Edit me one more time pleeaassee.....

Oh yeah I hear both manuscripts calling me everyday when I go to write:

"Edit me.  No, edit me.  Me!  No ME!”

So when should you go back and do the dirty deed aka "editing the older work"?  When ever possible!  Yep, I fit my old stuff in with my monthly editing schedule and do the dirty dance continuous with this previous work.  I consider myself a serious writer (I say this with a slight giggle but I really do) and like any professional, a schedule is a MUST.  I have a monthly schedule which is broken into sections:  Create Me, Editing Brain Hour, Review It and Eat Pudding.  Okay maybe the last one is not officially on the calendar but I guarantee it is in the plans and is not missed. :)

The Create Me hour is my day to just write and write and write.  I turn off everything and sit down and allow my characters to follow the so-called outline and create the story they live in.  It is such a release and I find my bliss with each moment.  I also miss it when the time is gone and want to live in it ALWAYS.  But alas, I have creditors who wish to be paid so I must venture into the real world and deal with it too.

The Editing Brain Hour is just it, time to edit.  Time for the spell check, grammar check, bad word check and time line check.  It is my time to get in deep with the story and make it pretty.  This time period does NOT necessarily mean editing in Book 3 (this being the current manuscript I am writing now) but often I will take a chapter or three from Book 1 and edit.  And yes, sometimes I feel a little queasy wondering if I am just wasting my time with this whole passion of mine when I am finished.  I hate thinking I have done a wonderful writing job to find out I missed something simple.  UGH.  I also edit the other writing ventures I am looped into such as the comic books and video games.  It is a writer’s life.
   

Review It is my nights where I sit with the “outline” (I use “” because this outline does not follow a traditional rule of thumb) and take a look at where the characters have decided to bring the story.  I enjoy these night just as much as Create Me because my mind tunnels its way into the future and new ideas often “light bulb” their way in.

So remember your old work and make sure you give it some love often for it will only improve what you will be writing tomorrow.  And oh yeah, save some time for pudding because pudding…well, it’s just plain good.