Finishing a short story always gives me an adrenaline rush. There’s no feeling like writing a piece in one or two sittings and being able to say: it’s finished! You’ve created something, something others will read, and hopefully it will change them in a small way. Maybe give them a laugh, make them shed a tear, or move them in a way that will alter their world view. Regardless of what you’ve achieved, chances are your first draft is still a diamond in the rough.
So now’s the time you’ve been waiting for, or dreading. Let’s start editing!
Time makes the story stronger
One of the main pieces of advice I’ve heard over and over is to put time between yourself and your piece. From weeks to months, spending time away from your short story will allow you to revisit it as a reader instead of a writer. See it objectively, spot inconsistencies, know what to keep and what to cut. When a short story is fresh out of the oven, chances are, you’ll love it. All of it. Sometimes you’ll think it’s the best thing you’ve ever written! But if you revisit it after a few months, you’ll spot some flaws that you might not have noticed the day you wrote it.
For this particular short story that you’ve just finished drafting, you won’t have months to put it away. It’s week two, so depending on how much time you can dedicate, and how much time you have to edit, you’ll have to open your document up again pretty soon and get to work. But don’t despair! Here are a few tips that will help you put space between yourself and your piece, even if you only get a few days rest.
- Don’t start right away.
So you don’t have months to let your story-dough sit and rise. But hopefully you’ll have a few days. Even if it’s just one, try your best to close the document or notebook you wrote in, and avoid thinking about it at all costs.
- Space matters
Now that you’ve given yourself that precious time, it’s time to find a place to edit. This might seem silly (and I don’t have studies to prove this, just a gut feeling), but editing in the same place where you wrote might keep your brain in its more creative mode. This isn’t to say that editing isn’t creative (it is) but you’re using a different type of creativity. And being in a different place will add to that distance that you’re not getting with time. Some options could be to edit in a café, on your couch instead of desk, or if you feel like making your life a little harder, you could move your desk around, face the opposite direction in your room to give you a different view. If you have multiple writing devices, that could also be helpful; switch from your tablet to your laptop, or from your desktop to your laptop!
- Play with format
One of the oldest (well, not that old) tricks in the book is to print out your draft. Seeing it in paper will allow you to see it differently, and will allow for the kind of edits that aren’t as easy to achieve on a digital doc.
But, if, like me, you don’t have a functioning printer at home, there are still a few things you can do to give you that much-needed sense of distance. Change it to a different format; play with fonts, go from Times New Roman to Calibri, or even Comic Sans. In other words, try to make it look like something you didn’t write, so that your objective, editing senses will switch on. Change spacing, font size, even background colour.
So, what’s it about?
I’ve found that before I edit a short story, it can be helpful to know what kind of story I’m hoping to find on the page. The idea in your mind doesn’t always translate to what’s on the page, but during the drafting process, that isn’t always clear. Before reading your draft, there are a few things that you can write down to get an idea what it is you’re after:
A short summary (that’s pretty self-explanatory). Your protagonist’s goals and obstacles. Or if there’s no main character, your goals with the story. What sort of reaction are you hoping to get out of your readers? And maybe most importantly, theme. This goes way beyond plot. The deepest layer of your story has a theme. Theme is usually a big word. Grief. Redemption. Love. But the way you interpret and portray theme will be different to another writer (and that’s why it matters). Write down what your theme is, in big letters if possible, and figure out what you generally associate with that. Both from a visual perspective, to the kind of language you would use. Make notes, and once you’ve got all this info ready, read the story.
Do not touch
Whether you’re editing on paper or on your computer, when you read your short story for the first time, keep your hands away from the red pen or keyboard. Read it, and try to write down the same information you wrote before (summary, goals, theme), and see how it matches that first list. Look at the language you’ve used. Does it fit the aesthetic of your theme? Are your character’s goals clear? Are they too clear? Does the plot make sense? How’s the pace? Luckily enough, you will be getting an objective perspective on your story once you share it, but before that, you’ll probably want it to be in its best possible shape.
Time to dig in
So now’s the time for your first rewrite (whether you’re rewriting the whole story, or just a paragraph). Start big, then go small. Don’t focus too much on synonyms or punctuation when you may or may not be cutting that line. Try to address the larger issues first (plot, pacing, theme), and then, read through again. If you’re happy (even if it’s just a wee bit) then now you can start line editing. Play with sentence structure, whip out a thesaurus if you think you might need it. Once it flows nicely, you’re done!
Just kidding. Now it’s time to send it out into the world!
Check back next week for tips on how to take feedback without feeling like you’ve been punched in the gut, know what feedback to keep and what to throw, and adding the final touches to your piece.
Written by Annie S.