Wednesday, October 24, 2012

On editing, rewrites, and firing clay


I'm rapidly approaching the two-month mark on the changes to "A Matter of Life and Seth." And I guess I'm almost done.

Or I thought I was.

I was feeling so solid about the edits I made. I thought I'd completed them. I sent the updated manuscript to my agent, the esteemed Abigail Samoun.

The problem is, she sent them back. With nasty red lines all over them.

So now I'm back to editing. Editing my edits, I suppose. And I'm going to address Abigail's concerns, because--damn her--she's nearly always right.

But I'm not going to be happy about it.

Editing is so much work. It's the heart of writing. The first draft--that's just a way to get a story down on paper. But it's an unglazed pot. The real beauty comes out in the fire.

And as laborious as it was--and continues to be--I have loved getting back into Seth's world. I've missed the tough young smart ass. I like hanging around him, even if he only puts up with me.

So hang in there, Editor X. Seth will be coming to see you soon.