Monday, September 22, 2014

Reality Check


A few weeks ago, I completed the first draft of my latest novel, Out of the Mist!

After the initial jubilation, the next phase hit me between the eyes. Ah yes, EDITING. It's where I find all those nasty little gremlins that typed, "job" instead of "jog," and "there" instead of "their."

I already know that my memory failed me on one of the character names. Poor Josiah became Jared. Thank God, for Search and Replace in Word.

Several scenes are already screaming at me for re-writes. Some I could condense, while others need more detail. There are a few questions I forgot to answer and another name change issue.

Seat-of-the-Pants writing is the way to go for me, but does present some difficulties. I'm sure plotters would have all their characters lined up in a neat row with their histories, their likes and dislikes, and, of course, their names. I've never been good at that sort of thing, so I have to do a bit more editing than the average writer.

I've printed out my pages, sent an email copy to a critique partner, and I'm ready to dive in. Now, the real work begins.

Writers:  What is the toughest aspect of editing for you? How do you handle it?

Readers:  Can you guess how long it takes me to write 1,000 words (on average)?


Photo Credit: sri grafix










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2 comments:

Jeanette Levellie said...

Congratulations on your next book! I am so happy for you, Suze.

I am a seat of the pants writer, too, but I LOVE to edit, so it's not the awful chore for me that it is for some writers. My biggest hurdle in book writing is the dreaded proposal.

I hope your week is full of the Lord's grace and comfort; I was so horrified to read about your cousin's death.

Love and prayers,
Jen

Karen Lange said...

I am looking forward to the exciting conclusion to this series. :) Overall, I do not mind editing too much. But I dislike when I'm under a deadline and I get to the point where I am so tired of reading the material but must go over it once or twice more. That's one of the times when I am extra grateful for critique partners. :)