Yikes, I almost completely forgot to squeeze in my weekly posting on my site. Not sure if it's because I was so active on my Twitter this week, or because I've been consumed with editing, but I only remembered at 9:30. But I digress...
The first end to end edit of my book by someone other than myself was just completed and the reaction has been very positive, which is more than I could ask for in my first attempt at a full length novel. I'm still tracking to have the work published this month (what?!), but with family coming into town soon, it's going to be a close one.
However, because I've been back in editing mode, I've been grappling with the difficult question that I think most writers face: how do you know when your book is done? Not the actual ending, but the editing. The changes. The revisions and rewrites. Should I spend another month changing this character? What if I abandon that plot point and replace it with this? How about I change all my characters? What if I make the ending seem as if it was all a dream, influenced by water laced with LSD by the Illuminati?
Stop.
This is where my laziness and vanity is helpful. Even though I want to do a good job and I hate making mistakes (especially ones other people get to see), I realize that no book, electronic or otherwise, is perfect. It's very easy to say this about other writers, but when it comes to our own work, we tend to forget that part and obsess over tiny details that ultimately do not impact the enjoyment of our books. I believe the key lies in finding that healthy mix between thoroughness and obsession, between wanting to do the best job possible and stirring the soup just because it's there. At a certain point you have to realize the changes that are being made are detrimental and it's time to stop touching the keyboard.
Where is that point, though? I know I haven't found it yet. This is my first swing at this outside of academia, and the magnitude of the job and the desired outcome are both intimidating. Just as with writing, though, experience will play a factor. My second book has been much easier to write, and I believe it will be easier to edit as well. Not because I will have made less mistakes or overlooked things less frequently, but because I'll have a system and a groove, and I'll be better and finding that tipping point.
No book is perfect. That is truth. I have stone tile throughout my house. Each one is different. They have texture and granularity. They have specs of grout caught in tiny grooves that can't come out. They are not perfectly square. They are beautiful, each one reminding me of something else in this wild universe. Let your book be the same. Care about it, work on it, but know that the flaws lend themselves to individuality. Work to find that balance. If you're tired and frustrated and feel like your book is getting worse, you should smile, because you're at the end.
A.C. Harrison
Support indie authors! Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
The first end to end edit of my book by someone other than myself was just completed and the reaction has been very positive, which is more than I could ask for in my first attempt at a full length novel. I'm still tracking to have the work published this month (what?!), but with family coming into town soon, it's going to be a close one.
However, because I've been back in editing mode, I've been grappling with the difficult question that I think most writers face: how do you know when your book is done? Not the actual ending, but the editing. The changes. The revisions and rewrites. Should I spend another month changing this character? What if I abandon that plot point and replace it with this? How about I change all my characters? What if I make the ending seem as if it was all a dream, influenced by water laced with LSD by the Illuminati?
Stop.
This is where my laziness and vanity is helpful. Even though I want to do a good job and I hate making mistakes (especially ones other people get to see), I realize that no book, electronic or otherwise, is perfect. It's very easy to say this about other writers, but when it comes to our own work, we tend to forget that part and obsess over tiny details that ultimately do not impact the enjoyment of our books. I believe the key lies in finding that healthy mix between thoroughness and obsession, between wanting to do the best job possible and stirring the soup just because it's there. At a certain point you have to realize the changes that are being made are detrimental and it's time to stop touching the keyboard.
Where is that point, though? I know I haven't found it yet. This is my first swing at this outside of academia, and the magnitude of the job and the desired outcome are both intimidating. Just as with writing, though, experience will play a factor. My second book has been much easier to write, and I believe it will be easier to edit as well. Not because I will have made less mistakes or overlooked things less frequently, but because I'll have a system and a groove, and I'll be better and finding that tipping point.
No book is perfect. That is truth. I have stone tile throughout my house. Each one is different. They have texture and granularity. They have specs of grout caught in tiny grooves that can't come out. They are not perfectly square. They are beautiful, each one reminding me of something else in this wild universe. Let your book be the same. Care about it, work on it, but know that the flaws lend themselves to individuality. Work to find that balance. If you're tired and frustrated and feel like your book is getting worse, you should smile, because you're at the end.
A.C. Harrison
Support indie authors! Like me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
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