I've decided to post this IWSG separately to my A to Z post which I'll put up approximately 12 hours from now. This month, I'm still going with my SQUEAKY edits, and they're going very slowly. Editing each chapter until I'm 95% happy with it is proving extremely time consuming (obviously?).
I made this chart of all my novels, because I'm like that:
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| Trisha's novel chart, colour-coded and all. :) |
It maps out progress I've made over the years with each of my novels. There are columns for rough draft, second draft, etc., and with the editing I'm doing right now, I feel like I'm actually getting toward the fifth draft territory even though this is really only one single editing "round". Sometimes I've edited a chapter and reprinted it for more editing 4 times before being happy with it. But I will count this as one round of editing.
Anyway, I guess I should get to the "insecure" part of this post. With all this intense editing, I'm experiencing many moments where I think, "What's the point?" This mostly occurs when I'm staring down at a page that is so scribbled over with edits I can barely see the original printed words. But I do keep going. Even if I sometimes take a night off and pick it up the next night, I keep going.
I'd love to have SQUEAKY edited by April's end, because I want to edit SMALL TOWN by mid-year. But I don't know if that's going to happen. All I can do is strive towards it, I guess. :)
I hope you are all feeling very secure indeed this month!
Good on you Trish. I've got one finished and have gone back to Novel No 1 and started re-writing.
ReplyDeleteYeah I could never make such a chart. Congrats on getting organized and the point is...just keep going T! You're writing, editing...don't stop for anything. But necessities and family, that's important too. Oh and fun.
ReplyDeleteYour organization scares me. If I made that chart, it would have one line.
ReplyDeleteWhat's the point? With every edit, you are becoming a better writer.
I've had those "what is the point" moments and they were always accompanied with depression, something I struggle with from time to time. The harder I tried to get published the more frequently I had those dreaded moments when I felt like giving up, but my determination was stronger. I agree with Alex, with every edit you're becoming a better writer and you're getting closer to a finished product. :)
ReplyDeleteHappy IWSG post day!! Wow, look at how organized you are. I love your charting. Best of luck on your edits, I too, am in that process. It's all I think about! Have a blast with your A to Z challenge. :)
ReplyDeleteOMG I love your chart!!! I'm branching out this year and working on multiple project I think I need a chart like that. XD
ReplyDeleteEditing. I feel what you're saying. I can honestly say that this last draft of my novel is a completely different story than what I originally outlined. But that's one of the things I love about the process. I feel secure knowing that I can word vomit on the page, but with my edits I can fix and shape those ideas into a readable story!
Good luck reaching your deadline!
You are soooo organised!
ReplyDeleteAnd do any of the Chrysalis stories feature on this chart??
YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Way to go girl!!!
ReplyDeleteTrisha, while it's important that we keep going, I think it's natural. It's like washing the dishes when you know you'll turn around and use them again. LOL. Terrible analogy, I know. We edit and revise and edit because that's who we are. BTW, I do the same thing. I've been working on my WIP for over a year and I've just broke 82K words. I go back and and make the rest as perfect as I can on any given day, then try to move forward. It's painstakingly slow, but I was probably a turtle in another life.
ReplyDeleteYou're a true librarian! haha! A customer once told a coworker that we worked in a OCDs paradise. Im not OCD (i dont think...lol) but nevertheless the library is a place of order and organization. i like youre chart!
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