Wednesday 2 April 2014

IWSG #5 - That "what's the point?" moment



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:

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!

10 comments:

  1. Good on you Trish. I've got one finished and have gone back to Novel No 1 and started re-writing.

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  2. Yeah 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.

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  3. Your organization scares me. If I made that chart, it would have one line.
    What's the point? With every edit, you are becoming a better writer.

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  4. 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. :)

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  5. Happy 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. :)

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  6. OMG I love your chart!!! I'm branching out this year and working on multiple project I think I need a chart like that. XD

    Editing. 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!

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  7. You are soooo organised!
    And do any of the Chrysalis stories feature on this chart??

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  8. YOU ARE AMAZING!!! Way to go girl!!!

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  9. Trisha, 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.

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  10. You'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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Thanks for your words, me hearties! and don't forget to leave a link to your blog somewhere I can find it!