Done.
I’m in a state of shock. The story is done (at least for this volume of the series). Characters have been in peril (some still are) others are… done. There are just some things a body cannot recover from, and well…
Oh, there was drama, pain, heartache, and tears. LOTS of tears.
Um, that was me. There’s even more so in the story.
Anyway, my roommate and I are going to celebrate somehow, maybe splurge on dinner at a local vegetarian-friendly restaurant.
Because… IT’S DONE!
And now, we get to edit.
Oh, just kill me now, ok?
I really don’t like reading my own work. Am I alone in that thinking? Sometimes it’s so exhausting because I can see all the problems that need to be fixed and, well, there are so many…
So, what do you do when you’ve reached this stage? Do you let it sit for a while, or do you get right on that editing horse and race to the finish line?
Once again, I offer my humble services for editing purposes.
The dreaded first edit. Childbirth seems easier, I think.
I read the whole thing from start to finish, making no notes. I just read.
Then I read it again checking for any inconsistencies and so on, making notes in the margins.
Then I have a shot of vodka and figure out what I’m going to rewrite.
You can do it, Karen. I am really thrilled for you!
S-in-L, I accept your offer for the second draft.
Selma, I have such a hard time reading my work without making notes, mainly because I’m always afraid I’ll miss a correction, or worse, think of a better way to phrase something and then forget it later. Then it sits in my brain, jiggling its foot, drumming its fingers, wishing it could remember exactly what it was…
I take a break first. Maybe a week, maybe a few days. Then I read it once, editing grammar and awkward sentences.
Then I take a break.
Then I read it again, editing for plot holes and potential problem areas.
Then I take a break.
Then I read it AGAIN…out loud, because that’s when I catch the reaaaalllly bad stuff.
Have I said I’m proud of you? I am. Muffins.
Childbirth IS easier
Yes, let it sit (stick it in the fridge). You need a long enough period of cooling off that it starts to feel like you’re reading someone else’s work. Do whatever you can to trick yourself into thinking it is someone else’s. One way is to do a critique for another writer before going back to tackle your own – it puts you in tactful mode.
I do make notes and corrections while I’m doing the first reading – just brief ones, trying not to lose the mode of reading for “enjoyment” as if I’m reading a published novel. But since I notice errors in normal enjoyment reading anyway, it would not work for me to force myself to read it through without making corrections.