Slogging Away At Editing And Additing

For the last two nights I've sat at my computer editing and it feels good. No longer do I feel like a little lost lamb in my writery world.

The first draft was some 90,500 words, so I need to get it down to about 81,000. Hmmmm ...

At the moment I am editing, taking words away, but very poorly. Only lost 200 words so far. But to be honest, I'm just whizzing through it, reformatting, taking out obvious words like 'just' and trying to fix the bigger issues. But my brain works chronologically. I know that something needs fixing at say around chapter 20, but I have to read through and fix minor things on the way.

I've been noting down stuff too. Something recommended by Sophie King in Writing Magaznie a few issues back in her 'How To Write A Novel' section. Like if one of the characters mentions or does something, and I need it to appear earlier, or later, I'm making a note of it, so that I keep up the consistency ... making sure the gun that appears in chapter one, does get fired in chapter ten sort of thing.  (Yes, I know I'm writing romance and there is no gun, but you know what I mean!)

I read it through via my Kindle initially and that was good to see pace and realise what I'm repeating. (Throw it all at the wall in first draft!). So I know there is plenty of words than can come out.

Not sure if there is a right or wrong way, but this is how I feel comfortable doing my editing. It took me a while to get into it, wasn't sure where to start, but I'm chugging along nicely now.

It will get another read through, another nit pick to reduce words - I think it will be easier to do one word at a time, too (that's how my brain works). So at the moment I'm editing and additing (where I add stuff in).

Additing is a word I created for NaNoWriMo 2006 - I completed the novel, but knew it would need more stuff, to back up the consistency of the story and I called it additing, and it stuck. And that's my word for Morton Gray's Word Challenge!

At least one person can back me up that I've used this word, and created it from NaNoWriMo 2006 - she knows who she is!

Not sure how the editing and additing will come along this weekend as I have to work, however, I might make time to do some reading or even tackle assignment 12 (2nd fiction).