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| Time for the paper to bleed |
Howdy y’all.
I missed a couple posts between work and that editing thing. That fuuuun thing writers love to do.
Revision.
I’ve talked about this before and actually liked it at one point. It felt good to go back and rework a few chapters for a contest. Fix the sagging areas. The sharp areas got some extra sharpening. Polish it up to be shiny.
On the novel scale it is a little…harder.
It is a real trick making the writing tighter, building up and tearing down, and keeping everything flowing together. I’ve made some changes to the plot to heighten the tension. Now I have to follow the consequences through. Stupid butterfly effect.
I’m also dealing with word count issues. Most authors have to cut a lot of words to get it into range for their genre. I’ve got the opposite problem. I need to add 15,000 words. I’ve introduced a new major hurdle for my protagonist to overcome, but I’ll probably need to tweak some more things to expand the words without resorting to filler (Jenna was really, really, really, really, really tired from the flight).
It proves that writing a novel is a difficult task. I used to wonder if I’d finish my book at all. Now that I’ve done a draft, I wonder if I can wrestle it down and make it work from start to finish. I’ve come this far so I’m not going to stop. Thankfully I’m developing some trustworthy critique partners to help with things. (You should see how many times I use ‘turning’ in the text. Sheesh.)
What about you? What are your challenges with editing/revising? Are there parts of it you like? Any good tips for your fellow writers?
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I tend to edit as I go from one day to the next. Then go away for awhile. Then go back and do some more.
Each writer is different. That’s probably why I hate the blanket writing rules. If everybody adhered to them, all writing would be formulaic and boring. People create uniquely. They have to find their way and not attempt to be someone they’re not.
You’re dedicated, and you’ll get it, Jason. Keep going when and how you can. Don’t give it up. If you’re anything like me, you’ll both love it and hate it by the time you’re done with it.