In the early 1980s I worked for an accounting firm in their management advisory services division performing hotel and restaurant feasibility studies. It was a fun job. Lots of travel, sometimes to exotic locations, lots of research, lots of writing, lots of fact checking, and editing. One of my bosses had a saying he applied to both the research and the editing phases, “When it’s enough, stop.” The same applies to fiction writing. But, how do you know when enough is enough?
Tough question. Every writer has their own answer. Mine is what I call the nausea criteria. After my stint with the accounting firm, I became a litigation and probate paralegal. The law changes fast, sometimes in the middle of drafting a pleading. Research is essential, and the cases, especially for someone with a sideline in fiction writing, can be fascinating. So, how do you know when it’s time to log off the research sites and start writing? Easy. I hit a point where everything I read was a variation on the same theme and the thought of looking at another case made me green around the gills. Time to get it on paper.
Fiction writing is no different. One can happily Google forever. There’s always something to learn, the tiny nugget that opens doors and provides the perfect plot twist. One fact leads to another, and another, and…well you get it. Until you realize that there is no new information to be found and the thought of noodling around with the search terms for a new result makes you want to cry. There you are, it’s enough. Stop. Write the story. If you’ve got holes or questions, deal with them later when you can narrow the search terms with laser accuracy.
Once you’ve got the story down, it’s time to edit. I love editing. Going through a first draft searching for continuity and/or plot holes, fixing outright errors, making phrases shine, that’s catnip. Bring it on. Even though I’m pretty sure commas will always elude me, it’s satisfying to make words sing. Sometimes, it even happens. It’s those glory moments that make the hours spent with Roget’s Thesaurus and Rodale’s Synonym Finder worth it.
So, how do you know when you’re done? I’ve never read a story I’ve written that I haven’t spotted potential improvements. Even after publication. Should I have kept at it? Did I fail my readers? I hope not. With editing, like researching, I hit a nausea wall. There comes a time that I discover I’m making changes because. Because this word might sound better, or that phrase may convey a more nuanced meaning. The edits are not improvements. I have entered the realm of it’s enough. Time to stop. At that point, I put the manuscript aside while I move on to something else. A few days later, refreshed and alert, I read the manuscript in one or two sittings. Any plot, grammar, tone, voice, and character problems shout out to me for attention, and with that last pass, the edit is complete. It’s the best I can make it.
It’s enough. I stop.
How about you, how do you know when you’re done?
I'm know I am past done if I realize I am changing something BACK to what it had been.
ReplyDeleteGood morning, Kait. I love editing, too. It's a joy adding (or subtracting) the details that make the story stronger. I agree with Jim - I know it's done when the changes don't improve anything. Then I listen to a read through to catch any final hitches, and finished!
ReplyDeleteI usually bump up against a deadline. Sometimes with a short story, I'm out of gas and can't think of anything to add to make it better.
ReplyDeleteEven when it is done, I'm never sure..... always something I see after I turn it in, but that's life.
ReplyDelete@Jim - oh so true! And then you wonder if you said it best the first time.
ReplyDelete@Martha - Isn't it amazing what listening to a read through can catch!
@Margaret - When you can't think of anything to make the story better, you are done!
@Debra - With you on the post submission quarterbacking, but the alternative is no submission!
I have to confess that when I read anything I've written after it's published, I still find things I think should be changed.
ReplyDeleteI have to just basically cut off the process at some point.
It's so hard to know which differences make a difference and which ones are just different. When I hit that point it's time to step away from the keyboard.
ReplyDeleteConfirming paper research with a primary source is a great way to stop, if you can find that primary source. When I do, I usually also get the bonus of putting it in a professional’s perspective. And that’s the mindset I want.
ReplyDelete@KM - The perfectionist's mindset! Definitely, there is always something else. I figure as long as whatever I see doesn't make me want to wince----I'm good - or as good as I'm gonna get!
ReplyDelete@Molly - So true, of course, that's where good editors and good beta readers come in.
@EB - Primary source is golden!