Monday, 13 September 2010

Editing done… for the time being at least!

Phew. I have finally finished the big line-by-line edit for my next novel, The Dark Road. It’s been a long old slog, but I am pretty happy with the result. Though I know it will still get bounced back to me with changes that need to be made, I know the bulk of it is looking good.

That is the thing with editing. By the third, or even fourth, run through I would happily tear my own eyes out rather than look at it again. I have read it so many times, I practically know the story off by heart . It is so, so difficult to stay focused on every single line, on every single word.

I love the first edit of a book; particularly if it is an older novel I haven’t picked up for a little while. It’s great fun rediscovering old characters and scenes I have actually forgotten I had written. It also feels good to see how far my writing has come. Mistakes I have made jump out from the page now. Sometime I read something I wrote a few years ago and I actually cringe that I sent it out! Of course, I know that my writing is still far from perfect, and I am sure I still make numerous mistakes that I will look back on with the same cringe-worthy state, but it is wonderful knowing that I am learning all of the time. Especially when I get to work with some wonderful editors who are able to point out my bad habits!

So I am hoping to bring you all a preview of the new novel here very soon! And in the meantime I am at least able to get back to the thing I love best – actually writing!

4 comments:

  1. Couldn't agree more. I recently started re-editing my old screenplays and it was a delight discovering scenes and dialogue I simply didn't remember, though by God, they needed work! I tended to waffle a lot when I first started writing. I edit my novels and works for Gaynor as I write, I can't help it, then I edit again at the end. After that, I submit it. I have a critical eye but because you know the sentence in your head, you can easily fill in words that simply aren't there! LOL!

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  2. Cheers to you! I'm a bit behind you...about 2/3 through my first draft, which I forgot how hard was to write, and am looking forward to those first few edits when you have stuff to at least switch around.

    If you are looking back at older work and cringing, you are making big strides - keep at it, and congrats!

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  3. Your best and worst critic - me!

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  4. Oh thank you for this post!
    I love it. I am up to my eyeballs in edits and that's before the official edits!
    Aye Carumba!
    Looking forward also to whatever preview you give us!
    Take care!

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