Drawing from the Well
Chapters Edited: 10 1/2
Chapters to Edit: 16
YEAH! Yesterday was a GREAT editing day. I hit a major roadblock from overediting one thing on the last round. Did you know it’s harder to put something back in than to take it out? If I can keep up the pace (nearly 5 chapters a day but accelerating because of yesterday) then I’m on track to finish and get my first agent query out this week! So excited and, frankly, pretty proud of myself.
Filling the Well
That Hideous Strength: 54%
Elegy: Page 16 of 89
Jessica Jones: S2E12 of 13
The Last Banquet of Temporal Confections: 25%
Yeah, not much progress here, but my YouTube playlist will FINALLY run out today so I can listen to some other media to make progress here. I’m thinking of knocking Jessica Jones out finally to move on to the next Marvel show. Hopefully that happens.
Polishing the Well
Yesterday we spent time together watching a Mysteries at the Museum episode about Pompeii. It was really interesting to learn so much about an ancient city that’s 1500 years gone by.
Well Chat
Know Yourself and Your Intent
Yesterday I talked about trusting your editor. That is vitally important in your editing your manuscript. BUT, at the end of the day, you are still the author. No one knows your motivations, intentions, and goals like you do. You have a style and a flair all your own. And blind faith has never gotten anyone anywhere good in the world. So sometimes, you have to deny your editor and indulge yourself.
As you know if you’ve been reading my blog, I’m in the midst of what I’m calling final edits on my manuscript for my first book. I’m parsing through my editor’s notes as best as I can accepting and rejecting her notations and changes. This is a much faster, much less red process than the last edit. This is a good thing. But I know it would be unwise to accept every change my editor makes. Yesterday, I mentioned here that if you’re on the line, let your editor have it because they’re a professional and know the business of writing well.
But what if it still bothers you.
Authors are a vain bunch. Take it from me. Most artists of any kind are. We’re introverted, shy, and easy to embarrass, but we’ll defend our art if we’re backed into a corner. Certain word choices feel right to you. Certain scenes feel indispensible. How do you know when to listen to your heart and when to listen to your editor?
Part of it is your gut. Yes, your gut is smarter than you are. There are actually more neurotransmitters in your gut than in your brain. So that “gut feeling” is a real thing. When I sent my book off for its first round with my editor, I knew it had some foundational issues and I knew that in my gut. So when I got her remarks back, I was more inclined to accept what she said because I knew something was wrong and I knew that I DIDN’T know what it was. Now, after spending three months working back through it, trimming, refining, and distilling it down to a better product, I was FAR more confident than I was before.
Then I sent it off for the second round. When I sent it, I said out loud, “I can’t do much better than that.” and I meant it. My editor’s remarks this time are much more targeted and far sparser. Gone are the series of a handful of pages at a time completely struck out. Gone is the staccato rhythm of questions and suggestions. Now it’s gentle nudges here and there. There’s still a mark on most every page, but there are more pages without a mark and the marks are smaller. Now I get to exercise my creative license a bit. I can look at a repositioned word and say, “No, I want that where it is. The sentence flows better to me that way.” or “No, that wording feels right to me. I remember working hard on that sentence and I want it in.”
I still accept most of my editor’s suggestions; that’s why I hired her after all. Now, though, I’ve got my brain switched on and in creative mode. I’m working WITH my editor to polish this manuscript to a mirror shine.
And I can’t wait for all of you to read it.
May the tide carry you to safer shores.
BSG