#9

editing.

for some writers, it's the bane of their existence. they dream up plots, they create characters, they produce copy; but when it comes to proof-reading and fixing their continuity errors, they'd rather leave the general editing to somebody else.

I've never understood the logic in that, though.

call me a pedantic douche (you wouldn't be the first), but if you slave away at the keyboard and put hours and hours of effort into your writing, wouldn't you at least try to give it a once-over and make sure that it's as polished as it can possibly be?

I mean, Jesus, is it really that hard to click this button...



...and walk through a couple of pre-ordained steps?

I mean, come on. really?

anyway, as you've probably gathered from my introductory rant, I'm pretty much the self-editing writer from hell. I don't just write a sentence, I rewrite it. then I rewrite it again. and again.

why?

because I'm a perfectionist.

I know that might seem funny, since this blog is pretty much devoid of capital letters, but I'm a complete Nazi when it comes to my writing. hell, I'm the sort of person who worries about how many syllables there are in each sentence. if a big, clumsy word interrupts a paragraph's flow, it gets deleted. I even keep a thesaurus near my laptop, just in case I want to substitute a two-syllable synonym for a three-syllable word.

and you know why? because that's the type of person I am.

but in all seriousness, I don't understand how people can put stuff out in the public forum when it's riddled with spelling mistakes and continuity errors. I mean, come on. who'd want to actually put their name to that?

anyway, moving on...

I'm currently in the middle of editing Chapter One of The Middle. actually, I should correct that. I'm currently in the middle of re-writing Chapter One of The Middle.

why?

because it just wasn't very good.

I mean, there were some really nice ideas in there, and there are some even nicer ones developing in future chapters, but the whole thing just reads like the hastily-assembled side-project that it actually was.

(note: when I say 'side-project', I mean 'chucked together in two days after my originals of The Things You Fear The Most were held hostage by a faulty laptop battery')

so anyway, after realising that my previous work suffered from lack of direction and verbiage, I've decided to go back and re-write the whole thing. that means canning my previous introduction, tidying up some errant dialogue, sharpening the overall focus, and adding some depth to the all-important back story.

I've also decided to aim for a darker tone, researching the symptoms of clinical depression so I can incorporate them into the story. after all, if my main character has spent the past couple of weeks sleeping twelve hours a day, chances are he's going to be at least somewhat depressed.

it might help the story resonate with people who've shared similar experiences, as well. I'm not really in the business of changing lives, but if a reader emails me and says yes, you portrayed very realistically, then I've probably done my job as an author.

I also think it's important to get the initial 'depression scenes' right, as they need to be juxtaposed against (SPOILER ALERT) moments of happiness (*GASP* "there's moments of happiness?!?!") later in the story.

I also don't want to fall into the trap of other inexperienced authors, using 'physical injury' as a plot advice and then living happily ever after once their character has left hospital. if your major plot event doesn't have lingering repercussions, what's the point of even having it in there?

and that brings me to my final point...

I'm really interested in exploring the mental aspects of physical injury. like, really really interested. if you have a big car accident, how do you feel when you jump back behind that wheel for the first time? if you break your leg on the football field, how do you feel the first time you plant that foot and go to pass the ball?

it's said that the mental scars can remain long after the physical ones heal, so how long does the mental healing process take? what are the significant milestones along the way? what sort of person are you when you walk out the other side?

if I can touch on all of that in my story, it might just turn out alright.

anyway, just thought I'd give you all a quick update. now I'm off to do another quick read-through and continue with my rewrite.

or, should I say, rewrites.

peace.

PS: "There is no such thing as good writing, only good re-writing." – Louis D. Brandeis.