: Re: Doubts about editing? I have been working on a novel, and I've gone around four chapters in. I keep re-reading the first chapters, and I am tempted to edit them. Should I wait until I at

@Cofer669

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There are many different approaches here.

Some people prefer to write the whole book in one, in order, all the way to completion, then come back and edit it all in one pass. This prevents you from procrastinating, and perhaps gives your book a certain cohesiveness and poetry.

At the other end of the scale, some might prefer to work on multiple parts of the book as they go, depending on what comes to them. If a scene or line of dialog comes clear, go and write it. If it's suddenly obvious how to edit a chapter, and your words are coming freely, edit that chapter. This gives you flexibility and fun, but can lead to logical inconsistencies and procrastination.

There are a plethora of other approaches, you have to pick the one that works for you. Be self-aware. Watch out for perfectionism. See what inspires you. See what makes it fun. If you enjoy your characters and can project this onto the page, it will be enjoyable to read.

How I write (which is not necessarily how you should write)

I generally have multiple strands on the go at any one point. Some chapters are just sketches: a few hundred words of dialog and intent. Some are written but not edited. Some are part way edited. Some need to be refactored to take into account a new character trait, tense change or piece of imagery. Some are complete. Nothing is in order.

I use TODOs all over the place to remind myself to come back. I use Markdown and Git to keep track of the confusion and make sure nothing gets lost on the way. I trade meta-critiques with other authors to help find logical inconsistencies.

It's messy, hacky & slow, but lots of fun.

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