Monday, July 26, 2010

Editing and Dental Hygiene

Ok...the title of this blog was supposed to be a play on words for 'editing is like pulling teeth.'

It's Monday. And I haven't had my coffee yet. Leave me alone.

Spent the weekend editing The Prodigal's Foole based on comments from my crit partner, the lovely and very sarcastic Leah Petersen. Some good stuff and mostly line item things.

But I have two scenes that are still weak. I'll be working to tie them down over the next few days.

And of course I want to add one additional scene based on a single relationship comment made as an aside. The comment might have been secondary, but it opened up a hole that needs resolution.

The editing process has made me realize that I have a love/hate thing going on with my book. I love the story and the characters...but if I keep finding tweaks and scenes I want to play with, I'll never be done. Hate that.

So where's that fine line?

I'll let you know after the next round. Now for my coffee and to take something for this tooth ache.

4 comments:

gwen morrison said...

If you find that "fine line," let me know. I struggle with the same thing. Hard to decide whether to pour the story out in its entirety, and then go back and tweak or polish as I go along. I like to read the work from previous day, every morning -- and herein lies the problem. It's never as brilliant as I thought it was in the light of day.

Just blogged about that very thing today. See http://gwenmorrison.com/blog/365-days-of-writing-day-95

RBW said...

Gwen-

Exactly! I finished my edits last night and sent them off...only to find that I made two scenes worse and needed a third.

Checking your blog out now. We seem to be sharing a brain today! :-)

Leah Petersen said...

I was going to make some sarcastic comment about how I'm not sarcastic but then I figured that was too predictable.

Off to edit that response. I'll let you see the second draft.

Tiffany Neal said...

I think that any editing automatically makes you have a love/hate relationship with your ms, stronger on the hate side.

We're writers, not editors! ;)

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