Monday, October 29, 2012

Edit until you die...

I'm sorry for my leave of absence! I hate when I check a blog to find that the author hasn't written anything new. Not that I'm saying people check my blog often. And if anyone does, well, you just made me the happiest author in the world.

My time away has been spent on two things. Number one, my little sister just got married this past week and it's been a whirlwind of wedding plans, family, cake, and glitter (More on that later). The second reason I've been away is because I've been editing. A LOT. So much so that I believe I started looking like this...


However, I may have been influenced from being tired (after pulling all-nighters to edit) and continually glancing at my skeleton candelabra Halloween decoration. Sometimes my imagination just runs away. 

Anyway, through the experience of writing my sequel, I've realized there is a specific formula I follow for completing novels. I've recorded the formula below. 

1. Get an awesome idea.

2. Spend 934574954058409 hours writing it down and typing it up. 

3.  Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit,  Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit, Edit.

4. Edit some more. 

There you have it, that's my formula. Hopefully you have your own tailored, editing plan that you use when writing. Maybe you edit as you go, or perhaps you can finish a novel in a month or two. For me, I have to take my time. I need to read every single line and make sure it's something I can feel good about. Writing is my dream job, and I'm so grateful for the opportunity's I've been given. Editing is hard for me, but after it's done and I have the final, finished product, it's well worth the blood, sweat, and tears. 


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