I love to write – yes, contain your gasps of surprise – it’s hard work but fun, so I don’t really notice the work part very often. Every person’s process is different; please note that I said “person” because most people do write at least on occasion. Whether you’re jotting down a lunch order, or writing a memo, writing takes time from all of our lives. We have our internal codes, little notations in the way we reference certain things so as to be assured we remember them or act correctly; our own writing flair, if you will.
The difference of recreational writing – and I mean beyond just your usual plot, characters, themes, style etc. – is that once is never enough. I’m editing at the moment as anyone who’s read my Facebook page knows. Editing is a difficult process. It’s not quite as fun as the writing part, but it is good to relive what you have created.
As I’m sure most of you are aware a key part of the editing process is walking away, yes you heard me right – walking away. Once you have finished a (in my case) novel there’s a buzz. A “yippee it’s done”, then you back-up once on the flash pen, and again on two separate Clouds just in case, and then you close the file. If you’ve been ensconced in the characters world for weeks and months walking away can throw you a bit off kilter. But I take a deep breath, make a coffee, and think about what’s next – which is not editing.
Walking away gives time and space for your brain to snap back into reality then gives you distance to allow a better perspective – at least in theory – and it works for me. Editing can be a slog, and if I’m tired I stop because I don’t want to get lazy, lol. But over the years I’ve adjusted my process and I’ve found tricks to make the procedure better and more interesting.
So I’m rambling about editing because it’s relevant to what I’ve been up to. But I’m blogging because I have a conundrum. Being an indie author is great because you have the freewill to enjoy the process without being bogged down in the business side of things. But the difficulty in that is you also have to make your own decisions.
Here’s my point, Mistake Me Not has gone out and people seem to enjoy reading Lacie and Ryder’s tale as much as I did creating it. But I have another standalone novel, which has been finished for a while, and I’m just going through the editing process with now.
So here’s the question, do I carry on editing and get the standalone out there ASAP? Or do I go back to finish the next novel in the Stone Investigations series? The next one is basically done; I’ve got enough mapped out for another couple.
Anyhow, I want to ensure that my readers have what they want, and I’m happy to accommodate them. But while I’m still trying to carve out a fan base I’m getting little feedback so I have no idea what people want!
I have to say a special thank you to those who “liked” and “followed” the blog after my last post. It really meant a lot to me that you showed the love 😀 I really appreciate it.
So what I’m going to do is keep playing with Hunter and Annie (standalone) because those guys are fun and I’ve neglected them for a while. I haven’t figured out a title yet, which will be a blog for another day – “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”.
As always any questions or comments are welcome and in the meantime just remember – in life we get only one take; and all editing is subjective. 😉
Good luck on your adventures,
Scarlett
Leave a Reply