Getting Through the Editing Process

 As writers, we're often either blind to our own flaws, or they mask themselves so cleverly within the pages of our manuscripts that only fresh eyes can find them. 

Try it for yourself.  Tuck your "brilliant" novel away in a drawer for four months and then pull it out and tell me it's still brilliant, because I can guarantee you that your whole perception of it will have changed.  Once snappy dialogue will seem bland; your originally bulletproof plot will now have more holes in it than a slice of Swiss cheese, leading to the consumption of an entire bottle of wine and a feeling of utter inadequacy.  This is why we edit.  We edit to polish, to fill in the gaping holes, and to make our readers experience the "wow" factor that our novels are intended to elicit.  But how do we get through this arduous process without wanting to slit our wrists? Well, we all have our own preferred techniques, but the six that I've personally found the most helpful are as follows:

1. Think of it as turning the mediocre into a work of art.  This is something I keep having to repeat to myself.  As much as we hate to think that what we write is anything but spectacular, the fact is, that's not always the case.  This is why we edit.  We edit, edit, and edit some more.  We add commas where they are lacking, quotation marks that were forgotten, and more "showing" where there was once only "telling".  We remove paragraphs that are unnecessary, words that do nothing to add to the story, and dialogue that's more weighty than uplifting.  Truly, the editing process allows you to add that extra dash of paint to the canvas, turning your work from humdrum to astounding.

2.  When in doubt, simplify. Too many times, we as writers tend to make the uncomplicated an enigma by adding mud to crystal clear water.  We want everything we write to be poetic while failing to realize that true poetry isn't forced.  So, it's no surprise that when editing time rolls around and we re-read the "masterpiece" that we swore we wrote, it sounds more elementary than Frost.  This is when frustration kicks in making us wonder what exactly it was we were drinking when we wrote our first draft.  But instead of doing what we can to make it better, we either scrap it completely or complicate it even further.  Simplicity is key. Instead of trying to be elegant or mistakenly believing that throwing random commas on the page will make your mess more organized, keep it short and sweet.  Your point can be powerfully conveyed in just five words, but completely lost with twenty.  Besides, editing 100,000 words is a hell of a lot easier than 200,000.

3.  Break out the vodka.  This only applies to those who aren't pregnant and of age, of course.  I'm one of those people who tends to push themselves until something is done.  If I don't accomplish what I've set out to do (whether it be writing, running an errand, or just taking a shower that day) in the time period I've allotted for it, I feel as though I've completely wasted my time.  As a writer, it's good to set goals for yourself, but just because you've set those goals doesn't mean they can't be subject to change or modification.  If you keep pushing yourself to meet unreal expectations, instead of meeting them, you'll find yourself on a one-way ticket to burn-out city before you know it.  Trust me, I've been there and it's not pretty.  I liken it to being on a cruise ship in the middle of a hurricane.  Take time to unwind. If you can't figure out where your plot went wrong or what one of your characters should say to lighten the mood, don't beat yourself over the head.  Instead, remove yourself from your work for a little bit. Take a walk, take a nap, take a chill pill.  Just don't let the editing process consume you until you begin to loathe it entirely.

4.  Read the works of others.  If you're like me, you learn by example.  There are times that I find myself stuck on sentence structure.  I know how I want to word something, but it just seems awkward.  Reading the works of other authors, especially those who write in a similar style as you, will help you with your structure conundrum, thus pulling you out of an editing funk.  Plus, it's always a good idea to take a break and read in order to clear your mind and make it fresh for another round of editing.

5.  Have a good bitching session then get on with it.   Let's face it, the vast majority of writers hate editing.  It's tedious, time consuming, soul-sucking, and it brings our faults as writers to light.  However, with that said, it's a necessary part of being a writer and, unless you have your own personal editorial staff, it's unavoidable.  The good news is you're not alone.  Right now (and at any given time), there are thousands of writers going through the same process as you are who are pulling out similar fistfuls of hair while starring blankly at their computer screens.  The beauty of this is that these same writers are most likely online on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or any one of the gazillions of social media sites out there.  Reach out to them.  Have a good bitching session, as chances are, you'll find that you have a lot in common with other writers, and it's always good to have someone in your corner in your time of need.

6.  Remind yourself that dreams are worth chasing.  There is a reason why you chose to write.  Whether it be in pursuit of becoming the next bestselling author, because there's a story brewing in your head that you feel needs to be shared, or because it helps you maintain a healthy level of sanity, we all write for one reason or another.  We all have dreams and the best dreams are those you have to work to attain.  There isn't anyone, shy of a celebrity, who's had their dreams handed to them.  They had to work for them.  And it takes hard work, dedication, and hardcore patience to get where you want in life.  Just think of editing as a stepping stone towards publication or fuel for the rocket ship that is poised to blast you and your novel into orbit. 

I'd like to hear from you guys and gals now.  How do you get through the tedious editing process?  Are you one of those rare anomalies who actually likes the process? 

My next post, assuming I don't go into labor in the next week or two, will focus on the great genre dilemma for writers.

