It's another meeting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Link here IWSG to the sign-up page.
Here's the mandate:
Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!
Now to it! I'm not answering this month's question as I have other thoughts burning holes in my mind. Yesterday - and that is the real yesterday as I'm writing this on posting day - I got my copy edits for The Crooked Knife back. I thought this part would be a breeze and it isn't. I didn't look at them yesterday because I had other obligations but was secure that I'd whip through them today.
Uh...no.
I do not want to pimp and bawl as they say round these parts - lots of the edits are just what a person (a lazy ungrammatical person) such as myself would expect. I use the word 'pretty' too much. And 'nice'. I see that and am grateful that someone is taking me to task on it. As to the rest, well, I need to remember that it is my writing and my ideas. If I feel strongly about some of it staying - I need to be firm about it. I'm a folksy sort of writer. You probably see that here and my novels are no different. I might be able to clean up but I'm not sure I want to. I'm not going to go into details because I'll regret that later when I'm over my sulks, but I want to say something that no one seems to much talk about.
I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THIS! I NEVER DID IT BEFORE!
There, now I feel better. I will say this mantra to myself "I'm a little bit funky, I'm a little bit rock and roll ".
On other fronts I feel just plain gutted about what is happening in Ukraine. Every irritation I feel in my precious sweet life I try to imagine dealing with while trudging down a road wearing all my clothes, holding on to my toddlers and great aunties and wondering where we'll all sleep tonight. Would I give a care that I have a stiff neck or the kind of horseradish I like isn't available at the Super Store? Probably not.
Tomorrow is Tibetan New Year. I'm deeply hoping that the Year of the Water Tiger doesn't suck. Yes, that is the extent of my hopes and dreams right now. Please world - don't suck so much, okay? Said in a whiny valley-girl up talk.
Okay - you can see that I might have waited until another day to post, but sometimes I'm just feeling so...fru.
8 comments:
Just let it set for a while. You'll know how to address the issues - and if you even want to.
Most of us can't imagine what's happening in Ukraine right now...
You have what you need to make those edits, Jan. You do have it. You will get there. And as for Ukraine? It makes my soul hurt, and it's hard to deal with that...
I completely relate to wishing the world wouldn't be the sucky place it is right now. Happy (or less unhappy) new year of the water tiger (of which I'd never heard, by the way).
You can make those edits.
Praying for a miracle for Ukraine.
I'm sorry I missed this last month. I hope you went guns blazing at your edits and are finished and feeling great about them. As for the rest of the world...well yes, the imagining is so hard. Who could possibly care about the small stuff when an entire country is being obliterated. I try to breath and pray, but none of it seems like enough.
Best to you, Jan. So looking forward to reading your book.
As others have said, give the edits some stewing time.
I also am feeling absolutely awful for the people of Ukraine.
Editing depends really strongly on your editor - it makes it much easier if they understand your voice and can work with it. Cleaning up typos and over-used words is one thing, but revising to keep YOUR voice consistent is very different and specific skill.
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