Tuesday, February 28, 2012

The Post-It Note post

I know I said I wouldn't do this, but today there is no avoiding it. Last week I put a photo of my novel manuscript up on Facebook. 540 neat, pristine pages, tidily arranged in a precise block of paper. "Just need to revise my revisions," I updated with glee. 

Today I give you the revised version of that manuscript. Liberally covered in post-it notes. And scrawly handwriting with such helpful tips as 'write more here'. With any luck I will remember what that was all about when I go to input all my changes tomorrow.

I have been through this manuscript so many times I was sure it was clean. I knew I had to add in a few more bits, but I sincerely thought two or three post-its with 'write more here' would do it. It just goes to show you how different text looks when printed on a page. It is given a weight that it simply does not have on a screen. It reads differently. The eye picks up mistakes and repetition and the fact that there are several phrases that I use over and over again. Written quirks that need to be culled.

Last week I wrote a little post about bringing the fun back to blogging, as a way of avoiding the Post-it Note post. The one in which I point out the importance of printing out your manuscript and editing it with a red pen and, yes, a million post-it notes. Today, exactly a week later, I'm writing it anyway.

Print your words out. It puts a surprising distance between you and your initial thoughts.  A surprising and useful distance. Read your words out loud. Then scrawl all over them with red pen. And mark the place with a Post-It note.

Some things in life, including editing, are best and easiest when done the old-fashioned way.

As an added bonus, I have depleted all my Post-It Note supplies and must now purchase new ones. Cute ones. Inspirational ones. I would never be without them.

15 comments:

  1. You should get some tips from Kim Wilkins. She is a serious coloured post-it note user whilst editing -- I've seen pics! I don't use them at all and am starting to think there's something wrong with me!

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  2. Wow! Who would've have known that reading it in print who have made such a difference! I like the sounds of those inspirational post-it notes!

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  3. Oh I couldn't agree more. I have to print out my words to really get stuck into the editing. And I use coloured pens & post it notes. My current batch are adorned with a 50's housewife & the quote -'I dreamt my desk was clean'...
    Of course mine isn't!

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  4. Yes, Yes, YES! It's amazing what suddenly comes to your attention when it's printed on actual paper. Love the post-it-note idea. And I may just have to borrow that useful phrase "Write more here". It covers such a lot of ground.

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  5. To me, that sounds like an awful lot of hard work.
    This is probably why I'm not a writer.

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    1. I love this comment, River...yes! It is a hell of a lot of hard work!

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  6. This is one of the biggest challenges of studying online as a distance student...everything gets sent to you electronically (even photocopied book chapters). Reading it online rarely makes sense to me, I have to print, scribble in the margins and make little notes to myself (that make no sense the following day!). Old school all the way

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  7. Oh Kikki K here you come! Keep plugging. You inspire us all x

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  8. I definitely pick up stuff once I print out on paper that is just not there on the screen. It is a constant source of wonder to me. I can only imagine that this effect is exponential with a whole manuscript!

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  9. Old fashioned is always the way to go for me. Nothing quite the same as reading it on paper and scrawling all over it!
    Good Luck with the edits.

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  10. Nothing to say about editing ...but LOVE the new-do Al...lovely look from the talented Katrina... :-)
    Im currently doing Sydney Writers Course on magazine and newspaper articles...sigh. Writing. But get lots of help via Valerie & Sue

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  11. I always tend to print important stuff to edit the hard copy - though usually move onto the screen once I find a change or two - cannot wait and do hard copy AND e-copy!

    I also heard that reading out loud can help. I do that with my blog posts (insignificant as they are in comparison), though you've probably already done that!

    Deb

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  12. I'm old school. I'm doing an editing class at the moment, and we're learning how to mark up drafts. I think it's quite fun. I might say otherwise when faced with an actual manuscript ...

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  13. Okey doke, then Ms Tait, you'd better get on with it then! I stand by the use of coloured post-it notes. Can't live without them when editing. Good luck!

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  14. I'm really looking forward to the 'print out' of my story ... there is definitely a difference in looking at something online vs a hardcopy version sitting in front of you. Good luck with the editing.

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