Have a great week!

Excerpt, Rinse and Repeat

Why don't you make to it easy on yourself tonight, Sara,  I thought to myself. Post an excerpt.  It'll be a quick and easy post.  If ever there were famous last thoughts...

If you've been keeping up with my blog, you already know that I like to regularly post tips and whatnot for fellow aspiring authors.  Tonight, my brain just wasn't working < insert sarcastic remark here> so I decided to post an excerpt from my unpublished novel--of which it turns out needs more editing than I originally thought.  Which brings me to #7 of my previous blog post:  Advice I've Encountered Along The Way .  The last time I revised, Enigma Black, I thought I was done--finally, it was perfect.  My how a difference only a matter of weeks can make.  Needless to say, I read the excerpt with renewed faith of how completely true #7 really is.  It's vital...no....IMPERATIVE for a writer to set their work aside no matter how anxious they are to present it to the world.

If you don't believe me, I challenge you to sit down and write a short story (a page or two), then edit and polish that short story.  Your editing has rendered it perfect, right?  Okay, now take that perfect work of art and place it on your desk, inside a folder, or tape it up on the wall next to your Justin Bieber posters...don't judge.  Let it stay there unread for three weeks.  After that three weeks, I would be willing to bet your once perfect short story is now riddled with more errors than a Jersey Shore grammar lesson.  Why?  Simply giving your work a literal once-over isn't going to cut it especially if you've done nothing but stare at the same passages for an extended length of time.  After a while, your eyes grow accustomed to the material before them rendering the most obvious of mistakes unnoticeable.  The only way to remedy that is to look at your work with "new eyes" and those new peepers are only obtained after a lengthy retreat away from that material that wore them out in the first place.  In short:  Edit, set aside, edit, set aside, lather, rinse and repeat.

Enough of my ramblings.  The following is a small excerpt from Enigma Black (of which I'm sure will be revised at least a half dozen more times before I re-query or Kindle it):


EXCERPT

Blake paced the sidewalk taking feverish drags off a cigarette out of the pack he’d managed to keep stashed away from Victor‘s prying eyes. Smoking--especially when it pertained to someone of his kind--was not exactly smiled upon back at headquarters.  “Damn it,” he grumbled to himself in a tone unintentionally amplified by the deathly still night.

He threw the half-smoked stub onto the ground stomping it out against the cracked concrete.  The burnt orange embers from the dying flame held his gaze hostage as they slowly faded into nothingness leaving him alone to his thoughts once more.  There’d only been one other time when a woman had made him feel the way he felt now and that had ended miserably. So why was he reconsidering changing his philosophy for this one?  Was she so different?  Yes, he already knew she was.  She was unlike any other woman he’d ever encountered.  Never before had a woman been able to both simultaneously intrigue and terrify him.  Try as he might, he couldn’t deny his feelings for her even though he knew he had to.  For the sake of the mission and his pride, he had to.　

But that was easier said than done. There was just something about the way she smiled that crooked smile of hers; the way her eyes penetrated his very soul.  She always had an impeccable, smart ass retort to even his most audacious comments and he'd been blindsided--to say the least--by how completely enamored with her he'd become since her arrival at the Epicenter.  Surely, her feelings for this Chase guy would cool down eventually. Especially after he found some other broad to shack-up with to take her place. Of course, she'll be devastated when that happens, invariably making him want to rip the guy’s head off for hurting her. Then again, if that were to happen, she’ll no doubt need comforting and he was her partner after all.
　
Running his hand through his disheveled hair, he nervously pulled out another nicotine fix, stuck it in his mouth, and lit it behind his cupped hand. Nerves always had a way of bringing out the chain-smoking-pacer in him.  Tonight was no exception. Ash formed on the tip of the freshly lit cigarette, teetering precariously from its edge, until loosing its battle with gravity and descending downward where it landed on the ground just slightly behind his footsteps.

“Just tell her now you idiot,” he muttered to himself.　

He had to tell her and he had to do it now, if only to maintain his sanity.  At the very least, it would give her something to think about; something to consider when she was struck with the realization that Chase would forever remain nothing more than just a fond memory. Perhaps then she would finally be able to look him; to enable herself to reciprocate those same feelings burning within him tonight.  Taking one last drag, he tossed the cigarette aside watching as it rolled into an awaiting storm drain. It was time to man up.

Shuffling back up the sidewalk, he hunched over to crawl through the remnants of the furniture store doorway, quietly making his way back to the mattress where she lay…sleeping.  He’d only been gone twenty minutes and already she was dead to the world.  He eased his body down carefully at the foot of the mattress making his best effort to avoid disturbing her.   There, in the deafening silence with his head resting in his hands, he listened to the melody of her slumber.  This was as close to perfect as he was going to get tonight.  Tomorrow, he thought to himself.  I’ll tell her tomorrow.

In that instant, she began stirring in her sleep, mumbling unintelligible words he couldn’t quite make out until a single, undeniable name escaped from her subconscious lips shattering any hope he'd been able to scrape together.

“Chase,” she moaned.

Damn it.