Another Post About Editing

OK, so by now you've read (or maybe you haven't at which point you might want to get a point of reference) my previous post about editing and know pretty much how I feel about it.

Well, recently, I've beefed up my editing schedule to about two hours a day at least five days a week (more on Monday's but we'll get to that in a bit).  At this rate, I should be done editing and have a second draft finished in about two weeks.

So, that's led me to another rant on my feelings about editing or what it's done to me as a writer.  I do, however, feel the need to qualify this by describing my feelings of inadequacy when I turn on my social media tools (Twitter and Facebook) and read that all the other authors I truly admire are pounding through the writing/editing process with much more apparent ease.  I know, I know.  They've all had much more experience with this sort of thing.  They've all done this before.  They've all got deals or made tons of money doing it.  This is my first time.  I got it.  It still doesn't make me feel much better.

*Muppet-Flailing while shouting in my Lois the senior-citizen-chain-smoking-vespa-riding Assassin voice*  "I'm a deeeee-VAAAAAAA".

Now that THAT is out of my system... moving on.

To me, going through this process is a lot like going through therapy.  There are days where I get done with an editing session and am all excited and think, "YES, this book is gonna be AWESOME!!!!!".   I feel good about my work, my choice to write, and my life.

Then there are days where I get done, feel like the dried up dirt that cakes sidewalks after the puddle has dried up, and think, "This sucks... why am I even doing this?".

It is an emotional roller coaster, at least for me.

Fortunately for me, as with therapy, I've got a great support system.  Aside from my awesome wife, I also have a great (and steadily growing, feel free to join us) group of friends who meet up with me on Monday nights for a few hours to communally get work done on whatever personal projects we all have.  Plus, they have to put up with me chuckling a LOT to myself while I'm editing and then suffer through me reading aloud to them.

So, ultimately, my affair with editing is like an affair with a counselor.  Some good, some bad, always dramatic and when it's over... it's OVER...

...until the next book.  Then the process starts all over again.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your support.

~Stephan