After a week back at work and a sudden return to reality, I am starting to feel like writing the book was the easy part. The chapters, the characters, the events, and to some extent, even the words came easily in comparison to this new stage. Editing.
As a writer you feel this strange attachment to creative work. Like if someone criticises a part of your work, they are actually criticising a part of you. Or your child... I know this is something I am going to need to deal with. Brutal honesty, though harsh, is necessary in order to ensure any degree of success with this book. Not even necessarily publishing success, rather any success in terms of pride and accomplishment.
There are simple challenges: typing errors being one. Once work has 'gone cold', so to speak, I can print it out and spell check it like I would a pupil's piece of coursework. The problem then comes with the larger details. Is my characterisation right? Do my vocabulary choices match my audience? Do I repeat certain words or phrases? Have I described the setting well enough? Are the plot developments convincing? All these questions can form a bit of a middle in the mind, threatening to over cloud that initial enthusiasm and confidence you had for writing in the first place.
I know that editing is going to be a long process. I know that it will be a drawn out process where I will need to draft, redraft and then redraft again. I just need to keep the faith I have in the story I have written and hope that it captures the imagination of people. Everything else is just perseverance and time.
If anyone has any editing advice/tips I would appreciate any help.
Thanks, Stace
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