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Fam! I& #39;m heading into final edits on Book2! And because revisions are one of my strong suits I thought I& #39;d thread the experience. 
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#WritingCommunity #2020Debuts #amediting
#WritingCommunity #2020Debuts #amediting
This is a tough book for me to edit. It& #39;s old, had several versions, and pretty much every time I open the doc I& #39;m on a ticking clock until my eyes glaze over. BUT I love this book dearly, my team loves this book, and I hope that readers will love this book. So I need to WORK
First stop: edit letter absorption
I skim as much as I can handle. Then skim harder. Work up to a full read. Lots of thoughts happen. Lots of knee jerk emotional reactions. I pull out my Revsision Handbook which means putting on The Office and stepping away bc I& #39;m embarrassed.
I skim as much as I can handle. Then skim harder. Work up to a full read. Lots of thoughts happen. Lots of knee jerk emotional reactions. I pull out my Revsision Handbook which means putting on The Office and stepping away bc I& #39;m embarrassed.
For me that& #39;s the key to getting over the edit letter. Realizing that edits embarrass me bc I wasn& #39;t perfect. It& #39;s an area of growth for me. No one is perfect. No one gets books right the first time. And no one reacts well to embarassment. I& #39;m doing my best.
Next is sending a very nice thank you to my editor. Because she put a lot of time and energy into helping me. She is not trying to embarrass me. She believes in me. She wants to help. And I need her help. So I very much say THANK YOU.
I usually delve right into edits from here. This time I took 2 days to paint my house and play video games with my kid. It was a good choice. Are the words of the edit letter echoing in my brain? Yes. Am I gaining perspective and formulating a plan of attack? Also Yes
Now comes the time to WORK
I start with the line comments.
"Rephrase for clarity"
"Awkward; please revise"
One by one I slay these little bubbles until I am Bubble Master. I also cherish every "Nice!" like an extra slice of birthday cake. Those comments STAY till done
I start with the line comments.
"Rephrase for clarity"
"Awkward; please revise"
One by one I slay these little bubbles until I am Bubble Master. I also cherish every "Nice!" like an extra slice of birthday cake. Those comments STAY till done
I am now on Day 2 of comment bubbles, about halfway thru the document. The first few edits are always the roughest, and I constantly second guess phrasing. But the more I do, the easier it becomes.
I also need to finish line edits today bc Hello Deadline!
(Due back 5/4)
I also need to finish line edits today bc Hello Deadline!
(Due back 5/4)
Huzzah! I did about 90% of the comment bubbles (minus big picture stuff) and am now onto the edit letter.
If your edit letter isn& #39;t broken down into numbered action items, I suggest doing so as to give yourself a countdown goal.
Then start with the easiest.
If your edit letter isn& #39;t broken down into numbered action items, I suggest doing so as to give yourself a countdown goal.
Then start with the easiest.
