from the stress of editing. Maybe you will, too.

[miss_haitch]

Oooh, I'd heard of that but never tried it. Thank you for the link!

[miss_haitch]

I shall bear that in mind, and try not to get demoralised if it takes longer than expected! My partner's editing a novel at the moment so I'm seeing second-hand how much work goes into it -- like you, it's taken her a lot longer than she thought. Being flexible sounds a good plan.