I’m at the point in my WIP when I need to reread with a critical eye. Where did I leave that thing? I’m out of town on family business, stealing a few hours here and there to work. Because of this, I can’t print the thing out, which is what I really need to do. Reading on screen is more difficult for me, because I can’t move back and forth between sections easily, can’t flip a few pages to find what I’m looking for to check for consistency, for gaps, for repetitions.
I’m working on a update and revision of The Book Trailer Manual. One goal is to expand the section on how to write a book trailer script, including recommending some software and detailing the process more clearly. Another goal is to update the recommended software for actually producing the video, including adding about a dozen new, free resources. Finally, I”ll be looking at all the examples of trailers and updating the list of trailer to study.
Doing this revision all on-screen means I have to find new strategies for working.
- Search. The search function or search and replace lets me find repetitions or find pieces to see where they are fitting in. I love how it takes a tiny snippet and finds it for me.
- TOC. The Table of Contents allows me to check the structure of the piece, to see gaps and more easily find sections I need.
- Rereading everything. I also find myself re-reading the whole manuscript every day. Geez, I wonder, isn’t there a better way? Well, no, not this time, because I can’t hold the mss in my hand and flip around, I don’t know how else to get back into the flow. In some ways, this constant rereading is good, though, because I’m polishing things every time I do this.
What techniques or tips do you have about editing on-screen?
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