Wednesday 11 November 2009

Editing!

I started work on the second draft of my book yesterday. I've pulled together all my mentor's comments. Her global comments are in a 'to do' list, and I'm in the process of importing her detailed comments into my manuscript. Most of her suggestions for specific deletions or amendments go straight in, apart from the ones where I think I might know better - oh the hubris!! Then there are places where I write shouty little notes to myself in capitals, such as INTERNAL RESPONSE NEEDED HERE or TOO SUBTLE (thinks: blimey, that's a first!), NEEDS MORE TO HELP THE READER GET TO KNOW THIS CHARACTER.

I'm also going through an archive of my relevant writing, again on my mentor's advice, to identify pieces that I might be able to adapt and include. Both of these tasks are laborious but not difficult. And it is such a joy to have writing tasks that don't make me feel as if I'm fighting invincible monsters while wearing lead boots and a blindfold.

I know from experience, and can see from my mentor's global comments, that there is more hard work ahead. As I've said before, I'm not afraid of hard work; often, I enjoy it. But the last month or two, I have found writing to be difficult in a new way. I wish I could work out why, because I have a theory that if I knew the reasons, I'd be able to overcome the difficulty. (Which may be a completely stupid theory.) But I don't mind not knowing why if I can overcome it anyway. I'm optimistic that this more enjoyable patch is a good omen for the future, and I'm hopeful that I can move forward to a place where writing is mostly fun again.

6 comments:

Jenny Beattie said...

I don't know why it should suddenly feel hard, but I guess it's another thing to go in waves and phases.

Debi said...

Oh, I so wish it wasn't hard. But I so know that there are many times when it just has to be. Writing is a compulsion and that, by its very nature, has to have positive and negative aspects.

I wish I could come up with some magical solution that would make you feel as good as your writing deserves, but I'm afraid I think it's an intrinsic part of the process to have down times. Sorry!

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

We all seem to have the 'down' as well as the 'up' times and I think it's all part of being creative - or at least that's what I tell myself when I'm hating what I'm writing and wondering why I think I can do it at all.

Hopefully your 'up' time is on it's way.

HelenMWalters said...

It's getting harder because you're getting better at it x

Queenie said...

JJ: I guess so too. Like most things really!
Debi: but your solutions ARE magical. Except that they make me work hard ;-)
Debs: I'm glad it's not just me!
Helen: I LOVE that theory and I really, really hope it's true.

Pat said...

How I envy you being in the position to polish your new cupboard. I've got to re-build the b----y thing:)
And if only I could find my third title.