You know those dreaded ice breakers in new group settings where you’re asked to “share a fun fact”? Mine’s always been easy. Up until 2021, I would tell people I was working on publishing my book. The non-writers always gave the same reaction. Big eyes, an impressed smile, and then end up saying something like, “You wrote a BOOK? I could never do that.” But you talk to a fellow writer, even one who hasn’t even admitted it themselves, and they gladly joined in with me, “Wow, congrats; I’ve been working on a book for awhile, but I haven’t been able to finish it.”
There are bunch of obstacles you put in your own way that make it hard to finish your works in progress. But I can guarantee that one of them is that you’re a harsh editor. Harsher than you should be. You would NEVER say the mean, degrading critiques to a fellow writer or a friend that you get away with telling yourself. You compare your first or second draft to a published author’s final draft, never acknowledging the incredible effort, multiple drafts, a team of people’s support and help, that it took this author to get published.
I think we also kid ourselves into thinking writing is just sitting down to write. But sitting down to write is the easiest part. Everything that comes after and up until the point of deciding to publish is editing. And editing is a beast.
For those of us coming off of any bout of intense writing, then editing can feel a bit like staring at a mountain, having slid from top to bottom on your sleigh, marveling at the snow and the beauty, and now you have to climb to the top all over again.
For some, editing is the terribly painful part of the writing process that we’d rather just avoid. We’d almost rather give it to someone else to tear apart because that would be easier than killing our darlings. While at the same time, this is our baby and we can’t ever show it to anyone because that would be unearthing the deepest part of our souls.
For others, editing is the most exciting part of the writing process that we begin immediately because we can’t wait to dive back into the world of our imaginations. In editing, we get to build up our best friends, tear down our enemies, and create worlds from scratch. Editing is the magic that gets us closer to that feeling in our hearts that says, “this is why I’m here.”
Regardless of the type of editor you are, use this meme to take the edge off, and then wiggle those fingers, take out that red pen, and let’s start editing. The only way to get to the perfect draft is to start by editing the first. Be kind to yourself and know that each line you cross out, each character you change, and each scene you adjust is what it takes to create the story you have always wanted to tell and the story that someone really needs to read. If you are your worst critic then the world will never have the gratification of getting to hear your story. So what editor will you choose to be?
Elegance Press 