A simple but often overlooked writing tip.

[Jemini]

Always edit your chapters.

Yes, very simple. Almost insultingly so for most. But, it really is important. I don't care if you are so skilled at writing that your unedited work looks better than most people's 4th draft. YOUR edited work will be at least 3X as good as your unedited work. This can, in turn, make a huge difference in reader reception.

My suggestion, make sure to finish all your chapters a bare minimum of 24 hours before release time. Somewhere in that 24 hour period, do an edit. Have some separation time between the time you finished the work and the time you go back to edit it.

This has done me a lot of good, and it has even resulted in me completely re-writing every single last sentence of some chapters. Most of the time this is just for sentence structure. I say almost the exact same things, but the new arrangement of words makes it present a lot better. However, because I happen to be a pantser, I have also had edits that completely steered the ship in a different direction and likely helped me avoid routes that would lead to the story stalling out.

I had one case rather recently where an edit avoided me having my MC stuck with 4 children hanging around her and likely limiting events from there and adding complications that would be difficult to write my way around. I am very glad I did not wind up stuck in that situation, because the exciting direction I have my story going in now would not have been possible if my MC was stuck with these kids.

 

[ForestDweller]

I'd like to but I barely make my upload schedule as it is.

 

[Stratothrax]

I find editing pretty demotivating tbh so I tryhard the first write out so It only needs 1 sometimes 2 quick editing passes but still try to write it as fast as possible. From what I understand the wandering inn author does something similar and it seems to be very effective for productivity with little chance of getting trapped in the endless editing swamp

 

[Maple-Leaf]

I like reading what I write anyway, and tend to edit as I go.

 

[Discount_Blade]

Always edit your chapters.

Yes, very simple. Almost insultingly so for most. But, it really is important. I don't care if you are so skilled at writing that your unedited work looks better than most people's 4th draft. YOUR edited work will be at least 3X as good as your unedited work. This can, in turn, make a huge difference in reader reception.

My suggestion, make sure to finish all your chapters a bare minimum of 24 hours before release time. Somewhere in that 24 hour period, do an edit. Have some separation time between the time you finished the work and the time you go back to edit it.

This has done me a lot of good, and it has even resulted in me completely re-writing every single last sentence of some chapters. Most of the time this is just for sentence structure. I say almost the exact same things, but the new arrangement of words makes it present a lot better. However, because I happen to be a pantser, I have also had edits that completely steered the ship in a different direction and likely helped me avoid routes that would lead to the story stalling out.

I had one case rather recently where an edit avoided me having my MC stuck with 4 children hanging around her and likely limiting events from there and adding complications that would be difficult to write my way around. I am very glad I did not wind up stuck in that situation, because the exciting direction I have my story going in now would not have been possible if my MC was stuck with these kids.

Good advice sure, but I don't think it matters in gaining or losing reader retention. Not on Scribblehub. I'm going to be honest...some of what I've seen popular here is absolutely horridly written. I mean disgustingly so, and yet its packed with bunches of comments and multiple reviews. Editing surely didn't pose a problem for these people, and I've seen it several times here. Which means low-quality is still acceptable here. I also think the genre/content itself, often plays a part. Especially the more lewd tales. Sex doesn't always improve the story here, but it definitely helps. Another example being the Azarinth Healer's first 50-100 chapters are utter shit. The grammar is so weird and overall, its so awkwardly written I had to force myself through them because I knew it got better by being a bit of a cheat and looking ahead a little when I was deciding if I wanted to read it. Yet no one said a word. Not a one.

I was completely shocked at how badly the beginning was written, that I was starting to doubt my judgment about the later chapters being good. I learned later when I asked the author about it, that he was improving as he wrote, and hadn't bothered to go back and edit earlier chapters because even he agreed they were trash compared to the latter half of the story and would take up too much of his time to correct them. So, quality, ACTUAL QUALITY is not always a factor. I have several other examples. People in ScribbleHub have much lower standards than other sites I've been on. This is good and bad. It's definitely more friendly to beginners but I also find this place very detrimental to people who want to master their own personal style of the craft. It won't happen here, not because they can't do it, but because people don't seem to mind the quality in many cases and either aren't willing or aren't capable of providing adequate assistance.

 

[Saileri]

TFW I edit my chapters 1) Just after writing, 2) The next day, 3) Whenever I realize there was some mistake, 4) Few hours before publishing, 5) Countless times after publishing when I accidentally spot some mistake randomly

 

[fullbios]

I've never focused on editing ever until I was pointed out multiple times. It was like a whole new world when that happened because I didn't even realize it myself. These days I focus on quality and improvement which is essentially 90% editing! So yeaa~

 

[shiopan]

Well.... I am a perfectionist. So I look over my chapter countless times until I can't find anything to edit anymore. Usually around ten times minimum?

