Julie Lence's Blog - Posts Tagged "editing"
Editing
This week I'm in editing mode. I finished the first draft of Zanna's Outlaw, the first book in a new series set in Texas, and gave myself last week to let the story sit, give my mind a chance to refresh and take care of home and family stuff. That was one week I should have wrote, as my muse was flowing and I found myself writing notes and leaving them on my desk. This week, I was pumped and ready to go, but the muse wasn't. It finally kicked in yesterday, and I got more accomplished in one day than I did in two.
Editing can be a blessing and a hassle, at the same time. Spelling and punctuation are easy. Your eyes are fresh and reading material you haven't in a while, so those mistakes leap out at you. Tightening your scenes and chapters and polishing your characters and plot can sometimes make you crazy. Or, at least they do for me.
It's the little things I obsess over; a paragraph that doesn't flow the way I'd like, a point I'm trying to make, not repeating something that I've written in a previous chapter, clearly expressing my character's thoughts and feelings. But I don't give up. I keep at it, and eventually what I'm trying to express works its way out of my mind and onto the computer screen.
Sometimes, I have a good day and breeze thru chapters. Some may require a slight bit of tweaking, and others require nothing at all. I wish I had more days like that, but in my heart, I want the story to be the best it can be. This is my chance to correct what I think is wrong. I'll grumble and get agitated, but in the end, I'll be satisfied.
I don't have a list of do's and don't's for editing and the order to do them. I think for everyone the process differs. I usually jump right in at page one and go. I have my notes and a good of idea of my weak spots. I put my notes in order so that when I get to that part in the story, I can see what I wanted to add or delete. As for the weak spots, I look for ways to make them better; word choice, adding something to the scene or strengthening my character's actions. I do a lot of flipping back and forth between the pages, paying attention to setting and plot details and points that move the story forward. I also look for things that don't work or could be better explained.
Obsess over minor things. Get frustrated. Change a whole scene. Add one or delete one. But whatever you do, keep going and enjoy this time of the creative process. Once you reach the end, your story will be better and your writing stronger. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment and know in that moment that the sweat and the laboring were well worth it. I know I do.
Editing can be a blessing and a hassle, at the same time. Spelling and punctuation are easy. Your eyes are fresh and reading material you haven't in a while, so those mistakes leap out at you. Tightening your scenes and chapters and polishing your characters and plot can sometimes make you crazy. Or, at least they do for me.
It's the little things I obsess over; a paragraph that doesn't flow the way I'd like, a point I'm trying to make, not repeating something that I've written in a previous chapter, clearly expressing my character's thoughts and feelings. But I don't give up. I keep at it, and eventually what I'm trying to express works its way out of my mind and onto the computer screen.
Sometimes, I have a good day and breeze thru chapters. Some may require a slight bit of tweaking, and others require nothing at all. I wish I had more days like that, but in my heart, I want the story to be the best it can be. This is my chance to correct what I think is wrong. I'll grumble and get agitated, but in the end, I'll be satisfied.
I don't have a list of do's and don't's for editing and the order to do them. I think for everyone the process differs. I usually jump right in at page one and go. I have my notes and a good of idea of my weak spots. I put my notes in order so that when I get to that part in the story, I can see what I wanted to add or delete. As for the weak spots, I look for ways to make them better; word choice, adding something to the scene or strengthening my character's actions. I do a lot of flipping back and forth between the pages, paying attention to setting and plot details and points that move the story forward. I also look for things that don't work or could be better explained.
Obsess over minor things. Get frustrated. Change a whole scene. Add one or delete one. But whatever you do, keep going and enjoy this time of the creative process. Once you reach the end, your story will be better and your writing stronger. You'll feel a sense of accomplishment and know in that moment that the sweat and the laboring were well worth it. I know I do.
Excitement is in the Air
This has been a fantastic day for me. First, I finished the latest chapter of my work in progress and sent it off to Stacey, my critique partner. I'm looking forward to her comments and thoughts. Even better, I received the edits for the third installment of The Weston Family Series, No Luck At All, this afternoon. The story features Creel, the youngest of the Weston brothers, and his new bride, Racine. I can't wait to jump in, complete the changes and send them back to my publisher. Not that I favor this book over the other two. It's just exciting to see Creel and Racine's story move one step closer to publication.
