For those who don't know, I'm blogging my way through the alphabet with more than a thousand others who are doing the same. Please support the bloggers of the #AtoZchallenge by visiting, sharing or commenting. It's fun!
Today, we're blogging an H word and I've chosen Hand-marking a Hard copy. That's when I go through the pages of my manuscript and mark it up, edit, flesh it out. I critique myself. I wish I didn't need a Hard copy because sometimes I'm away from home (like this past week) with no way to print out an article or short story for revising, and I find myself in a pickle--especially if I'm on deadline. I wonder if needing a Hard-copy to Hand-mark is a bad habit I acquired years ago. Or if it's common practice.
I'm curious to know what you all do. Do you edit on your laptop. I can do that to a point, but I prefer a print copy so I can move away from my work area to a clear, comfortable place to read, proof, absorb. If I need to cut pages and paragraphs, I just slash through it and write myself a little note. If I need to fill in with description or introspection, it's easy to do. Here's a picture of a book I'm working on. I put it in a three ring binder then give it a read-thru, making changes until I feel I can get back to the computer to do final edits.
Is there an easier way? If so, share with me so I can quit killing trees!
.
.
2 comments:
I use a hard copy to edit. I used to do it only when a book eas finished, but now I liberally print it up whenever--even after every scene. Reading a hard copy, in landscape, helps me to see how the story looks in book format, and it's easier to see where a scene or chapter might be too long.
I actually gave up hard copy editing a long time ago now. I still do it on occassion, like when I'm taking a trip and would find it easier to edit pages while Lana drives than spread out the laptop. But I prefer to do it on computer.
Post a Comment