Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

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serenissima
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by serenissima » December 22nd, 2009, 1:17 pm

I compose on the computer and do some of my editing that way. But when I want a thorough review, I print a hardcopy. I see more and it brings me closer to the story. On my final polish, I print a hard copy and read the whole thing aloud. Great way to smooth out those bumps you'd never notice otherwise.

Madeleine
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by Madeleine » December 22nd, 2009, 10:02 pm

I've just finished plotting, so I'm nowhere near editing. All the same, I have a game plan...

1) I'll print it out and go through it slowly with a handy-dandy highlighter and a gel pen. If I have to add ten pages or something, I'll revert to the computer real quick.

2) I'll send the printed, once-edited copy to a friend of mine. She will have questions I'll ask her to answer, a few of which will be in an envelope because I don't want those specific questions to affect her reading experience/opinion. She'll send me her response.

3) According to the friend's advice and my own take on things, I'll edit once more, by hand, and then on the computer.

4) I'll probably read through the book on Word in the book layout while tracking my changes.

5) And I'll print it out once more to study it before writing a hopefully fabulous query.

That's my plan!

-Madeleine
"A good book is the precious lifeblood of a master spirit, embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." - John Milton

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lexcade
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by lexcade » January 10th, 2010, 4:37 pm

i printed out all 535 pages. stupidly.

but it helped because that's how my mind is trained to edit and proof. so...i say hard copy!

in the meantime, i'll be whining about buying another ink cartridge when i reprint the mss. and start the next round of hard copy edits (already done 2 on screen...)

poor trees... i'll try to recycle!
"Art imitates nature as well as it can, as a pupil follows his master; thus it is sort of a grandchild of God." ~~Dante

Vio
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by Vio » January 11th, 2010, 11:23 am

My handwriting is the best secret code known to mankind. Nobody is able to decipher it. Not even me. So, I am very happy with my keyboard. In addition to that, I type a lot faster than I could ever hope to achieve by hand. Which adds up to be a huge time saver if you have to edit 100,000+ words. And last but not least, sooner or later it has to go into the computer anyway. Transcripting handwriting is just another, unnecessary step of work, in my eyes.

LydiaSharp
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by LydiaSharp » January 11th, 2010, 6:20 pm

I always do FINAL edits on a hard copy. Yes, it uses up a lot of paper and ink (um ... so does printing books, and I'm not about to argue with that practice), but it also gets you to see your ms with a fresh set of eyes. Different format (this also works on the computer: change your text font to something you've never used before and see how many mistakes suddenly pop out at you). The physicality of the hard copy also forces you to slow down and scrutinize every word.
Lydia Sharp
Science Fiction * Fantasy * Women's Fiction
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marilyn peake
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by marilyn peake » January 11th, 2010, 6:36 pm

I edit both on the computer and hard copy. When I do final edits, I print out the manuscript and read it on paper, but add all edits directly into the computer version.
Marilyn Peake

Novels: THE FISHERMAN’S SON TRILOGY and GODS IN THE MACHINE. Numerous short stories. Contributor to BOOK: THE SEQUEL. Editor of several additional books. Awards include Silver Award, 2007 ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year Awards.

Gabrielle
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by Gabrielle » January 14th, 2010, 3:11 pm

I do all my editing electronically, but sometimes it does help to print out a copy or even just to change the font. I've found it's not really so much a matter of print vs. screen in terms of one being better or worse for typo-catching than the other. It's more that the eye is very good at seeing what it expects to see instead of what's actually on the page, so by changing the way I look at the same manuscript I've been through three or four times already, I can force my brain to really read it and find all the things that were hiding in plain sight. I always catch new things when I look at a manuscript in a new way.
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Gabrielle Harbowy, Editor
www.gabrielle-edits.com

matildamcc
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by matildamcc » January 14th, 2010, 6:16 pm

I recommend editing on hardcopy. After a while your eyes glaze over reading the same words on the computer screen, but when you print it out, it's easier to see typos, easier to flip around the pages and figure out if you need to move scenes, etc. I do a lot of minor editing on the computer, but when it's time to do major revisions, I print it out. Try it...

Pesimisticus
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Re: Editing - Hardcopy or computer?

Post by Pesimisticus » January 14th, 2010, 8:50 pm

Whenever I write, I go through the computer version first and pick out all the obvious mistakes--typos, misspelled words, duplicates, etc.--then, when it is clean, I print it out and read it out loud. That points out obvious problems that reading silently doesn't. Then I edit it on paper cutting out all unnecessary words, etc. It has become quite an efficient manner.

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