On Growing A Thought Garden

I have finished my second book! Finished it, edited it four times, gotten beta feedback, edited some more, and gosh damn it, SUBMITTED IT. 

But, there was a time when I was so desperately in love with my first novel that I couldn't imagine ever writing about different characters. I was convinced I would write multiple books in that series (duh, a trilogy, the holy trilogy, as all YA writers do, uhh, write right?).

But, there was also a problem back then. It was like my first love. Everything, I mean everything had to be crammed into it. Every idea, every plan, every thought. I kept adding and adding until the novel looked like one of those houses you see that has had 10-too-many additions and now looks absurd.

No longer.

Now, I have about 10 ideas for 10 different books, and I have learned to keep them that way. Because I learned while writing my second book that there will always be more books. I will never be done. There will always be new ideas, more ideas, different ideas, and there will always be a place to put them, but that doesn't necessarily mean it has to be here, now, this book, this chapter.

And it is freeing. So damn freeing. Because instead of stressing out about how to fit every darn idea into my current book, I have grown a garden of new ideas in the background. Phone notes and email drafts and scribbles in my field notes journal. Ideas for different things, unrelated things, some of which will be added to some book - the right book - some day, and some of which can stand on their own.

Hallelujah. That's a lesson I'm glad to have learned.

Now, on to the slow, fiery death that is the submission process. You can hear me chanting: I am confident in my work. I am confident in my work. I am confident in my work.

Editing Methodology

I've spent a lot of time perusing author websites to figure out various editing strategies. Most people seem to be very organized about it. They read through their entire draft, making notes of issues that will need to be changed, referencing lines and pages, etc.

Sounds good, I thought, so I started doing it. I created a Google Document in which I keep track of the following:

• Status (Not Started, In Progress, Complete) - Everything is in Not Started as of now
• Edit Level (Line, Paragraph, Page, Chapter, Global) - Little edits (such as changing a name on one page, giving a nick name, altering small details) are line edits. Anything with a bit more explanation is paragraph or page, depending on how much I think it will require me to add. I'm reserving "Chapter" for scenes I want to add, etc. And "Global" refers to changes I will need to make multiple times (such as changing someone's name throughout the entire manuscript, or changing language through the entire manuscript, etc).
• Problem - This is where I'll describe what the issue is. For example, "Character X does not have enough responsibility for Big Event Y occurring to her."
• Solution - I'll describe very briefly what my overall strategy is to fix the problem. If it's something simple like changing a name, I just put "Revise" or "Edit," but for the above example, I would put, "Add scene in which Character X is made aware of the issue, and another scene in which she still ignores it by taking Actions X, Y, and Z."
• Steps - This is my last bit of information I'm tracking. I'll use up one row for each step that needs to be taken, so that I can mark each step as complete (see Status above) as I finish it. For example, I may have one that says, "-Between Chapters 12 and 13, add a scene in which Character X speaks with Character Y, and Character Y explains blah blah blah (much more specific in the actual document, but I can't share here yet)." Then, another one would say, "-After Chapter 14, have character X ignore the advice and continue to take the same actions."

So far, it's been working quite well... except that I just ran into a roadblock. I've been reading through, and I'm finding a few very easy edits I need to make, and small chunks of text that will need to be deleted. Do I really want to go to the spreadsheet, fill out all that information about it, save it for later, go back and find it later, and delete it then, then check it off my list? Seems inefficient. So, if it's something that simple, I'm just making the edit as I go.

Because I work in Scrivener, I try to edit directly in that software. But, occasionally, I will export the manuscript into a word document and edit it there (for example, if I'm editing it on my lunch break at work, or on another computer, where I don't have that software). If that's the case, I have to be sure to make a big note for myself before the chapters I edit, reminding myself to copy and paste it into my Scrivener version of the book. This typically involves something like this...

"Chapter Twelve

THIS SCENE HAS BEEN EDITED DON'T FORGET TO COPY AND PASTE IT YOU WONDERFUL BEING!"

Yeah, that's right. I call myself a wonderful being in my writing. Nothing like positive reinforcement, eh?

Basically, this is combining the "Organized" method I created, and a "Fly-By-The-Seat-Of-My-Pants" method that sort of organically grew. Sounds just about perfect for me, actually...

Editing Woes

I've heard there are two kinds of writers. The ones who enjoy writing the first draft, and the ones who enjoy editing the living crap out of it. [This is probably a vast oversimplification. Forgive me.]

I tend to be very precise in my language. In relationships, this tends to irritate people, because I force them to be accurate with their words and am often found asking multiple questions to define what a conversational partner really thinks. So, for some reason, I always assumed I would be the "editing the living crap out of it" person. The person who enjoys the time spent going over and over and over a draft.

Humph. 'Tis not so.

My first draft is finished. It topped out at 92k, was cut down many times (and got as low as 75), and is now back up to the mid 80s. So, obviously, I've done some serious editing... right?

But it doesn't feel like it. And my brain is still jam packed with new ideas every day. Things I could/should/might change. Things that irk me. Insecurities about whether my plot is too simple or my character is too wimpy.

Yet, I'm not writing. Haven't in about two weeks. It's like having analysis paralysis... but with words. Boo.

For now, my excuse is that I haven't had time. Which is true. I've been extremely busy with my day job and blog and visiting with family and friends, so I haven't had any large chunks of time with which to really put an editing dent in this book. So, it's harder to start.

I remember when I was a lifeguard in High School. If I only worked a few days per week, it was always hard to get up and go. But, when I was packed and worked a shift every day, it became a habit to slip into that awful one piece swimsuit and drive my jeep to work. I want writing to be my habit again.

Side note: Why does having coffee anywhere in my vicinity make my sweat? I haven't even taken a sip of it yet. It's sitting a foot away. Yet, here I am, twisting my hair into a bun. Sweating.

Here's to habits. To good ones. To damn good writing habits. Here we go...

Write Space

Writing-and-editing-space. Gotta have it.

This was perfect for a Monday afternoon editing session. Other than the 30 minutes during which I thought I'd lost a revision in my book and almost had a heart attack...

FIRST DRAFT DONE!

Okay, my first draft is done. As of about a week ago. It topped out at 92k words. That's a lot of typing, people.

Now... editing. Bah. As it turns out, I'm extremely verbose and repetitive. I've only edited ~10% (guessing) of the manuscript and I've already knocked it down to 85k. Here's hoping I don't throw out the baby with the bathwater... or cut off my nose to spite my face... or one of those weird phrases that sound smart but also dumb at the same time...

Sometimes I am just staring at my manuscript thinking... WTF were you thinking, Carls?

This shit is a mess and not even interesting!

And it makes your eyes hurt!

But I really love editing. It gives me a chance to get rid of the crap so that a shiny, beautiful gem is left over.