The Difference Between Editing and Revising

Okay so maybe this post was inspired by the assignment I'm supposed to have due on Monday and maybe I'm using this post as an excuse to not do that assignment... but... I'm posting something. That's good right?

Note to self: make a post on procrastination.

I'll do that next week.

*base drums and a cymbal*

Anyways.

This is a concept that a lot of people in my AP English class can't really seem to grasp. There is a difference between revising and editing. A lot of the time people, myself included, tend to use the two words interchangeably. I've told you all plenty of times that I'm editing my novel, but I'm really revising it (though there is a fair share of plain editing).

Editing usually entails going through and fixing spelling mistakes and grammar and awkward sentence structures. A lot of time when people think about first and second drafts and the like, that's the first thing they think of. That's pretty much all I did to my essays in 8th grade. And that's fine for an 8th grader turning in an essay for English class. That's not all right for someone submitting a novel.

Your first draft sucks.

My first draft sucks.

Margaret's first draft sucked.

It's safe to assume that every book you've ever read's first draft sucked.

Like a Dyson vacuum.

According to Google's automatic definitions, to revise means to "reconsider and alter (something) in the light of further evidence".

Second drafts are for changes. Real changes. You're supposed to reconsider and alter. Not just the spelling or the sentence structure. It calls for rewriting a lot of stuff. Getting rid of entire characters, adding entire characters, rewriting the first three chapters eight times, considering whether or not you're going to keep chapter 4, 7, and 13.

Just so far in my second draft, I cut out about 8 chapters of background information, added a minor character, changed the outcome of a pretty big scene, I'm trying to figure out how to seriously alter a couple of the other minor character's roles, expanding the first two chapters into more like four or five, changing the end... that's revising. And that's not even the end. Who knows what stuff I'm going to change for the third or fourth revisions? And then after that, who knows what my editors going to ask me to/suggest/help me work on changing?

Don't even get my started on the revisions Margaret's doing. She's more on like her 30th revision, but the prologue's changed who knows how many times, she's added a bad guy, her second main character's role has changed COMPLETELY, the situation surrounding her character's involvement in the plot has changed, the end has changed completely... It's ridiculously different.

Now, does this mean your other drafts have to be unrecognizable from you first, well, no. It still the same story, you should be able to tell that one is the product of the other, but should it be significantly better?

A resounding yes.

And you can always make more edits! Your book isn’t set in stone until it’s published (and even then there are editions where you can mess with stuff).

Whether you need to pay extremely, extremely close attention to editing is another post. Usually most people will say you should definitely make sure that it’s decent. No one wants to read a manuscript that’s riddled with errors. It automatically makes them less inclined to like what you’re writing. But it doesn’t have to be absolutely perfect.

Your first priority is revising though. Just about anyone with a solid grasp of the English language (and spell check) can produce a literary work that is edited and correct. Only writers worth their salt can produce a literary work with balanced pace and strong characters and gripping actions ect.

Moral of the story: Revise, don’t edit.

Fun example:

"'Never again', said the blackbird." First draft.

"Quoth the raven, 'Nevermore,'" Final draft.