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Printing out a hard-copy?



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Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:02 pm
artemis15sc says...



I was at a writer's conference with Lisa Mangum and she suggested printing out a hard-copy of your novel. She pointed out that words look different off the computer screen, and it's easier to catch mistakes. That makes sense. However:

1. I am a poor college student, and spending that much money scares me.
2. I'm a little bit a green freak, and I think every little bit counts, so printing off my novel makes me uncomfortable.

Note: novel's about 95,000 words.

Anyone have experience with this? Is it worth it to print it off, or not?

Thanks guys!
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Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:24 pm
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Lumi says...



I had a friend in college who, after reading Harry Potter, decided to write his own contemporary fantasy. I encouraged him each step of the way, but when he went to share it with beta readers, he decided to print it out. This began a snowball effect of printing-after-printing as people would point out his mistakes and the things he could improve.

Basically, he started spiraling.

My advice is to stay digital, but pick up the habit of using beta readers. Having new eyes on your work helps catch mistakes just as well as your own eyes on your own paper--though I'd say it's even better. Furthermore, you have YWS as a utility, and I'd make the most of that. Post chapters and request readers in the WRFF forum; recruit betas by making your novel its own club; generally do things that garner attention and fresh eyes towards your work.

Long story short: stay digital. You'll save trees and time. And when the time comes that you're ready to print and submit with physical queries (if publishers don't take digital copies for some reason), you'll have a gut feeling that it's the right time. But in reality, that point could be years of editing away.
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Wed Nov 19, 2014 11:39 pm
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Rosendorn says...



For me, I figure I'll print off a hard copy eventually, but I wouldn't do it for any early drafts. Early drafts are slated for rewrite, and for me there is no point in really even rereading the story because the amount my plot changes between drafts is astounding. I macro edit from the society, up, so the more I worldbuild and work out logic in the background, the more I change because plot ideas do not work with the background I've created. So I basically just keep a running list of things I should change, until I'm working with a brand new plot, and there's no hope of salvaging anything in the previous draft so I barely look at it before diving into a rewrite.

If you can't tell, I drive my beta readers nuts for this, because they're reading a brand new story each and every time.

However, I am very easily distracted for finer point editing when it's digital. I need either large amounts of time to get away from the work, or I need to print off a hard copy. I would not print off a draft until I'm actually looking at the very, very fine details that require the focus of a physical thing in my hands. And when I do print it, I'll do it double sided.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:50 pm
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LadySpark says...



I personally edit better when it's paper and I can make notes in the margins, etc etc. But I don't want to print out a copy every time I create another draft, so I do it twice. I do it after my very first draft, mostly so I can make notes about what I want to change, things I want to add, discrepancies, etc. Then when I think I'm finally finished (haha like that ever happens) to give it a very last once over. I understand being green and everything, but I promise that a hard copy is worth it. The things you spot and notice during a hard copy are sooo much more than on a digital version.

I'm not sure where you live, but here in the US, printing stuff at a UPS or Fed-Ex are pretty inexpensive for just one copy. If you can't do that, however, maybe ask family or friends if you could borrow their printer? Offer to buy the paper or something if it makes you feel better, but I'm sure you know someone who has a printer and would be more than willing to let you borrow it. As for being green, there are a lot of green paper options out there! They're a little more expensive than usual paper, but if you're really dedicated to the environment and want to try out hard copies, I'd suggest going to your local Office Max (or something like it) to find one. Looking at Office Max's website, there's Several Recycled Paper options out there. But, obviously you don't want huge cases like that, lol.

Anyway, I urge you to at least try the hard copy way at least once. You might actually end up really liking it.
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Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:13 am
Kale says...



I'm a very tactile person, and for the longest time, I hand-wrote my first drafts with pen and paper. It took me many years before I was finally able to write first drafts entirely on a computer, and even now, I prefer to write things down physically rather than type them up, especially when I'm revising.

The thing is, I'm also a colored pen fiend, so it's not uncommon for me to have layers of notes in various colors on the same piece of paper. Sometimes the notes overlap, but because they're different colors, I can still read them, so I tend to do tons and tons of revisions on a single hard copy.

I recommend printing your copies out at least double-spaced with one-and-a-half inch margins, to give you plenty of room for revision notes. Also, colored pens are your best friend. Especially the brightly colored ones.

Highlighters are awesome too for indicating areas you liked/disliked/need to get moved and where.

Heavier weight papers are also super awesome for printing duplex so you can hole punch the pages and use both sides. Cuts down on printing costs and saves paper. Sometimes I'll even the print pages so that they flip end-to-end from top to bottom and revise things on a clip board; it makes transporting things and reshuffling pages/chapters much simpler than with a binder.

I find things easier when I work with physical copies, but I also have friends who find digital much easier (like Rosey). Ultimately, it's up to you; go with what works best for you.
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Sat Dec 13, 2014 10:33 am
steampowered says...



Do you own a Kindle? I heard you could put documents on a Kindle - my friend has done that and finds it useful for editing what she writes. However, the real downside with a Kindle (or so I'm told) is that you can't edit from the Kindle. :)
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If writers wrote as carelessly as some people talk, then adhasdh asdglaseuyt[bn[ pasdlgkhasdfasdf.
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