Thursday, January 19, 2012

The Renovation Starts Now...

Okay, so I'm not exactly doing renovations. What I am working on is edits for an upcoming book. But, really, it's not so different from a full-scale renovation.

What do they have in common? Well, for one thing, tearing things apart. Sometimes a book has a problem that requires a writer to cut some things out of a scene and rebuild it. Sure it requires time and work and can make you want to rip your hair out. But, in the end, the book is much better for it.

The revision process can be a long one or a short one. It really depends on the book. Sometimes something that might seem like an easy fix will really require a lot of fancy maneuvering and quite a bit of time. Sound familiar. Sure, honey, I can just take down this wall here. It won't cause any extra work. NOT! The revision process can be very similar.

The whole idea of both is to make whatever your working on better. And that's why I love the revision process. Sure it's messy. Yes, it requires ripping apart something you've already sweated over and built over weeks and months of work. But it's worth it when you see the final product and the book is even better than you imagined it could ever be.

So, thank you to all the editors I've had the honor to work with over the past seven years. You've all taught me so much and made me a better writer.

Now it's back to edits before my editor catches me goofing off.

Have a wonderful day!

1 comment:

Savannah Chase said...

Good luck with the edits...