Ed(it) tu, Brute

This is my first blog post, and that means I’m supposed to say something completely, monumentally wonderful. Something that would necessitate writing an entire blog post. Something meaningful and deep that will kick-start my blog (and my public career as an author). Basically, I'm supposed to channel my inner Anne (Cordelia) Shirley-Cuthbert in order to justify taking up space on the internet.

I do not have anything deep or meaningful to say. Instead, I’ll just say that I despise editing.

I finished my first draft of my debut novel (fingers crossed) on July 30th, 2022. My printed draft copy arrived a week later. I finished my read-through and initial editing notes a week ago.

And then I stalled.

There’s just something so frustrating about having to go line by line, carving out the words you worked so hard to write. Sure, it’s necessary, but jeez. It hurts. If you gave me a thousand pages to wax poetic about how much I despise editing, I could fill them in a day. (And then I’d have to cut half of the sentences, because I'd still have to EDIT THEM).

There’s just something so mortifying about reading your raw works with the intent of only seeing the bad things. Terrible prose, choppy dialogue, repetitive sentences (oh my!). It makes me long for the days when I’d write a fanfic and then immediately post it to ff.net without bothering to check for so much as a typo.

In all honesty, if it weren’t

for the beta readers who’ve signed up to read my manuscript this month, I’d have given up weeks ago. Now, I’m obligated to finish my story so they don’t yell at me.

It’s a good thing I happen to like them (and my characters, too).

Now, enough complaining. I have ten chapters to finish by the end of today. Wish me luck!