The Pains and Perils of Reviewing Proofs–Part III

Over Fixing – A Common Pit-fall

One of the biggest problems I seem to have when I go through my proofs is over-correcting things.

Fiddling too much.

Often, as I read it through the proofs, I’ll change something. Something slight.

Later, when I read it over again, I'll change it back.

Then change it again.

Only to go back to the original.

If you know you’ve put in concentrated effort during all the previous stages of the work, then trust yourself, and don’t succumb to the temptation to make too many changes. Sometimes you can spoil a work by messing too much. Making the changes as elegant and slight as possible is a way of honouring your original vision.

The Pains and Perils of Reviewing Proofs – Part II

In my previous post I talked about how crucial it is to read your proofs out loud.

One of the most important reasons for this is to make sure that your dialogue rings true.

Ah, dialogue.

When you read out loud, the pace of the dialogue, the pauses, become apparent. As does the phrasing.

More than likely, you'll find some places where your dialogue doesn’t sound quite right. It’s ineffable how you know, but you just do.

Here’s a way to try and discover where the problem lies: Try reading out the dialogue simply as dialogue, as you would in a play. No “he or she saids”. No descriptions of action in-between. Just dialogue.

If you can’t tell who is saying what, you need to fix your dialogue.

If the voice sounds stilted, if it doesn’t sound natural, the way someone might actually say it--if the flow isn't right--your dialogue needs fixing.

Also, try acting out the piece to see if you can get the dialogue to reflect the thoughts and feelings of your character--to show what he/she wants to convey, as well as what she/he wants to hide. In other words, the text and the subtext.

The Pains and Perils of Reviewing Proofs – Part I

I’ve been up to my neck–no, make that my nose, or higher–in the quagmire of reviewing the proofs of my upcoming novel, THAT BOY RED (HarperCollins Canada) due to be released in April 2011.

Don't get me wrong–I’ve loved writing this book. I love the process of writing all my books. I’ve even loved re-writing this book, and working through the edits. I’ve relished spending time with these people, being in their world.

But.

But this stage is enough to make me pull out my hair–in chunks, if I had enough of it. It is PAINSTAKING this process. PAINFUL. A fragile and nerve-wracking time for any author for a number of reasons, not least because you know it’s your last chance to make changes.

And one of the grave dangers of this stage–oh, yes, dangers–isn't that you'll fail to spot minor errors, but that you that you will over fiddle and wreck what works.

Here’s the thing: each time you see your work, time has passed. You are different, so what you see and how you see is different. Sometimes you forget about the previous changes you'd made and the reasons for those changes (chances are you’re already deep into another work, or your mind is cleared of all details of this particular work because it's filled with life events).

One tip to help you catch what you need to as you review the proofs (this is helpful during any stage of the editing process) is to read the proofs out loud. I’ve mentioned this before. It helps at every stage, and this last stage is no exception, even if you’ve read your manuscript aloud many times before. Your ear catches things your eyes don’t, and you have the chance to hear (and see) how each sentence links to the ones before and after.

There can be a problem with reading out loud to yourself, though: when you don’t have an audience, the reading can stumble and stall, and trip and trick you into thinking something doesn’t work when it does. Or vice-versa.

So here are few tactics you can try to avoid the reading-aloud-to-yourself blues:

Read aloud, but slowly, as though you are reading to a class of kids.

Read aloud, but slowly and softly as though you’re reading to a kid sitting next to you on the couch.

Read standing up. When the diaphragm can take in larger quantities of air, it seems to help. If you find a part you stumble over, mark it, then try reading it again later.

Sometimes you’re stumbling because the writing needs to be fixed, but other times because you are in a hurry. I know. Because I change things back and forth and back and forth...a dizzying cycle.

My next several posts will continue to cover the pains and pitfalls of reviewing proofs–as well as how to avoid those pitfalls. I hope these suggestions will be relevant to any stage of editing.