I promised to check in after bootcamp and here I am. The result of last week’s beasting is that The Big Edit of the book is done. And, oh my word, what an effort it took! But it’s done and I’m now into what is hopefully the final stage of self-editing – the tinkering.
What I learned from last week is that I messed up the editing process entirely. In fact I’m not sure I even had an editing process. Or if I did, it was a half-hearted mixture of things other people had suggested.
The week started so badly that by end of Tuesday I was seriously thinking of jacking it in. I couldn’t edit and it was a complete mess. I went to bed feeling very low and disillusioned but by the next morning I had rallied. So much so that I earned the description of being a ‘keep on-er’ from Mel Sherratt. Anyone who knows Mel’s back story will understand why that’s such a huge compliment.
So I gave myself a stern talking to. I only had til Friday and the end of my annual leave and I had to be finished – there was no compromising! And do you know – I did it and I could not be more impressed with myself. I now have the book on my Kindle to do the necessary tinkering (and yes, I’ve already spotted mistakes) but if last week has taught me one thing it’s that I need an editing process. I can’t just launch in and hope it’ll all come good because – to coin a phrase – that way madness lies.
So my aim in the coming months – apart from coursework for my diploma – is to work out what my process is. Fortunately I have a novella just crying out for some attention so it’s a good place to start. I wrote it about 18 months ago and I loved it to let’s hope I can do it justice.
Any suggestions for editing or recommendations for books on editing – jot them down below. All help is welcome!