editing
I love writing
I really do
Whenever I finally manage to actually sit down, pick up my keyboard and just letting the words tip out, it's just, I don't know, fun.
I would say that I enjoy finding out what happens next, but I enjoy the organic growth of it, from what I first pictured, to the way that the words or plot points come out. It feels a lot like writing an RPG campaign, and then the players interact with it and then it becomes something "else" on one level more, and in some cases, less than was initially planned. (feckin' players)
In this case the actual "writing of it" means that the plot that I originally envisioned can be changed or slightly different, (although not very different, I maintain that my characters do exactly whatever they are damn well told) but at the same time be, in some strange and undeniable way, utterly mine.
However then comes the bits that I enjoy the least.
The editing and revisions.
At times like these Erfalaswen has to sit on me to avoid me reaching for the delete key and therefore excising large swathes of perfectly good writing as I become mortified at my own (perceived) lack of talent, going through the entire piece and putting in peoples suggestions, trying things different ways, cutting out duplicated words, or multiple sentences that essentially mean the same thing and then trying to decide what the best version of the lot of them is.
I hate it, there are plenty of other things that I would rather be doing, like say, doing some more writing. And I know that if (which is a very big if) someone ever decides to publish this stuff then a proper editor who enjoys and gets passionate about this part of the process will be employed, and I know that doing this will only make things better, and if it doesn't then I can restore the original draft. I also know that in the mean time that it needs to be done eventually and preferably in smaller chunks so that I can get on with the good stuff.
But damn I hate it.
So I'm trying to discipline myself. Get the editing done, and then pass it onto test readers. Then they can destroy it, tell me how rubbish it all is anyway and I can get on with doing the fun bit of doing some more writing. ;)
*mumble mumble*
What's that conscience?"
*mumble mumble MUMBLE mumble*
You mean I've already broken my own promise by doing THIS piece of writing before doing any editing?
*mumble*
DAMMIT!
I really do
Whenever I finally manage to actually sit down, pick up my keyboard and just letting the words tip out, it's just, I don't know, fun.
I would say that I enjoy finding out what happens next, but I enjoy the organic growth of it, from what I first pictured, to the way that the words or plot points come out. It feels a lot like writing an RPG campaign, and then the players interact with it and then it becomes something "else" on one level more, and in some cases, less than was initially planned. (feckin' players)
In this case the actual "writing of it" means that the plot that I originally envisioned can be changed or slightly different, (although not very different, I maintain that my characters do exactly whatever they are damn well told) but at the same time be, in some strange and undeniable way, utterly mine.
However then comes the bits that I enjoy the least.
The editing and revisions.
At times like these Erfalaswen has to sit on me to avoid me reaching for the delete key and therefore excising large swathes of perfectly good writing as I become mortified at my own (perceived) lack of talent, going through the entire piece and putting in peoples suggestions, trying things different ways, cutting out duplicated words, or multiple sentences that essentially mean the same thing and then trying to decide what the best version of the lot of them is.
I hate it, there are plenty of other things that I would rather be doing, like say, doing some more writing. And I know that if (which is a very big if) someone ever decides to publish this stuff then a proper editor who enjoys and gets passionate about this part of the process will be employed, and I know that doing this will only make things better, and if it doesn't then I can restore the original draft. I also know that in the mean time that it needs to be done eventually and preferably in smaller chunks so that I can get on with the good stuff.
But damn I hate it.
So I'm trying to discipline myself. Get the editing done, and then pass it onto test readers. Then they can destroy it, tell me how rubbish it all is anyway and I can get on with doing the fun bit of doing some more writing. ;)
*mumble mumble*
What's that conscience?"
*mumble mumble MUMBLE mumble*
You mean I've already broken my own promise by doing THIS piece of writing before doing any editing?
*mumble*
DAMMIT!