The Joy of Editing

You read right. There is JOY in editing!

Discouragement comes in many forms for writers...
It's a long arduous journey to be sure and many of the rewards don't come until you've invested years of seemingly fruitless labor in your career. While some writers seem to be more gifted and natural at putting words together than others, they had to start by learning their ABC's just like every one else.


Time bites!
When I first dipped my toes into the writing pool, the first thing to bite was this thing called time. I was told over and over again that it took time to become a published writer. Most authors spend years on their first novel and it may still never see the light of day. How discouraging is that to a newbie? However, I've learned from my own experience that the four years I spent writing and editing my novel have paid off in so many ways.

The first novel...
Before I go into that, it's only fair to warn you that if I included my first novel which is tucked safely away in a drawer, I've been at this writing thing for a dozen years or more. While my first novel wil not be my debut novel, it was a huge teaching tool. I learned how to tell a story from beginning to end. I pulled it off. I wrote a novel. It takes time and stick-to-it-tiveness to accomplish that. Never discount that first baby birthed from you imagination.

Time well spent!
My debut novel, "Finding Beth", took four years to write, edit, rewrite, edit some more, rewrite some more... You've heard the same thing from other writers, I'm sure. I must say that I hated it! Every time someone gave me feedback, telling me I still had too much telling rather than showing, I wanted to hurl the thing across the room. I wanted to give up. Quit. But I couldn't! So, I kept plugging on.

Joy in editing...
When I received the first edits back from my publisher, I was overwhelmed. I had one month to fix what still needed fixing. My wonderful hubby shipped me off to the coffee shop each Saturday this month so I could focus. What I discovered amazed me. Not only was I knocking it out much faster than I ever imagined possible, I found the agony of pruning my sapling absent. Not only was it absent, but there was a joy in knowing that my pruning wasn't hurting my story, but growing it, deepening it, strengthening it. All the frustrating hours I'd spent the previous two years agonizing over having to hack away at my book over and over and over again birthed in me the ability to see it through different eyes. It pushed me beyond the pain into a realm of freedom - the freedom to cut away without fear of irrevocable damage. From that freedom came a joy in editing I never thought possible.

Have you found that joy?
Have you come to the place where you can say you're happy to edit and rewrite your work? Tell me about it. If you haven't reached that point, I'd like to know that, too. I'd love to hear about where you're at in your writing journey. Will you share?

Linnette R Mullin is the writer of Life-changing Romance. Her debut novel, "Finding Beth", is scheduled to release late 2013 by CrossRiver Media. Visit www.LinnetteMullin.com for more details. Linnette has been married to her hubby, John, for over twenty years and is the mother of four amazing sons. She is the founder and coordinator of Palmetto Christian Writer's Network, runs the "We Are Writers" group on Facebook, and is an advocate for sufferers of Lyme Disease.