I finally created a routine where I’m getting editing done! I’ve gotten through the first seven chapters already (still a shit ton more to go), but it’s progress, and progress is better than being stagnant.

I think my biggest issue with editing – besides procrastination – was that I didn’t have a workable system to do it. I didn’t have a method to properly keep track of what I was doing, and being able to look at things like plot and character consistencies, and flaws that might come up. Now I do. I figured it out, and I’m very happy with myself.

Editing itself, has never been something I’ve been bad it. I can do it, and at some point I usually end up enjoying it. But I’ve also never edited something this massive before. One overarching story, with three parts, spanned over 850-900 pages, is a lot to keep track of. If it was only a few hundred pages, it’d be a totally different ordeal. I can keep track of things like that no problem. But when it’s that much, I have to have a proper system for doing it right, and not getting lost, or being unable to find something that happened earlier in the story.

I also have a few people whom I’ll have look over the story as I go. They’ll be used for different purposes: enjoyment level, grammar, story consistency and character consistency. It’s good to have a few people to catch things that you might have missed. Also, having someone read it purely to see how much they enjoy it and if they would keep reading, can help identify slow parts, lagging parts, and whether other people would actually stick it out through the whole story. If their interest starts waning or they lose it altogether, then it’s a good sign that there needs to be an upheaval in order to fix that.

My goal is to have the whole thing ready to go in December. That gives me 10-11 months, with November being iffy (NaNoWriMo). It should be enough time if I keep up my routine and get it done. I’m also hoping that the people who will be going over it with me, will be able to keep me going if I start faulting and start putting it off. Motivation and continuous poking will help keep me on track.

So here’s to something good. I’ll try to update more often about my progress, now that I’ve got something a bit more solid to update on.