The problem with over-editing: Knowing when to stop polishing

Every author has a different part of the process they love and, subsequently, a part that they hate. For me, I don't really love revisions. It feels like running in circles with very little progress, no matter how many passes I take or changes I make. It's just not my favourite.

I usually get to a point in revisions where I throw my book back to my editor with a plea for help about what I'm supposed to do next.

Oftentimes, I'm stuck in the loop of over-editing.

What does that mean? Well, that's the "running in circles" idea. I end up spending too much time on things that don't really matter - or don't matter at this stage - and I end up wasting valuable time.

This is the biggest problem with over-editing: we lose sight of the bigger picture and end up costing time we could be using to develop new stories. Here are some suggestions to identify over-editing and know when to stop polishing.

How do we know we're over-editing?

This can sometimes be a tricky thing to spot. First of all, some edits actually do require a lot of time and focus in order to get where we want to go. How I discover where that line is has a lot to do with checking in with myself.

I start to ask questions.

1. Do I know where I'm going with this edit?

2. Do I know what I want this edit to do?

3. Do I still have an idea of how long it will take me to complete this edit?

If I can answer those questions, chances are that I'm still in a good, if frustrating, place. But if my answer is no, at any point, that's my signal that I need to reevaluate what I'm actually doing.

What editing stage are we at?

There are multiple areas where we can end up over-editing. In developmental revisions, it could look like changing scene elements and dynamics with no real impact on the characters arcs or plot. In line edits, it usually looks like changing single words or phrasings over and over until we can't recognize the word "about".

This is also a helpful tool to identify when we might be at it too long.

While writing A Traitor Among Tyrants, I got stuck over-editing multiple scenes in the developmental stage. I was starting to look at pieces that were copy edits (continuity and understandability) rather than developmental edits before I'd even solidified the plot. I ended up sending it back to my editor with an apology because I realized that I just needed professional eyes on it - and I also needed to take a break.

Take a step back

I'm lucky to have an editor to bounce ideas off of, but if I'm not at that stage yet, there are a couple tools that I use to help me get out of that editing loop. And guess what, it involves more questions!

Most of the time, if I've got my head buried in the sand, I'm looking at things too closely. I have to take a breath and consider what I'm actually trying to do.

1. What do I actually feel stuck on? Is it the phrasing, the way a character is responding that feels out of line?

2. Why do I want to change it? Does it feel dissonant with the rest of the story? Is it not getting my idea across in the way I want?

3. Why does this section matter so much to me? Is there something it needs to be doing for the plot? Is it integral to the characters or the emotion of the story?

Once I figure out what I'm actually trying to do, it usually helps me figure out how I want to edit. I just need a repositioning of my intentions. If it's a developmental change, I can also add in some additional brainstorming to work through changes before touching the manuscript again.

Set goals

If nothing else is working or I just know I have a tendency to get sucked into a certain project, I set limits. Either time limits or section limits.

It's so easy to get lost in the words and not notice how long I've been working on something. Setting a timer for an hour or telling myself that all I'm going to work on is a singular scene or paragraph, it helps me to avoid putting the blinders on and diving in.

While my brain is fundamentally against sprinting as a concept, it's a method that works really well for me. It takes a lot of the pressure off of making something perfect.

While over-editing can sometimes be useful, it's also important to know when enough is enough. I hope that this can help to cut down on getting stuck in that loop! And if you need more ideas to help you through from first draft to published novel, check out some of my other posts below.

Happy writing,

Erin