How To Approach the Second Edit

Posted by in Writing

Once you have your list of things you know need to be done to your first draft, then you need to go back into the manuscript and make them. There is a specific way to approach this that will make things easier and smoother. Here’s what to do:

  1. Make a list (if you haven’t yet) of all that you want to do in the manuscript. Divide it into these sections: moving things/transitions/new additions/cuts/line edits
  2. Make a new copy of your file. The simplest way to do that is to rename the file (also known as “save as”). The working title, with “second draft” after the name, is a good option.
  3. Move things. Go through your list and tackle these first. Resist the urge to copy and paste. Be brave and cut and paste. That way you won’t inadvertently find duplicated passages. This is why you made a new file. The old one is still there in case you make mistakes. It can also help to mark the changes in your printout first and follow that. The never-ending scroll of a manuscript on the computer can be hard to maneuver without a map.
  4. Mark transitions. After you’ve moved things, mark where you will need to create or redo transitions from one section to another. If they are easy you can do them now, or you can come back to them later. [see “How To Do Transitions” on 12/12]
  5. Add new material. Write the new material you need, whether it’s a paragraph or a page. It’s actually easier to write all of these at once than to shift back and forth between editing and new writing.
  6. Cut the things you don’t need. Create a separate new file called “snippets” or “leftovers” so you know you can use them elsewhere or in another book. (You can also simply move these to the end of your file, but that will become another thing to clean up later.)
  7. Now that the entire file is in the proper order, with new material added and wrong material removed, go back into the file and do the small fixes and editing changes you’d noticed in your read-through. This is the time to get persnickety and do all those things you meant to do but resisted when writing in flow. This is also the time you can come back and write in transitions if you haven’t yet. [see “How To Do Transitions” on 12/12]
  8. Save this file, print it out, and read it one more time! Then you will be ready for your first outside reader.