I have been hard at work on the edits for my October release, so you will have to excuse me if I ramble and make no sense. No sleep tends to do that to people. Me especially! Let me tell you, Red Bull and coffee have been my best friends this weekend.Still, I am happy because there are many an aspiring writer who would love to have to this problem.
Everyone in the family is avoiding me and the dark cloud of grumpiness that always comes when I am working under a deadline. The dog hides out in the yard, the kids go to a friend's house, and the ugly cat retreats to the closet. As soon as they all see me pull on my "editing" sweat pants and t-shirt, they all abandon ship. My husband on the other hand, get an evil glint in his eye. He knows that I will be so lost in my computer he will have the television to himself and he can watch all the Ultimate Fighting that he wants. I hate the sport whereas he loves it with a passion. I'm sorry, I just don't get it. To me it looks like two guys rolling around with blood covering them. It reminds me a bit of the Roman Gladiator battles and sadly, there is no Russell Crowe. Believe me, I looked.
So, I ignore him and continue to battle my edits, cringing at some of the stupid and obvious mistakes I make. In my Archangel Series, one of the Lehor brother's name is Mael. For two paragraphs in Hell's Angel I call him, "Meal". My editor, J, just loved that one. I wonder if I am the only author that makes such stupid errors. Surely not?
To make things even worse, the weather outside is beautiful. It would be so nice to go to the cider mill and get a caramel apple and hot cider. I ask myself is it worth it?
I answer my own question immediately. Yes, it is worth it. I am an author, not just in my job description, but in my heart. I write because I can't imagine not writing. It is who I am, what defines me. To give this up would be giving up a piece of me. I love it all, even the edits. Nothing fires my blood up more than to have to work under a tight deadline. I love the challenge of having to complete something with the clock ticking. Call me crazy, call me stupid, call me certifiable.
Me, I'll call myself a writer.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
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5 comments:
i don't believe you're the only writer who makes silly errors at times. i know i get my pieces back and i think the same thing. & it's totally worth it. i'm with you. i'm a writer & I don't know what i'd do without that aspect in my life.
=)
You are not the only one who misses the beat believe me. I am a former paralegal and I still cringe inside when I miss an oh so obvious editing error. I thought I was going to go bonkers the first time I edited a galley on a 332 page book! LOL You have my complete understanding and sympathy. You're human it happens keep on keeping on. :-D
Are you kidding? You obviously haven't seen one of my manuscripts from my crit partners on this blog. I have to put the thing down for a day because I don't want to be depressed. LOL!
Yes, some are stupid, some aren't and some won't be changed for a variety of reasons which usually have to do with voice or plot.
BUT just think about not having an editor. I'm just thankful that we have who we have. J is a wonderful person and I for one can't do without her.
Lynn
Are you kidding? Talk about edits? I have a habit of writing, "So and so breathed against the glass....now think about that for a minute...you don't breathe a word...you "whisper" it...and as a former editor, that sometimes is a difficult thing for even me to swallow. Deadlines make me insane, but we have to do it. If we didn't we couldn't call ourselves writers. I will write a bit about this in my blog tomorrow..I have some funny stories to tell all of you...
AP
Thanks,guys! That makes me feel so much better. There are times that I bang my head on my desk when I see my errors. Now I know I'm not alone.
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