Writing is the easy part, editing is the evil horned beast of shadows... or is it?

It is morning,

School is over, I now have no excuse. I must challenge the beast holding the two final drafts of the next novels upon its crown of fiery sapphires. Even as its gaping jaw attempts to snatch me in a whirlwind of "not good enough" and "why are you doing this". I hold the spear point aimed up into its head, within the incisors of its teeth I lay, but from here I can strike its brain and have three novels ready to go this year.

Ever since jumping into the slew of novel writing last year that ended with three complete manuscripts I have dwindled between editing and not editing (and even ignoring) said novels. That being mentioned, book 1, Winemaker of the North is awaiting professional editing. Book two has been read through twice with most of my energy thus far assuring my not so linear story arches make sense as well as assured continuity from book one to book two and all importantly, into book three. A serious pitfall of writing a novel with no plan ahead of time is the constant checking to make sure that books 2, 3, and every other consecutive book within the world is consistent.

Why do authors fear editing? I think it is the actual word and a preconceived notion of what that entails. When you think about it, editing is writing. When you read over a sentence and look at what can be improved with your word choice, elaborate on description, or add to an exchange of dialogue, you are writing! This is your chance to turn what equates to an aneurism of thought splashed onto the paper (or screen) into a readable and enjoyable experience for your readers.

Personally, I like to keep a few materials on hand for editing.

Simple enough, a Thesaurus and Dictionary for the basics. There is no reason to go buy the generic version when most smart phone apps have some form of both. Unless you have to have a paper copy, between the apps and your word processor, be it Scrivener (my favorite) or one of the many other ones out there, you should have plenty of resources to assist you.

I also like to make a scene map with a detailed exchange of both character thoughts and motivation as well major plot points. This is about organization and is a key part of my editing process. There are many ways to do it and I will write more about my personal method at a later time.

If I could recommend a particular book, The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide To Character Expression by Angela Ackerman. This is an excellent tool for improving word usage as well as eliminating boring and passive language. You can follow the link above and download a sample, I recommend it.

With this on my mind, I return to my cave for a bit. The horned beast is bleeding out, I must work to pry my books from atop its head and throw it down for good.

Wish me luck!