Editing should be a pleasure

News from the coalface.

Those who follow my ramblings will know that I wrote a full-length novel, a proper ghost story, over Christmas in a burst of impatience, because I had limited time to get the story out of my head before my attention would be required elsewhere.

I have to leave a first draft for a while to get it out of my mind, so I wrote it, blasted it into the keyboard, ordered a paperback proof, then stuck it on a shelf and forgot about it. Now a few months have passed, so I have set to the task of first edit, and boy am I enjoying myself. I edit using a pencil in a paperback copy, so I can edit wherever I like, away from screens and keyboards. It is something organic, a welcome break from pixels on a screen.

Writers really should enjoy editing. It is the best part of writing, or it should be, yet I read so often of writers who hate editing. What is going wrong? I am loving this. I already know some of what I need to do, such as no proper ending. I deliberately just put down the absolute basics, so now as I go through, I am working on that ending. What is not to like about that?

So that is it for today, just a quick note because I know so many writers dread editing, and others like myself absolutely love it. We are all different in our own ways, and the world would be a dull place if we were not. If you are one of those writers who struggles with editing, maybe try something different, bundle it into a paperback copy like I do and disappear with it somewhere, get away from your screen. Maybe some small thing like that could just click into place and make it a pleasure, because it really is a wonderful part of the whole writing process, getting it just the way you want it for your readers, the way you want it for yourself.

Right then, time to make lunch, then it is a nice day so I may take my editing down to the seafront. My outdoor office beckons, and I’d better remember to take some bread for the crows. They do like a little treat.

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News from the coalface is my series of occasional ramblings about my writing, but I also write occasional ramblings about whatever might be on my mind. You can subscribe to my musings for free, I do not do the money thing on Substack.