Editing is a Nightmare

“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Walt Disney

I thought the hard work was writing my novel. I had no idea that the real work begins when you finish a novel. Once you finish, you start the long process of editing and rewriting. And I do mean long process.

Editing is hard. You love your work, but you also hate your work. I found so many flaws and inconsistencies within my novel when I first edited it. The basis was good, but there were so many issues throughout.

I am currently on my fourth proper draft of this novel (not including just editing grammar and spelling and small scenes), and almost finished it. I’ve managed to get my novel to a place that I am proud of. I think I have improved, and it has certainly improved as well. It makes more sense and the characters are far more developed.

I still don’t think it’s perfect, and I don’t think it’ll ever be ‘great’ in my eyes. It is, however, ‘good enough’ in my eyes. I think it’ll be at the point that I won’t mind others reading it once this edit is complete, and that is a good feeling.

“Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.”

Earl Nightingale

I have been editing my novel for almost 2 years now, and if I keep editing it will be another 10 before I ever submit it to be looked at for publishing. It will most likely be rejected, I know, but I’m at the point that I’m willing to start pushing it.

Editing is a nightmare. It takes forever and you do rip your novel apart and change it almost completely. But, editing improves your writing and creates something that is readable and worth putting out into the world. And I can’t wait to put mine out into the world.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”

Aristotle