Monday

1. How many drafts does your writing usually go through before you consider it done? (or do you subscribe to the first thought, best thought school of non-editing?) About a zillion, and even then I never consider anything finished. There is always something I forgot, something I can make better, or just something that I come up with after I have written it.

2. How hard is it for you to 'cut your darlings' - phrases or scenes you are attached to, but don't fit well or are dead weight in the story? That is one of my biggest problems with my stories. I write something, love it, and then realize it doesn't really work with the rest of the story, but I love it so much I just can't get rid of it.

3. What mistakes do you often find yourself editing out? (Passive voice, excessive adverbs, etc) Have you improved in these areas the more you edited? Out of everything it is passive voice I find myself editing out the most. It doesn't matter how much I edit the first draft I write is always full of it, but on the other hand one of my strongest points is editing it out.

4. What's the best advice you have received on editing? What's the best advice you can give your fellow writers? Read out loud.