What I am going to say here is nothing groundbreaking, but sometimes it’s useful to break down or be reminded of the intuitive, and to question whether you’re doing too much at once.

Hence: my two-pronged approach to editing.

FIRST COMES DEVELOPMENTAL EDITING OF MY OWN DRAFT.

This is especially the case as I write as a total pantser, so I need to make things cohesive, flesh certain strands and subplots out, etc. I often add foreshadowing for things that happen later that, earlier on, I didn’t know were going to happen.

Yes, it’s fine to “make it all up as you go along,” but fiction, when published, shouldn’t read that way.

It should read as a coherent, cohesive story that is well-plotted. That’s what developmental editing focuses on.

In my first editing passes, I will improve the prose and cut extraneous stuff if I realize it’s extraneous, but my focus is absolutely on the story.

Does it make sense? Do character motivations and desires make sense?

Does the plot flow? Where does it feel like it’s dragging? What plot points may not actually be needed?

Might certain scenes, or parts of conversations, make a bigger impact if placed elsewhere in the timeline of the story?

NEXT COMES THE WORD COUNT GAME.

Once I am happy with the structure of the story, the real fun begins: the game of “how many words can I cut from this sucker?”

It’s like a competition against myself. I love it!

I focus on grammar, the flow of the language (as opposed to plot), cutting words and phrases that aren’t needed.

Personally, I tend to repeat and emphasize things more than is strictly necessary, so I trim that all down.

THE POINT OF THIS POST

The point of this post is that, especially if you are a panster:

DO NOT DRIVE YOURSELF CRAZY TRYING TO TACKLE ALL THE ISSUES WITH A FIRST OR EARLY DRAFT ALL AT ONCE.

As Roger says in 101 Dalmations, “The melody comes first, my dear, and then the lyrics.”

The story, the plot, is your melody.

The narration, the grammar, POV consistency, adverbial and other modifier issues . . . these are the lyrics. The intense focus on them comes later.

What’s your approach to editing?