First, I will always copy the explanation of the name of the post, shortened a bit:
You may be wondering why my blog is called Ram's Ramblings on Writing. But why Ram's Ramblings when my name is Ed. Well, it all started with a blog by Robert Adam Madigan (or RAM), a blog that doesn't actually exist because Robert Adam Madigan is a character in a new book I am writing and, in the book, he is the author of the blog call Ram's Rambings although his name is not really Robert Adam Madigan. He is hiding from his real name which is Frederick Martin Scope. You will have to read the book (when it's finished) to find out why.
Today I thought I might explain a technique that I found very useful when I wrote Last Killer Standing.
I wasn't quite sure how I wanted the book to procede, but I knew how I wanted it to end. Thus, I laid out my chapters in what I thought was a logical progression. Then, about when I had finished chapter four or so, I decided the order of the chapters was wrong for what I then had in mind. Therefore, I took the short chapter summaries and put them in Excel (a spread sheet) so they were easy to move around. For example, at one point what I thought should go into chapter 25 I then decided, because of what I had written, needed to be chapter 18. With Excel, all I had to do is move the summary line for that chapter to the appropriate point.
I found many additional benefits from using Excel.
- I could keep track of whaen a chapter was finished (by putting the date in another column)
- I could keep track of how many pages were in each chapter (word would tell me that) and a running total of how many in entire book, which is approximately 96,000.
- I could keep track of how many times I had reedited a particular chapter (a different column for each time it was edited). I edited each chapter at least five times before I published it along with the edits other people suggested for me.
- Visual Basic Made Easy
- Visual Basic 5 Made Easy
- Microsoft Windows 98
- Advanced Basic Structured Programming for Microcomputers
- Microcomputers, hardware, software, and programming (my first textbook)
- And others
But. I digress, the point was how I determined that five edits, or so, for each chapter is enough. Well, while writing my textbooks I found that constant editing sometimes caused more harm that the help it provided. I found that after a while, I ended up changing a passage back to what it was several edits ago.
So, how much editing is enough. I find that after I have corrected all the misspellings, which generally only takes one edit, I am editing for content. Ocassionally I run across something that doesn't make sense in it's position, and I have to go back to an earlier portion of the chapter, or even an earlier chapter, and make additions or changes. But, after I have gone through a chapter a couple of time with virtually no changes, I consider that chapter done. Unless, of course, that chapter is changened because of something found in another, later chapter. Then I may feel obligate to edit it several more times.
I have read postings on the internet where writers have claimed they are editing their material 20 or more times. I'm afraid I don't believe that. I really can't image that anyone edits a chapter more that six or seven times. As I said, to my way of looking at it, you would end up changing it back to a previous version.
If you disagree with this, please leave me a comment. I relish differences of opinion.
Today, Saturday, 10/29/2011, I have added a new tab to post a few of the more interesting passages from my books. Hopefully they will not prove to be spoilers. I will try hard so they won't be.
I also posted changes in the following tabs:
- On Ed's Job
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