Pulling Weeds: What to Focus on When Editing

I’ve learned from experience that both gardening and editing can be overwhelming if you don’t know where to start. Sometimes the weeds and errors get so overgrown you can barely tell where one weed ends and a flower begins. Though I’m no professional editor (and definitely no professional gardener), I enjoy editing my friends’ writing, and over the years I have found which aspects of writing are most fruitful to focus on when editing. Today, I’d like to pass on some of what I’ve learned, particularly the benefits and process of focusing your editing on character, description, and plot.

Characters are the heart of a story just as flowers are the centerpiece of the garden. But how do you make sure your beloved characters are blossoming on the page the way you want them to? Start by looking for any inconsistencies with their personality or actions. If there's anything that will make readers scratch their heads, it’s a character who says one thing and then contradicts themselves a few scenes later. Other common mistakes include a failure to establish important details about a character at the beginning of the story. Not only can this confuse the reader, but not addressing these details early on can lead to the impression that you made them up for the sake of the plot or scene. Arguably more important is making sure characters’ actions are realistic. This is usually where having someone else read over your writing can help; a reader’s instinct is one of the best ways to make sure your characters are realistic.

Now, it’s time to get down to the tiny weeds, those nitty-gritty details that can make or break a story. Descriptions should be clear and paint a vivid image in the reader’s mind. Keep an eye out for any confusing or vague sentences; these kinds of weeds are typically small but easy to remove. A reader’s point of view comes in handy here as well, so don’t hesitate to share a scene with a trusted friend if you’re concerned that you might have missed some of those smaller weeds. Also be aware of any details that might come up in two different scenes and make sure they are consistent. I once described a whole room backwards, and then later when the characters entered it again wrote it the way I had first imagined it. These mismatch details aren’t always as obvious, but a reader will definitely catch on to them. I find it helps to make a little cheat-sheet with the description of more important objects or places that I can reference when the need arises.

Finally let’s go over the bigger weeds, the ones that weave their way into the plot. Obviously, plot is most important when editing a work as a whole, but it’s also good to keep the plot in mind when editing smaller pieces of writing as well. Gardeners start their work with a specific view of how they want the garden to look and are extra careful to make sure every section works to bring out that vision. The way smaller details affect the larger picture makes it vital to pay them due attention while editing. Make sure any foreshadowing moments, backstories, and major setting or character details fit into the context of the whole story. If any of these aspects seem odd or don’t quite fit with the plot, they most likely need to be reconsidered and possibly reworked.

As a writer, I understand how overwhelming editing can be, but with the right approach, the editing process becomes easier to navigate and more fruitful. Focusing on character, description, and plot will ensure that all the big areas of writing are taken care of. At the end of the day, both gardening and editing are the kind of jobs where you just have to get to work. The good news is, if you weed regularly, it will become easier, and your garden will continue to grow and flourish.