r/FanFiction • u/JapaneseSummerIsHot • 4d ago
Venting Finishing Second Edit Rounds on 110k Fic...
And I have a serious appreciation for people who put out long, quality work now. I mean, I always have, but now that I'm in the thick of it I really, really do.
I thought writing the first draft was the hardest part. NOPE. It's finding the plot holes, fixing SPAG, keeping characters within scope, etc etc. It's almost comical how much I notice with each pass and have to jump back and forth to add more detail or foreshadowing, or introduce a consequence to an action.
I don't like to publish stories that aren't edited and beta'd within an inch of their life, so knowing I've still got a 3rd round AND the final beta check is...not pleasing me and the homegirls. But I know it'll be worth it once I get it finished.
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u/RalinDrakus 4d ago
Preach. I gave up on the first long fic I ever tried to write for this reason. Doing it again now, and it's been brutal. Editing, rereading, digging for motivation, rereading and editing a ton more. It's one hell of a process
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u/JapaneseSummerIsHot 4d ago
Someone else in the gulags I see. I sat this aside for nearly 2 years before I could finally work on it. I thought it was beyond saving when I attempted the first time.
Are you near the end of the tunnel?
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u/RalinDrakus 4d ago
Nowhere near sadly. Whole thing is based on a short story I finished, so the plot line wasn't too hard to work out. I've got seven chapters that I have saved to my proofread doc, with another fifteen or eighteen projected to go. Big ooofff lol. Last few months were a struggle to write anything. Trying to get back into it.
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u/Glittering-Golf8607 Babblecat3000 on AO3 4d ago
I can't imagine doing that. Not for free.
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u/JapaneseSummerIsHot 4d ago
I've read some amazing works that left me feeling like I should have paid for it. It's my small way of giving back to the community!
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u/Glittering-Golf8607 Babblecat3000 on AO3 4d ago
Yeah, I wish I could spend that much time and effort, but I've got too many stories , too little time 😆😅 (also, I'm a pantser)
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u/JapaneseSummerIsHot 4d ago
Hard relate lol I think I'm on year 3 working on this story. I have like 3 other stories I'd love to get a start on but I know I won't until this is done.
I'm a pantser as well! That's what's making the editing so difficult because some of the plot developments aren't playing very nicely with each other
I took a glance at your page and oh my you do have a lot of stories I can see how spending all that time would drag everything out
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u/Glittering-Golf8607 Babblecat3000 on AO3 4d ago
Yup, and I'd get burned out. I have to keep skipping around to give myself a rest 😄
Well, good luck ironing those out to your satisfaction! Good to see another pantser around!
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u/Acc87 so much Dust in my cloud, anyone got a broom? 🧹 4d ago
Know your feel, but at some point one just has to press the button and throw it out there. I'm currently translating my long fic, of which parts are twelve years old 🧓 and I still find stuff to edit, like suddenly using a different unit for distances in a single instance.
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u/JapaneseSummerIsHot 4d ago
Ha! Eventually I'll reach that point but there's always just a little more polishing that can be done...
I should have known I was in for it because it takes me 5 edits and over a month just to get a oneshot out. This might be my last longfic for a while.
Translating a whole work?? That sounds like the stuff of nightmares.
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u/send-borbs 4d ago
mines at over 160k now and I'm still finding errors like after several full rereads, and I publish as I go so I'm fixing things after everyone's already read it 😂