Last weekend I brought a few things to my daughter’s house for our garage sale (or tag sale, depending on where you live). I didn’t have much to add since I purged my house just before our move last December. Still, when you move into a new place, not everything “fits.” Maybe a piece doesn’t fit the new space or it’s out of place with the new décor. After all, moving to a new home is the perfect opportunity to change things up a bit. So, into the sale they go!
Looking around the house for garage sale items usually means cleaning out those closets, searching through drawers, and finding boxes stashed away in the basement or garage. It always amazes me how I can find a bunch of things for the sale, and the next day when I walk by the same spot, I find more. It reminds me of editing a novel. No matter how many times I revise, I can always find something else to edit the next time. (Yes, I did just make a correlation between the writing process and garage sales. Impressed?)
Editing is an age-old problem of writers: It isn’t the fun part. It has to be done. But when is it enough? How many times do you need to edit a novel from beginning to end? When do you stop? When do you take a chance and let the world see your work?
See, the thing is, I’ve been working on my novel for-ev-er. Granted, it is my first one and I started it when I was working full time. Back then I sporadically put in effort. Through this process I discovered that writing the book was the easy part. Well, not really easy. If it was, everyone would do it. But compared to editing, writing was a breeze. I think I’ve said my novel is finished at least four separate times. Each time I pass by it again, I see more items for the sale. Items to get rid of. Items I put back in the house. Items that need rearranged on the table so the customer falls in love with it.
Writers are always honing their craft. Even after my years of experience as a high school English teacher, I still need to edit. The words never go down on paper perfectly the first time. I do rely on my teaching experience to help me revise over and over again. I also use a beta reader to give me fresh eyes on the piece. I read articles in Writer’s Digest magazine (highly recommended for writers) and on many on-line sites. They remind me to check if I’m writing in active or passive voice, if I use the same word too often, if I’m being wordy, if my dialogue sounds realistic, etc. Then I sigh and go back to work editing . . . again.
Recently I submitted my first page for a panel of agents to critique at a writers’ conference. I was nervous, but I was ready to hear what they had to say. It isn’t often writers get a chance to get professional advice. Much to my surprise, I made it through the critique with only minor criticisms. However, as I listened to the other critiques, some of the comments hit home. So yes, I did go back to revise . . . again. But it also gave me peace. Now I am confident my novel is ready for when an agent requests the manuscript. Of course he/she will probably want me to edit it. Will I? Of course!