Slogging Through the Editing Process
Hey guys. One thing I want to get better about is writing more blog posts, and so here we are. If anyone has watched my YouTube channel, then you might have heard me mention that I am currently working on a novel. Right now, I have finished drafting. So, it’s on to editing my Middle Grade Fantasy Novel and if the title wasn’t a good enough indicator, then I will just come out and say it. Editing is taking me way too long. Why is editing taking so much longer than drafting? That is something I have been asking myself. And this is what I have come up with.
1. I’ve never made it this far before.
As someone who has participated in Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month) for the past seven or so years, drafting is something that I’ve grown familiar with. It’s become my comfort zone. I have drafted like 6 novels (none of them will see the light of day), but that’s as far as I went.
2. The perfectionism is setting in.
Another thing Nanowrimo has been great for is teaching me to cage that inner editor and just write. Only, now I am in the part of the process where I am supposed to let the editor loose. Except, my inner editor isn’t very nice. I run across sections that are just disheartening. I hold this as the best first draft I’ve ever written and the one that is worth attempting to edit. So, when I run into brain numbing sections, it can be hard to continue.
3. ‘Finding time’
Time isn’t something that people just find lying on the floor ready to be picked up. So, I know it’s not a matter of ‘finding time.’ But, it’s still tempting to say “I just can’t find the time.” There are a lot of things that are pulling for my attention: My day job, my YouTube, my instagram, my blog, my family, and regular human things. It can be hard to prioritize something above everything else.
So, after all this whining it’s time to think of solutions. It’s time to move forward. Even if I’m slogging through the heavy mud of editing, the littlest movement is better than nothing. Well, first thing is I’m going to start writing blog posts updating you guys on my process. Hopefully having more accountability will push me to get even the tiniest more done. Next, I want to do more write-ins. I got the most work done when I set aside a few hours a week to go write in the local bookstore. That fell by the wayside when my work started to get crazy, but it’s something I want to bring back.
