How can I motivate myself to edit the book I wrote?

[RevolutionaryActs]

It will never get published(although, stranger things have happened...), but I would still like it be all nice and edited, you know?

I know I should rewrite some parts, and I take some stuff out, but I can't force myself to do it. Gah! x(

[illini]

1. Have someone else edit it. Preferably a disinterested third party.

[PDittie]

12. Bingo

Self-editing is like self-amputation.

Where do you start?

[Quakerfriend]

2. What did you write about??

;-)

[dweller]

10. yeah, like Qfriend said above

what'd you write about??


dp

[RevolutionaryActs]

11. Noo! Don't make me try and summarize! I suck at it.

Here just read the first little bit of the book, which I'm calling 'Graceful Truths' at the moment. :)




By a brook, in a forest just outside the city of Avenmoore, sat a girl throwing stones at the far shore.

She very lovely girl, her hair was as black as the deepest night, which made a striking contrast to her pale skin. Her eyes, which were normally as bright and green as a leaf held against the sun, were today sad and dark as they leaked a steady stream of tears.

She was alone, no one understood her, and no one cared for her. She felt was an outcast. She had hoped that Avenmoore would be different, but it was just the same as every other town she had been to. She was different, yes, but was that any reason to judge her before they even knew her? She guessed it was.

[JackintheGreen]

3. Buy yourself an awesome new computer...

then refuse to unpack it until you're done.

Anyway, that's how I did it. Unfortunately, it requires a good bit of self control and you can really only do it once.

[Mojambo]

4. If you want to finish it

and I'm sure you do or you wouldn't have started it, you have to just do it.

It's simply NOT done until it's edited. People sometimes get caught up thinking that they've reached some kind of pre-finish line when they complete a draft.

You're not at the end, you're still in the middle... So get back to work.
;-)

[RevolutionaryActs]

7. Oh, why must you make so much sense!

LOL :P

[oneighty]

5. Curious

Do you have it in 'words' in your computer?

180

[roguevalley]

6. put it aside for two or three weeks and then try again. that always

works for me.

[RevolutionaryActs]

9. But I have. I've put it aside for like a month.......

I just need to get off of DU and go rewrite the parts that don't make sense and take out the bad filler. lol

[NV Whino]

8. Well...

The easy way is to have someone else edit it. But if that doesn't work for you, set easy goals--one chapter a day, or so many pages a day.

[aquart]

13. BE someone else.

Pick up the book as strange unknown work and look at it. You'll be crueller and the whole enterprise will be much more fun. You'll see sentences you'll swear were written by insane, hopped up chimpanzees.

Leave little rude post-its for the author (you) asking what was meant by THIS paragraph, that choice of phrase. Respond to the post-its.

Really, a little detachment is like a marvelous vacation and gets the job done.

[RevolutionaryActs]

16. That is a really great idea!

After I posted this yesterday I did finally go and start the long hull of rewriting and fixing stuff. So here goes nothing. :7

[Longgrain]

14. Hey Rev great to see you outside of the Lounge.

Can I ask you something about your book? Have you had anyone read it yet? A friend or a family member. Someone who will give you a good constructive critique without being too brutal. I got my brothers ex-girlfriend to read mine, she's no writer but she gave me some real good advise on how to make it better.

Anyhow, I'm real envious of you being able to write a book at your age. I'm sure by the time your my age you'll be on several best sellers lists.

(And I'll still be trying to get my first one published. :( )

[RevolutionaryActs]

15. I had a friend read it as I was writing, mostly because she bugged me

about it. She pointed out some plot holes and things like that. I need someone to read it as one thing, not chapter by chapter. But before I can do that, I really need to change some things, I want to rewrite the end.

As for the writing thing, it's just a family thing. My brother wrote a book and couple short stories, but he's about like me, needs to rewrite some parts, cut the fat so to speak.

My dad was a writer too, songs and stuff. My mom too, she has songs and poems.

So it's just in my blood I guess. :D

[Longgrain]

17. Great to hear you got a lot of support...

P.S. check out my writing sample below. It's the Veronica story ;-) .

[RevolutionaryActs]

18. Oooh! OK! hehe

Did you read the blurb I posted?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=216&topic_id=1178&mesg_id=1189



It's just a tiny bit of the beginning of the book. :)

[Longgrain]

19. Yep i saw it...

good into at least. You know who the main character is, where the story is set, and what her main conflict is..keep working on it. :toast:

Here's some more of my work...if you're interested.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=216x401#498

[OldLeftieLawyer]

20. Put it away.

Forget about it. Live your life. Have fun. Don't think about the ms.

Then, in a year or two, or a month or two, or a decade or two, take it out, and see what happens.

[Ready4Change]

21. Decide to NOT edit it.

Put it in a box, put that in a closet, walk away. Do everything you can to NOT edit it.

See if that drives you crazy. :)

If that doesn't drive you nuts, and you aren't writing for a living, where's the problem?

Now, if you're writing for a living, or WANT to write for a living, this isn't an option. Set aside time in your schedule to edit, and don't allow yourself to do anything else during that time. An hour a day, 4, whatever your schedule allows and demand requires.