D4rk_3|f

I was wondering should one revise chapter per chapter ot write out the whole novel first and then sift through it.

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Talia_Brie

Like all these questions, there's really no "should" or "should not".

I edit as I go, which means:

write chapter
re-read chapter with edits
write next chapter.

It's not always as formal as that. Sometimes I write three or four chapters in a row if the action is pacey.

But, that being said, I don't write regularly. Maybe once every few days I'll sit down at the computer. I just don't have enough time to write daily. Because of that I need to constantly re-read what I've last written to make sure I've got the pace and style right for the next section.

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D4rk_3|f

Problem is every time I rewrite a chapter I end up changing the story and then having to add things in the next chapters.

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"Some people drink from the fountain of knowledge, others just gargle."

Talia_Brie

Don't be afraid of doing that. The longer your story gets the more often it will happen.

I finished one book, about 500 pages, got around 100 pages into the next one and realised that one of the dead-set facts of the series had changed. I had to go back through the entire work and change every reference to it.

But I guess that's just what you have to do.

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DawnMorningStar

I take the same approach as Talia_Brie. I write a chapter (or sometimes even part of a chapter) then re-read and edit, then move on to the next. I don't only read over and edit each chapter once though. I'm constantly going back and making little corrections. I must have read and edited chapter one of my novel at least 20 times already.

Sometimes that can be a bad thing though, because instead of writing the story, I'm worrying over little piddly things. As a friend suggested, don't worry about all those little things. Just write the story and do the editing later.

So basically, it's all up to what works best for you. I like editing as I go because I think it makes the story tighter and neater, but it is rather time consuming.

River1034

I go edit after i finished the entire thing. it's easier for me to keep the same mood like that.
-riv

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eleutheromaniac

I wouldn't even think about editing until a month after you've finished writing; that way you give yourself an opportunity to seperate from the work and view it more objectively.

One editing technique that is highly effective, but very time-consuming and tedious, is to rewrite the entire manuscript, line-for-line.

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srhalfwaythere

I don't think I'm a write a rough draft then a final draft guy. I'm usually just writing it straight out and editing as I go. So when I do finish a story... I am finished (or at least then I just edit it). Then I don't retype or anything like that.

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Sean Riordan

"Being half way there is enough to last a lifetime, but far enough to keep you going." - Sean Riordan

Capulet

I find writing the outline first works best. If you have to change stuff further down the line then that's great! It shows your story has grown, and it's threaded itself back and forth a little more. The more continuity you have flowing from chapter to chapter, the more your reader will get into the story, which is never a bad thing.

I love a trilogy where something happens in book one, and it doesn't bear fruit until like book three. =) Makes me all tingly! =)

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