“Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear.”
― Patricia Fuller
Sometimes editing is hard. No, most of the time editing is hard. It is my least favorite part of the writing process. I’m writing this post because I should be editing and really don’t feel like doing it right now. I’ve gotten halfway through the book and there’s something wrong. Frankly, thinking about it gives me a headache.Here’s a secret for you. I always get halfway through the first edit of a manuscript and doubt myself. Usually, I spend a good week telling myself that the whole thing is trash and I should just throw it away. I’m paralyzed by the story. At that point, I end up starting again. Every single book I’ve ever written has the second version that I wrote when I was halfway through the editing process. I’ve come to realize that that’s part of my process. I write books twice. The second version is written in half the time. It’s a way to work out what I think is wrong with it. There must be an easier way now. That’s what I keep telling myself.
Right now I’m fighting the urge to start again. To open up a completely blank page on my computer and write “Chapter One” at the top of the page. The funny thing about starting again is that I never end up using the second version. The second version is always crap, but it helps me go into the first version and change what’s wrong. That’s why it takes me so long to write a book because I write two, but you only see one.
This time I’m resisting writing the second version. Instead, I’ll step away from the computer with a notebook and write down everything I need to change so far. I’m hoping that will be good enough for my creative mind. It wants to start over, but I’m not going to let it. This time I’m trying something new.