Editing -Yuk & That sickening feeling of Inadequacy

Editing - Yuk

The editing continues. The editing feels never-ending. The final project for the Certificate in Writing, University of Toronto, is due June 6th. It is almost done,  so that is not the issue. The issue is, will I ever be satisfied with it?  I am so tired of editing, but the project stories get better, I hope, with each change I make, so one more read through and I'm going to call it done. After six courses and this project, I have learned much about my craft. The project requirement is a document between twenty and twenty-five thousand words. Mine is approximately twenty-two thousand words of my Family Stories Book. It is written in the first person. When it is done, I will still have forty thousand words of additional stories to edit on my own. Yuk.

Gratitude for the excellent instructors, especially David Layton, who is working with me on the project.

In this last edit, we discussed:

• Writing on the fourth wall

• Using the reflective voice

• Staying in the moment

• Eliminating dialogue that sounds stilted

I believe I will be a better writer because of all this work.

The target date for finishing all my editing is September, and then off to a professional editor/publisher. Hope to have my book in the hands of the intended audience, my grandchildren, at Christmas.

Another of My Writing Rules  - The Sickening Feeling of Inadequacy

Author Will Self said, “Be aware that the sickening feeling of inadequacy is a sensation that will never leave me. It is intrinsic to the real business of writing.”

Oh yes, I feel this way with every edit and every time I submit a short story to a magazine or online publication. Thank you, Will Self.

It helps me to say, “It’s okay to feel this way. It’s part of the writer’s life.”

I love that he says it is intrinsic to the real business of writing. If that’s true, then I can live with it. This is an important rule, as it relieves me of the pressure I put on myself, and frees me from feeling unsuccess.

Do you feel this way about your writing?