On TV: Bama Belles (Help me - I have a reality TV addiction!)
The halls at Casa de Cowsert are completely decked, the tree shelters a nice pile of gifts awaiting a visit from the gift wrapping fairy and I'm hip deep in the editing process.
Once upon a time I thought of the editing process as something akin to slapping a fresh coat of paint on an already gorgeous wall. You know, something that looks good already but just needs a little pizazz to send it right over the edge? This? Was because I used to over think and over edit as I wrote - which basically meant that I would rarely ever finish a draft of anything because I was too focused on achieving perfection the first time around.
So up until now, my edits have resembled a project something like this:
Thankfully I learned to let go of that obsessive need to be perfect during the writing process. I was all "Yay! first drafts are supposed to suck and I suck so yay me!!!"
Now, however, I'm faced with the aftermath of a sucky first draft. Instead of just slapping a fresh coat of paint on a perfectly smooth and primed wall I'm left with something that looks more like this:
It has great bones, a solid structure and with a LOT of TLC it could be really amazing but I'm going to need a sledge hammer, not a paint brush to get me there.
If you need a helpful reference, I'd recommed Elizabeth Lyon's Manuscript Makeover. It helps tremendously in attacking revisions in a methodical way, and not simply tweak but make substantive additions and subtractions.
ReplyDeleteYou can do it!!! Hang in there, chickie! Start with the big stuff first. Just one bite at a time...
ReplyDeleteSuper encouraging hugs!!!!
Dude, when are ya coming outta the forest? :P
ReplyDeleteUgh! I've totally got a machete and I STILL can't see daylight. I know there's a story under all this crap but for the life of me I can't seem to find it!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, going to have to follow the breadcrumbs out of the forest and back to the land of the living. *looks around at poor neglected blog* *picks up broom to sweep the cobwebs out of the way* :)