The Many Phases of Editing

I came across this today and instantly thought…”Yep that’s me” I have been wrestling with one of my novels for so long now I am debating on starting it from scratch with an adults eyes. However I have a lot of love for the original and still can’t make up my mind. I feel torn as if to start again would be like a betrayal to the original, to the girl who sat with pencil and notebook in hand happily scribbling away trying to block out the sounds from her mum’s TV and the everyday world whilst she crafted this world for hours and even days at a time. I think I go through the same phases when I am writing essays as a student as I am sure many of my fellow students will concur.

Does anyone else worry that what they have taken out was probably one of the good bits so they put it back in..only to change their mind again a few minutes later? Ugh I hate this bit so much! Why can’t it just be awesome the moment you write it down? Or magically be edited into something both you and your would be publisher/agent are equally happy with without any fiddling about?

So I continue to go through the many stages you see in this image on a regular basis, probably even in the space of half an hour!

Yet on I will go… I find my writing hat almost permanently in place now, with Bob happily scribbling away even if it is in my head. Some days I think I even laugh at myself as I see him beavering away at a dusty writing desk piled high with bits of paper, scribbled notes or stories left untold, only to clasp his hand to his head, give a frustrated grunt and toss another crumpled piece of paper at the bin before starting again…(welcome to my world Bob).

It’s going to be a busy few months with the chaos that is my life, with uni, placement, essays, rehearsals and writing thrown into the mix, but I am determined that Bob will still be happily scribbling away because this is where my heart lies and I will go where it leads.