Balancing Editing & Revision

BALANCING EDITING & REVISION

Last week I talked about all my working projects (found here) and this week I thought that I'd delve into what it's like trying to balance revision and editing. I've managed to do this before, though the editing has always been more stressful for me, but now that I'm not drafting for the time being, it made sense to try and give you some tips of what it's like trying to juggle two, in my opinion, similar parts of the process.

Before I start, I should let you know that for me, I consider revising to be the part of the process you do without professional help, and editing to be the process you do with dev editors and beyond. While that's not a strict definition, it's one that's worked for me. Otherwise you could clearly see that the two are very similar processes and might get confused about which one applies to what. 

When it comes to balancing the two, I go to my tried and true method of keeping them both as separate as possible. Whether that's only doing one on one day and the other on another, or whether that's making sure that my work on revision is done first and only when it's finished and I've cleared my mind of that project, do I approach editing. It sometimes works really well, other times it does not.

I've always been someone who, when working, gets really focused on the project on the docket for the day, and while before I would be drafting and then doing edits, I find it's a harder mind switch when I'm revising and then doing edits because as I said above, they are very similar in their execution. While sometimes I have been able to easily switch to the editing project, other times it's taken me a while to get into the right frame of mind for the editing project.

It helps, somewhat, that usually the projects I'm revising are so different to the tone and plot of the editing project, but there have been times recently when I've been revising the next book in that series, and also editing the book that came before it. Sometimes it's made for a smooth switch because I already know the characters and world well, other times it's led to things where I've struggled for that section of edits.

I think, ultimately, it comes down to what works for you, what helps you get into the right frame of mind, and what will help you effectively work. If you're not someone who can manage to juggle multiple projects, which is fine and completely valid, then this wouldn't apply to you. If you are, and you've also found it hard to switch around when the process is very similar, all I can suggest is that maybe separating what days you work on one part so that you have a cleaner break between the two.

While I've found a way that works for me, it wouldn't work for everyone, and in the beginning, I did need that clean break. I needed to only be working on one type of project a day and there was just no chance of me being able to get into the character's heads and mindset if I'd spent a chunk of time in a different world and character. With practice, comes progress, and you just have to remember to start small, and to take it as you can, even if that means it takes you longer, that's okay. Remember, it takes as long as it takes.

Good luck!

Any questions? Lemme know in the comments! 

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