I break up my files into 5 chapters, and right now I am working on my 6-10 file. I am tempted to go back and edit chapters 1-10 once I am done, but my friend gave me advice last year that you shouldn't edit until you are down with the first draft of the novel.
"If you don't have the time to read, you don't have the time or the tools to write." - Stephen King
“Getting something and having the wits to use it...those are two different things.” ― Rick Riordan, The Battle of the Labyrinth
Do what works for you. The important part, from my experience, is to give yourself the time to distance from your work before going back to edit it. This gives you a fresh perspective.
"The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible." — Einstein
I usually try to get far enough in front of any given point before I start editing. Because I tend to edit for continuity (to account for replots, or the character branching off in ways that aren't reflected in the beginning) so I need enough continuity in front of the start to edit properly, lol
But, that's just another method. If you want/feel you need to start editing now, follow Inkwell's advice and just do what's best for you.
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.
I think it's never too early to start editing. When I'm starting a day's writing I sometimes like to read through the previous chapter to help solidify in my memory what has happened so far as well as getting my creative juices flowing. When I do this, I often come across a few things I feel could be written better. Since I'm already reading through it all again, why not fix anything I think is out of place? I'll have to go through the entire thing again once I'm finished to proof read and edit everything anyway, so why not do some of it ahead of time and save myself a bit of trouble?
At this point I'm probably going to sound like a broken record since everyone else has been saying the same thing, but do whatever you feel works best. The most important thing is that the editting gets done before the book gets published, how it gets done is completely up to you.
Chicken <-- Egg <-- Rocket Powered Fist Take that, science!
For me, if I'm not yet done with the book at least 70%, I prefer not to edit. It just feels like I'm stagnating if I do this. Plus, having a finished draft (or almost finished) will give you that bird eye's view of your work which helps very much. But everybody has different ways of writing. If you feel like writing that part again, then do it. You don't want to miss your inspiration.
Julie, a sucker for romance, historical fashion, medieval fairs and blues music. Add photography and you already know me 50%. The rest of me you'll discover through my writings and my photos.
Editing your work before it is done can lead to you procrastinating, and feeling annoyed that you can't end it.
However, editing your work as you go, you realise your mistakes or your plot holes, it's even possible to pull coincidences and perfect correlations out of thin air to strengthen your plot.
It's even better when you get to a certain point, realise one of your main characters should be a different gender, and then rework everything for it to fit.
Editing before you're finished can be detrimental and it definitely delays progress - but it can also be very rewarding ^^
I self edit as I go, but that may not work for you. I do this because I rarely have time/motivation to write, so when I do I try and mesh my writing and editing time together. It also makes it easier when i go to do a massive edit because I don't have to worry about little mistakes.
Whatever you decide though, you shouldn't do a thorough edit on your work until you've let it sit around for a bit, then you'll come back at it with fresh eyes.
Review unto others as you would have others review unto you.
Personally, I like to write the first draft straight away, without editing much. If there's anything I want to change, I leave that for the next draft, but I do write down what needs changing. Otherwise I'd never finish the story!
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