Editing

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Is there ever a point when a writer can say, and believe it, that their work is finished?  I don't know about the rest of you, but for myself I find it very hard to say that statement.  In fact, I'm not even sure I'd ever accept edits as being complete until the book hit store shelves.  (And even then, I might pick up a copy and take out a red pen...if I'm not tired of looking at it by then.)

More recently, I decided to go back through the books I've written and give them a really good run through.  After all, how can they ever garner an agent's attention, and eventually a publisher's, if I've never queried them?

Now, the first novel I ever wrote was more to say that I could do it.  I've put it aside for now and set my attention on the my second mystery.  It's also the second in a series surrounding Major Crimes Detective Madison Knight.

The thing is, I loved that book before.  But I haven't read it in over a year.  In that time, I've written 3 novels.  As most of you know you grow a lot with every word you write.  Let's just say the book I expected to be pretty near perfection, isn't.  In fact, I'm chainsawing a lot of it and I only made it to page 13 as of the date of this post. But the result is going to be a marketable novel with three-dimensional characters and settings the reader can be immersed in.  And that...that is what will keep me going.

Comments

  1. Scott ChaseJanuary 18, 2011 at 8:25 PM

    I heard Robert Crais (and he knows what he's talking about) say that the only time he stops editing his novels is when his publisher tells him that he can't work on it anymore, they have to go to press. But, he says that there's always things he wants to change.

    I agree with him. I always think of things that could make my stuff better. Sometimes, a lot of the times, it's that thing called "writer's insecurity." We are never satisfied, never think our stuff is good enough. Just my two cents.

    Thanks for the follow and I look forward to reading your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Charlotte Jane IvoryJanuary 20, 2011 at 4:47 AM

    You are so right about authors growing with every word they write. Personally I think that, when we come back to our old stuff and see NEW issues, we should celebrate - because it means we've improved as writers!
    BTW, are you tempted to contribute any of that first novel to my Murder Your Darlings blog? *wink*
    ~ Charlotte

    ReplyDelete
  3. Carolyn ArnoldJanuary 20, 2011 at 7:01 AM

    Charlotte, thinking about it.. :)

    ReplyDelete

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