The Dreaded Edit

Here’s how I feel about editing my book: UGH.  When I write something, I end up editing it several times to get it just the way I want it.  I actually edit my blog several times before it’s published and I’m quite sure it’s full of mistakes that I’ve missed.  Sometimes, after I’ve published it and it’s too late, I see something and think, “Oh, I wish I would have said it this way or that way.”

Editing something short, like a blog, isn’t too bad; the UGH comes in when it’s time to edit something that is in the neighborhood of 60,000 words, because that means you have to read every one of those 60,000 words again.  I’ve edited my book about ten times.  Because I wrote the story, I already know what happens; so after the third time I read it, I’d  grown really tired of looking at it.

The publisher that I’m working with did some edits to my manuscript and sent the partially edited version to me last Sunday.  She pointed out some habits that I need to work on correcting in the future.  I have a tendency to overuse parenthesis, ellipses, and dashes.  I probably use them incorrectly, too.  I also love commas and I have no doubt that I sometimes misuse my beloved commas, as well.  To those of you who have a keen eye for those things, I apologize for the mistakes you have found (and will undoubtedly continue to find) here and I want you to know that I’m working on it.  I swear.

Now that the publisher has read my manuscript and sent the partially edited version back, it’s time for me to do another edit. Editing a long document is like going to the dentist; it can be excruciating, but it’s absolutely necessary.  Simply restructuring sentences for the purpose of removing things like dashes or parenthesis is mundane, but not difficult.  What’s difficult is changing something in your storyline.  That’s tough to do.

For one thing, if you change just one word in one place, there’s a good chance that you’ll have to go through and change it everywhere else, too; that one change can set off a ripple effect. For example, if I say that my character went to Walmart and bought a pork roast and a pair of leggings, but then for some reason I decide to change “Walmart” to “Food Lion”, I have to nix the leggings purchase because Food Lion doesn’t sell leggings.  If the character wore those leggings somewhere later in the story, I have to change that, too.  So you see, one minor change can affect the whole shebang.  If I add or change a whole scene, it’s even worse. Since I know there’s going to be a lot of work involved with changes, if I’m going to make any, and especially if those changes are based on the suggestions of others, it’s imperative that I wholeheartedly agree with them.

A few years ago, I was in a speech contest in Toastmasters.  I had written a Tall Tale and was on my way to compete at the District level.  I had several well meaning Toastmaster friends who suggested changes I could incorporate to make my speech better.  The problem was that none of the suggestions felt right.  One person suggested that I use more props. He said that one year, So-and-so (an older gentleman who I like, respect, and admire) used a rubber chicken at District and won, and that I should reach out to So-and-so for advice on the matter.  So, even though I was happy with my speech the way it was, I decided that I’d go ahead and email him to get his opinion.  He emailed me back and said something like, “You’ve made it this far with your speech.  I know that the people giving you suggestions mean well, but if you change your speech to incorporate everyone else’s ideas, it’s not even really your speech anymore, is it?  I would leave it exactly like it is.”  As with all really good advice, those words have stayed with me.

I took that good advice; I didn’t change a thing and to this day, I’m glad I didn’t.  Did I win the contest? Nope, but that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I didn’t compromise by making a change that just didn’t feel right to me.  I gave my speech, it was well received, and I walked off that stage feeling good about it.  Plus, it was still 100% mine.  If someone had suggested that I insert a pause for effect somewhere or change a few words, that would have been okay with me; those would be minor changes, and I would still feel like the speech belonged to me.  Big changes that would make the speech a product of teamwork, though?  No.

Right now, I find myself back in the same type of situation. The publisher has made some suggestions for changes; some of them are minor (getting rid of dashes, for example), but some of them are bigger ones.  The small changes, I’ll make with a smile on my face.  I’ll also work in a couple of the bigger changes because I agree that they probably will make the story better, but there are some suggestions that I’m just not feeling.  Those are the ones that have to do with the characters.

As I wrote the story, my characters became like real people to me and I can actually see them in my mind.  I know what they look like, what their homes look like, and most importantly, why they do the things they do.  I know how they think. So, when the publisher said that I might want to consider adding this, or changing that, I realized that before I make a change, I have to look at my characters and ask myself, “Would she (or he) do that?”  If the answer is no, then I can’t make the change.  Fortunately, the publisher is also a writer, so she understands.  When she offered her suggestions, she even said, “It’s your story so you don’t have to incorporate them.”  Choosing to not incorporate all of her suggestions might come back to bite me, but just like with my speech, I have to do what feels right for me.

I think when it comes to writing, or anything else for that matter, we have to do what works for us, especially when it’s something we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in. “Follow your heart. Trust your gut. Stay true to yourself.”  Regardless of how you want to express the idea of not compromising when it doesn’t feel right, it all boils down to one thing:  Don’t change anything to satisfy other people; if you’re going to change something, only do it because it feels like the right thing to do for you.  Otherwise, whatever it is that you’re changing isn’t really even yours anymore, is it?