Editing

is tedious. And annoying. If you're like me, then editing is the hardest aspect of writing. BIC? Easy, if I have time. Rejections? I'll live. But editing?

NOOOO!!!!! Spare me.

What is it I dislike so much about editing? Is it because I think everything I've written is golden and doesn't need cleaning up? Ha!

No, editing is difficult for me because… well, because it's difficult. Digging into the novel and finding the flaws, the things that don't work, and then correcting them, is a mountainous task.

Some are frozen with fear at the sight of said mountain, but that's not the case with me. I find it easy to make the first steps; I attack the first draft eagerly. However, as the task draws on I get worn down.

Stamina is a trait that I just don't have when it comes to editing—or writing, for that matter—so I have to take frequent breaks. Flurries of progress are followed by bouts of do-nothing. And the longer I push myself, the longer the lapses seem to last, the more demoralized I become. By the time I draw close to the end of a round of edits, there's nothing I want to do more than throw the entire MS into next week (or the garbage, as the case may be).

Somehow, I know, I have to find the strength to go on. I need help.

"Help? Never!" Oh shut up.

Sure, playing the Fate Spider of your fictive world is fun (at least, I think so), but some obstacles are so great one cannot overcome them on his own.

This help can come in a variety of forms. Simple things like prayer, staying active, and taking time off to think can do wonders. Also, keep friends informed of progress, including the lack thereof. Even if they don't care, and they should if they care about you, the shame of not getting enough done can keep the motivation flag flying long after the winds have passed.

Finally, if you need to take breaks (like me), then take them before you burn out.

These are just a few methods I use. What do you do to combat editing/writing fatigue? Or are you one of those people for whom writing and editing is as easy as breathing? (do those people really exist?)

Go mbeannaí Dia duit,
M. S.