The Infinite Rewrites: Crafting a Perfect Book

How many rewrites do I need before my book gets better?

Each time I rewrite, my book takes a step closer to perfection, until finally, I reach the point where it's good enough to publish. But is it truly perfect? In my experience, a book requires as many rewrites as it needs to be the best it can be.

My Journey with Rewrites

For my first novel, it took a substantial number of rewrites: a grand total of 17 iterations. This journey of refinement is echoed by many fellow authors, with some often stating, 'As Eileen said, as many as it needs.'

While the number of rewrites can vary widely, it's important to focus on the quality of each rewrite, rather than just the quantity. The key is to continue refining and improving until the book is excellent enough to hit the shelves.

Tools and Techniques for Effective Rewriting

Microsoft Word, my go-to editor, offers a plethora of features that enhance the rewriting process. Here's a look at the tools and techniques that streamline my editing workflow:

Microsoft Word Features

Grammarly, Ginger, ProWritingAid: These tools integrate seamlessly into Word, providing advanced grammar and spell-check functionalities. My favorite tool, Grammarly, has a free version that offers real-time suggestions right within the document. However, for more comprehensive editing, you might consider the premium versions. Text to Speech and Speech to Text: These features can be accessed via Word itself, but if you prefer a more portable solution, you can export a PDF and use free alternatives like LibreOffice and Adobe Reader to audio and transcribe your work. Auto-Generated Tables of Contents: This functionality is immensely helpful in maintaining a well-structured document. Spell and Grammar Checker: While free tools like Grammarly's online version can be used, Microsoft Word's built-in checker is powerful and user-friendly.

My Editing Process

Here's a detailed look at my usual editing process:

Step 1: Fine-Tune with Grammarly and Free Tools
After dedicating a day to proofreading with free tools, I run the FIND and REPLACE function to remove unnecessary ANDs, BUTs, SOs, and words ending in -LY. This step greatly simplifies grammatical issues.

Step 2: Audio Transcription and Listening
Using TEXT to SPEECH in combination with a PDF exported from Microsoft Word, I convert my document into an audible format. This process helps catch issues like awkward pacing, confusing phrasing, and inconsistencies. If I hear something wrong or embarrassing, I pause, analyze the sentence, and make the necessary adjustments. Paragraphs that don't make sense are either fixed or discarded entirely.

Step 3: Multiple Playback Sessions
I relisten to the audio multiple times (second, third, fourth) until it flows like a TV show or movie. Sentences with AND, AND, AND need to be broken down or replaced with words like THEN or SO to avoid repetition.

Step 4: Print and Read
After editing in electronic form, I print out a hard copy of the manuscript and read it like a normal reader. This allows me to catch errors that I might have overlooked while listening, such as homophones like TO, TOO, and TWO.

Indispensable Final Checks

Even after multiple rounds of editing, sometimes overlooked mistakes can still slip through. A recent publication received feedback from several readers. Upon re-examining the story, I found two serious errors and eight minor ones. One of the errors was a first-person narrative glitch in a third-person context, which needed a simple but crucial change from ME to HER. Such an error can be jarring for readers, even if it's an incidental mistake.

Other mistakes, like a misplaced ITALICS letter, would have been undetectable while listening but were easily spotted when reading. These typesetting errors can be subtle and may escape a quick auditory review.

Industry Standard

After rigorous editing, you can aim for the industry standard of one mistake every 10,000 words. While a perfect book is the ideal, any number of slips can be considered 'industry standard.' The goal is to minimize these errors to enhance readers' experience and satisfaction.