The Quality of Mercy

Jun 30, 2009 15:01

Three carefully blurred pages of editing from a story I'm really enjoying and where I think the author is unmistakeably talented.

At least it isn't red ink )

editing, blurred to protect the guilty, what a mess, barnacles are evil, evil, sparkles

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Comments 21

kaizoku June 30 2009, 20:22:17 UTC
Ah yes, what I wish people would do to my stories. "It looks fine, I don't know why you needed my help!" = NOT HELPFUL KTHANXBAI.

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wmchichiri June 30 2009, 23:22:31 UTC
That's why, one day when I have something pulled together again... I'll be asking if I can request your editing help. :)

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schuldige_katze July 1 2009, 00:49:00 UTC
I can only hope mine looks as ... uncluttered as this when I get it back from Mami.

... I somehow doubt it.

But it's sort of a cheerful nervousness; I'm looking forward to seeing what she's got to say about it, and I've gotten enough distance from it now that it's not the center of my universe, so if she says something negative, I'm not going to break down in heart-wrenching sobs.

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dhaunea July 1 2009, 01:05:31 UTC
Negative comments aren't necessarily bad. There are several places where I've written 'No. Just... no.' in the margins of this one - and I'm still enjoying every minute.

She'll have a lot of re-writing, and we've already discussed some stuff that has to come out and other stuff that has to go in... but I look forward with malicious glee to forcing her to do the same for me.

The good thing about editing is that its a lot like surgery. It may be painful, unpleasant, mildly terrifying and expensive... but at the end of the day, you should be better for it.

I've been working on my story for about four years, it's on its fourth major re-write, with huge chunks ripped out and other ones stitched in and I can tell it's a better story already.

*Grins* It's okay to be pained, just never be discouraged.

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schuldige_katze July 1 2009, 02:24:13 UTC
I found this via someone who randomly started following me on Twitter. I went and checked them out, and realised about five tweets in that I needed to follow them back.

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent. #Marilyn vos Savant

I can already see where Eversong's gone wrong, even though I haven't touched it in nearly three weeks. I'm really looking forward to getting the MS back from Mami, and seeing what she's done with it, which one part of my brain tells me is a bit like mustering excitement over your own hanging, but still. I know that when she gets through, she'll have read it over for all the things I DON'T already know are wrong with it, and she might even have helpful insight into how to make it better. I'm not religious in any way, so I feel a bit awkward bandying around words like this, but I really do feel blessed in a way to have such amazing friends who all write like you, and Mami, and a few others. My family hears the words 'My Book' come out of my mouth, and ( ... )

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dhaunea July 1 2009, 02:43:06 UTC
Eh, rewrites are a part of life. The good news is that they only look like someone's asked you to vivisect your baby kitten the first time.

Sometimes changing the ending means changing big chunks of the rest of it, but once you've finished a story the first time, wrestling it into salable shape, no matter how intimidating the edits, isn't as hard as you might think.

And if this is your first major edit? Be prepared to make a lot of changes. The worst part about being an author is the abrupt and train-wreck like realization that your story isn't perfect ( ... )

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