I will freely admit to being one of the laziest people in the world.Intelligent people tend to fall into this trap of believing the easiest way of doing something is always the best. If you can think your way out of a task, well, that's clever!
Without a solid work ethic - a major missing component of most human DNA - the trend is toward sloth. Do the least amount of work for the most amount of gain.
In ecology terms: Optimal Foraging
I've always thought of myself as an optimal forager. If I can condense my to-do list, I will. If there's a better and quicker way, I want to know.
This actually works for writing. You can optimize your writing time, streamline the process, and write with little effort. Especially if writing is something you do for fun. It's easy!
Editing is another matter entirely. In fact, editing is right next to getting a six-pack of abs on my list of Awful Chores To Avoid.
For years I've dodged.
But I am here to admit I've had a change of heart. Not that I think editing is the funnest thing in the world. No.
Instead, I've reached the conclusion that easy isn't always good.
Reading through my partially completed MS in January I realized something. This is The Book. Even in rough draft form, I love this book. There are layers. There is Voice. There is a diamond under the rough parts. I just need to get it out.
I've switched from "I'll publish a book some day" to "This is the book I want to publish."
Even with other plots kicking at my brain (and they are always there), I'm suddenly devoted. This isn't First Love like the boy I had a crush on in kindergarten, this is full on I Love You Forever Love that I felt when I married my husband all those years ago.
It's a tiny shift in thinking that leads to a huge shift in doing. I'm willing to put in the hours to edit. I'm willing to write the queries, surf through rejections, and find a home for this book. It's that good.
You're going to love it!
- Liana
I like editing because I know my story gets a little better with each correction I make. I wish you luck on the editing that lays ahead!
ReplyDeleteFor me editing is a necessary evil, so I try to enjoy it as much as I can while doing it. I think the better I get with my writing the less daunting it will be. At least I like to think and hope so.
ReplyDeleteHeather - Thank you. :o)
ReplyDeleteAkoss - I think that's what I've found. This is a fairly decent rough draft. It needs work, but I can see how to make it better. It's not the mass of conflicting plot points that my earlier novels were.
I'm still a pretty lazy person, but I recently had that kind of thought shift too, with the novel in progress I've been working on since November. It's funny it just started out as a thrown together plot for NaNoWriMo. Now I WANT to edit it, I really wish I could just drop everything and fix it right now but I've got to get through those last few chapters.
ReplyDeleteI never was good at endings.
Congratulations on finding 'the one'. Here's to making the editing and publication process as swift and painless as possible.