Tbh I am surprised that people don't edit their chapters? How?

 

[Discount_Blade]

Well.... I am a perfectionist. So I look over my chapter countless times until I can't find anything to edit anymore. Usually around ten times minimum?

Tbh I am surprised that people don't edit their chapters? How?

As far as editing, I normally go back and do it after an arc is concluded so I can also have a several-day break in between before I continue. I used to edit after each chapter but I noticed it dropped my quantity output over time. Not that it matters much anymore as of now, since I haven't written in about a month.

 

[Stratothrax]

Another example being the Azarinth Healer's first 50-100 chapters are utter shit. The grammar is so weird and overall, its so awkwardly written I had to force myself through them because I knew it got better

Ahaha I had this exact same reaction except I couldn't make my self suffer through it and gave up. Good god trying to read the beginning chapters of that serial is like having your brains bashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a gold brick, it legit gave me a headache to read.

 

[Discount_Blade]

Ahaha I had this exact same reaction except I couldn't make my self suffer through it and gave up. Good god trying to read the beginning chapters of that serial is like having your brains bashed out with a slice of lemon wrapped around a gold brick, it legit gave me a headache to read.

Nice imagery there lol. But nah if I hadn't read ahead to the 200's, I would have dropped it too actually. But I could see where he had genuinely gotten better, good enough for my standards which are abnormally high for SH apparently.

 

[Maple-Leaf]

I edit even when I don't want to. It's just perfectionist nature I guess



And I still make a ridiculous of mistakes...

 

[shiopan]

As far as editing, I normally go back and do it after an arc is concluded so I can also have a several-day break in between before I continue. I used to edit after each chapter but I noticed it dropped my quantity output over time. Not that it matters much anymore as of now, since I haven't written in about a month.

Yeah that make sense. No wonder I am really slow at writing. I did wonder how ppl released so many chapters a week when they don't even stockpile them. But I guess I have the answer now.

 

[K5Rakitan]

I write everything in paper notebooks first, type it about a month before I post it, harass Husband until he reads it, and edit it several more times in the week before I post it. I also have a computer program that reads aloud to me so I can catch the pesky typos my eyes slip over.

 

[Maple-Leaf]

I think the best method would be to stockpile chapters, write one chapter and edit the last one, then continue on from that point. But we all know that's never going to happen.

 

[gaylolis]

i just copy pasta stuff into grammarly and click some shit.

for manual edits, as long it's good enough for me, i don't really bother.

 

[YuriDoggo]

I don't really like editing. Yeah, it's good, duh, but can't bring myself to do it. It's not really an overlooked writing tip anyways. People (like me) just don't want to do it, not because we don't know to do it.

 

[Discount_Blade]

I don't really like editing. Yeah, it's good, duh, but can't bring myself to do it. It's not really an overlooked writing tip anyways. People (like me) just don't want to do it, not because we don't know to do it.

It's a relatively useless tip for SH anyway. I mentioned why.

 

[ForestDweller]

i just copy pasta stuff into grammarly and click some shit.

for manual edits, as long it's good enough for me, i don't really bother.

Oh God Grammarly. I just tested it and it's wonderful. Why hasn't anyone told me of it sooner?

 

[Aoibh]

Good advice sure, but I don't think it matters in gaining or losing reader retention. Not on Scribblehub. I'm going to be honest...some of what I've seen popular here is absolutely horridly written. I mean disgustingly so, and yet its packed with bunches of comments and multiple reviews. Editing surely didn't pose a problem for these people, and I've seen it several times here. Which means low-quality is still acceptable here. I also think the genre/content itself, often plays a part. Especially the more lewd tales. Sex doesn't always improve the story here, but it definitely helps. Another example being the Azarinth Healer's first 50-100 chapters are utter shit. The grammar is so weird and overall, its so awkwardly written I had to force myself through them because I knew it got better by being a bit of a cheat and looking ahead a little when I was deciding if I wanted to read it. Yet no one said a word. Not a one.

I was completely shocked at how badly the beginning was written, that I was starting to doubt my judgment about the later chapters being good. I learned later when I asked the author about it, that he was improving as he wrote, and hadn't bothered to go back and edit earlier chapters because even he agreed they were trash compared to the latter half of the story and would take up too much of his time to correct them. So, quality, ACTUAL QUALITY is not always a factor. I have several other examples. People in ScribbleHub have much lower standards than other sites I've been on. This is good and bad. It's definitely more friendly to beginners but I also find this place very detrimental to people who want to master their own personal style of the craft. It won't happen here, not because they can't do it, but because people don't seem to mind the quality in many cases and either aren't willing or aren't capable of providing adequate assistance.

Do those people ask for feedback in the forum though?