Writing FAST - Jeff Bollow 2012

When to edit
Decide which way to go
Strengthen

Editing is a broad topic.

Editing means revising, changing and fixing your work.

Technically, the Strengthen and Tweak phases are both “editing.” Editing has typically meant the whole rewriting process.

But to my way of thinking, that definition is too broad.

Editing should be specific. It’s rearranging, blending, and cutting what you’ve got. It’s not rewriting. It’s not tweaking.

I like to keep every movement separate. Systematic.

Your project is like a jigsaw puzzle, with extra pieces from another box. You’ve got to determine the best fit of the pieces, and get rid of stray pieces that don’t belong.

Give an Edit grade when the idea is there, and the detail is rich enough, but the pieces aren’t fitting correctly. It’s choppy or jumbled or in need of rearranging.

For example, when I write, I always overwrite. I ramble on and on, and say way too much. If I’m writing a 10-page chapter, I’ll write 15 pages, knowing I’ll chop them down later.

But I end up with a lot of material I don’t need. Or stories that may or may not fit. All the way through! Cutting a section here affects other sections over there. So I’ll go through and Edit everything, to give the whole piece the right flow and tone.

Give your work the Edit grade when your idea is clear and your detail is solid, but the writing itself needs to be rearranged, cut, blended, and organized.