Editing the Editing Process

Post date: Dec 18, 2014 5:20:17 PM

I've decided to try a new approach (for me) to editing. Usually, I try to do as much as my day allows. Not that I read fast through the words, I just try to take only as much time as it takes to edit and read through the manuscript.

Maybe it has to do with how I view editing. Sometimes I feel like it's a chore. No one likes doing chores otherwise they would be called play. So, I rush to complete my chores.

This time, however, I've decided to read only one chapter a day. Maybe more than once, maybe not; but just one to get a feel for the story and see which parts stick with me and which parts bore me. That way, I can (hopefully) get a better feel for the rhythm of the story and keep myself (and, by extension, my readers...whenever I get any) more engaged.

It'll be an interesting experiment lasting 43 days starting yesterday. Who knows what insight I might discover, if any...or what might happen. Really, I just hope to maintain the discipline to keep going and that editing doesn't begin to feel like a trudge as it so usually does for me.

Maybe it's because I have read and reread the story so many times or perhaps I prefer to create new ideas and worlds. But, it might just be, that there is something lingering in the work that keeps me from completely engaging and if that's the case, it's best to remove it. Though, I rather doubt that's the case.

It's more likely a problem with the author than with the work. After all, I'm not he biggest fan of work in general and editing to an author is work. The creation and generation of ideas, characters, places, those are adventures worth exploring. Sitting down and forcing yourself to hone your story and kill your darlings is hard work. There's nothing I like less. Except perhaps ear wax flavored jelly beans.