Last, The Romance Studio launched their Spookapalooza event for October today. Their are many authors participating, of which I am one, and a slew of prizes. I'm donating a print copy of Lady Luck and will be posting most of the month. For a grand prize, TRS is giving away a Kindle to one lucky reader. Stop by and join in the fun. I bet you find at least one new author to add to your list of reading materials.
Until next week, may the spirit of the Halloween season shine upon you.
Last, The Romance Studio launched their Spookapalooza event for October today. Their are many authors participating, of which I am one, and a slew of prizes. I'm donating a print copy of Lady Luck and will be posting most of the month. For a grand prize, TRS is giving away a Kindle to one lucky reader. Stop by and join in the fun. I bet you find at least one new author to add to your list of reading materials.
Until next week, may the spirit of the Halloween season shine upon you.
Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone
Many years ago, I worked for the Air Force. My job was accounting, or rather collecting monies for delinquent accounts and bounced checks. To this day, and it's been almost twenty years, I can still recite the regulations I had to follow pertaining to collecting monies. Why? Because I knew the desk inside and out. And when a new regulation or policy came along, I was usually the first to challenge it, because I hated change. Because I hated stepping out of my comfort zone. But the Air Force called it progress, keeping up with the times to make the mission run smoother. Sometimes, the change was for the better. Other times, it wasn't.
Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, I still find it hard to step out of comfort zones. Sometimes, I don't have a choice, and I'll stubbornly refuse to do so until I absolutely have to. It's usually then I find I can do something different and the result was better than I first thought it would be. In other words, I amaze myself and wonder why I'd balked in the first place. My latest 'shedding of a comfort zone' came when I went into self-publishing.
Back when I began writing and then found a publisher, I was happy to write the story and let the publisher take care of the rest; the editing, the cover art, placing the book on various sites. Some of that work didn't interest me, especially designing covers. I honestly didn't believe I could do it, mostly because I'm not artistic. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler and my people are stick people. But when I was faced with the decision to either find a new publisher or self-publish, I chose self-publishing, because finding a new publisher meant stepping out of the comfort zone with my previous publisher and starting over with a new one. Not that self-publishing was any better, but at least with self-publishing I could move forward quicker.
I jumped right in with the editing and the uploading files and the cover art and found, to my surprise, that not only could I design cover art, I actually liked designing it. Playing with photographs and colors and fonts in a little box is exciting, rewarding, and a never-ending learning experience. I'm in awe at the things a computer can do with the click of a button. Sometimes, I'll throw a photo on the screen and just play with it for hours. And to think, if I hadn't been forced out of one comfort zone, I'd never be where I am now; in another comfort zone that's always changing. But they're changes I embrace, unlike when I worked for the Air Force.
Now that I'm a stay-at-home mom, I still find it hard to step out of comfort zones. Sometimes, I don't have a choice, and I'll stubbornly refuse to do so until I absolutely have to. It's usually then I find I can do something different and the result was better than I first thought it would be. In other words, I amaze myself and wonder why I'd balked in the first place. My latest 'shedding of a comfort zone' came when I went into self-publishing.
Back when I began writing and then found a publisher, I was happy to write the story and let the publisher take care of the rest; the editing, the cover art, placing the book on various sites. Some of that work didn't interest me, especially designing covers. I honestly didn't believe I could do it, mostly because I'm not artistic. I can't draw a straight line with a ruler and my people are stick people. But when I was faced with the decision to either find a new publisher or self-publish, I chose self-publishing, because finding a new publisher meant stepping out of the comfort zone with my previous publisher and starting over with a new one. Not that self-publishing was any better, but at least with self-publishing I could move forward quicker.
I jumped right in with the editing and the uploading files and the cover art and found, to my surprise, that not only could I design cover art, I actually liked designing it. Playing with photographs and colors and fonts in a little box is exciting, rewarding, and a never-ending learning experience. I'm in awe at the things a computer can do with the click of a button. Sometimes, I'll throw a photo on the screen and just play with it for hours. And to think, if I hadn't been forced out of one comfort zone, I'd never be where I am now; in another comfort zone that's always changing. But they're changes I embrace, unlike when I worked for the Air Force.
