I hate entering edits.
I don’t mind reading a manuscript yet again, marking it up with all the little things that make it flow better, but I can’t stand adding or removing commas and words. It reminds me of warehouse work or formatting technical manuals.
It’s tedious!
Okay: it sucks!
I’m not kidding when I say I’d rather have my wisdom teeth removed again…and I had all four wisdom teeth removed with only Novocain.
Entering edits is probably the reason some wealthy-enough writer back in the day decided, “Hey, I can pay somebody else to do this tedious crap and put that time toward actually WRITING!”
It’s Part of the Process
As much as I hate going through a manuscript for the umpteenth time, entering commas, moving quotation marks, and things like that…it means that I’m nearing the end.
As I work to finish formatting the first novel I ever wrote for an e-book, I want to drop the pages in somebody else’s lap and tell them to do it.
I’m tired of this story, even though I still love it. I’ve written it and rewritten it so many times…
I’ve recorded it as a podcast…
It was a screenplay…it was a graphic novel….
It was so many things that the final push–when shoved up against a very busy time at work–makes me want to just drop out of the race.
But writers write.
And rewrite.
Writers enter all those annoying little edits at the end…
The Thing To Remember
When you reach the point where you’re doing a final polish on a manuscript, it means that no matter how far the end may seem, you’re almost done.
There’s no more changing the story around; you’re now just making sure that everything is in its place before the manuscript is ready to be read, published, or shared.
The finish line is in sight–and while you may not have the energy in you to sprint to the finish line, you at least have it in you to finish.
Because that’s what writer’s do.
Keep Writing!
If you’re finishing something that’s driving you nuts, know you’re not alone.
I’m right there with you, and I know how good it feels to cross the finish line with people who know the struggle.
So take a deep breath and know there’s a reward on the other side of that end.
As much as we may say we hate it, we will soon do it all over again…
Because that’s what writers do…
I had changed nearly every character’s name in The Sleep of Reason by the time I’d “finished” it, so I appreciated the value, albeit won through tedium as you say, of the “final” edit when I found that I had not been thorough enough in my renaming: one of my characters still bore her original name in some of the latter chapters. Writing is rewriting, just as you say.
Paul,
I’ve had things like your name issue happen before. I have a friend who writes in FrameMaker (he’s a fellow technical writer) because he can create variables for names…so if he ever changes a name, a couple clicks fix the issue throughout.
I know the final steps when polishing and proofing are necessary, but man–can they be tedious!
So much work, so worth it. Your tenacity always amazes me and I look forward to more and more from you.