Thoughts on Editing

I want to talk about editing today. And you know why? Because everyone seems to discuss writing your novel, but nobody talks about the difficulties of editing the darn thing. And to me, that's the hardest part. I could draft them all day and yet when it's time to edit, I find every excuse to not to. I apologize in advance because I think this is going to be a bit rambly.

Editing/revision (which are actually two separate things, which is another thing they don't tell you) is how you refine your novel. You take the rough shape you've carved out and start whittling it down, adding things here, taking away there. It's what takes the rough stone of a novel and makes it truly shine.

I know some people thrive off of editing and kudos to them. But I have such a hard time with it. Part of my problem is once I've written the novel, I feel like it can't go any other way. I constantly have to remind myself that this is still all flexible until the day (if ever) it's published. And that's hard for me.

Another thing I dread about editing? Character arcs. I don't do so well remembering to outline the character arcs, so I often have to go back in and edit the heck out of them. Sometimes I end up ruining the character so then I have to do it all again to get back to the  person I like.

That's what's kind of scary about editing. The story changes so much that sometimes you loose sight of your original vision.

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm pretty sure I change about 85% of my story in the editing process. Sometimes I miss the story I originally wrote, even if this new version is much better.

That's also the cool thing when you edit. You can remake things that came out awful into something good. You can delete, add, and change to your heart's content. There's nothing you can't do when editing. And I do kind of like that part of it.

Then there's the difference between editing and revision that no one talks about. Technically, everything you call editing is revision. Editing is only the part where you work on polishing things up, checking grammar, and such. Revision is working on plot, character arcs, and worldbuilding. So now you've been informed.

I'm not sure the point of this post, only that I wanted to talk about my editing struggles and hopefully find some kindred spirits out there. Revision isn't easy and I'd be more than willing to talk if you also have this problem. Maybe I'll do a series with some editing tips for other struggling souls.

What's the hardest part of writing for you? Do you have any editing woes? Tell me in the comments.

Suggested Posts:

How to Add Length to Your Novel

Writer Insecurities