The Joy of Editing: That final draft!

Finishing up that final draft is scary, exciting, and satisfying. At last! You've done you're absolute best at creating this masterpiece. You've plotted, outlined, written, rewritten several times, proofread, rewritten again, edited, revised, and rewritten probably once again. 

Your characters are consistent, relatable, and have learned and grown through through their experiences and challenges. Your setting is believable. Your writing is engaging. Your sentences flow. You have checked and double checked for grammar and spelling errors. 

If the project you are working on is not fiction, the above applies as well. If it's a blog post, an article, a sales letter or landing page...at this step your writing should be compelling, your claims believable, and your tone friendly. You've done your research, gathered your proof, and have a strong piece of copy.

You are truly happy with your project and ready for the next brave step! It is time to...

Hand it over to someone else! 

I know...it's not easy to do.

Each time I let anyone, and I mean anyone, whether it's a stranger, a family member, a friend, or a professional read anything I've written, I always get this horrible nervous feeling in the pit of my stomach. As writers, we pour out our souls into our work! Our stories, our poems, and even articles, come from deep within us, and therefore our writing becomes a part of us.

Novelists have it the hardest. They have created characters and stories which have become alive and real to them. They have put on paper secrets and ideas that have come from their innermost imagination that they've never shared with anyone else.

To let someone other than yourself see that especially for the first time is really quite torturous. When you first send your writing to a professional, inside you know that this basically will answer your question on whether your writing is garbage or not. You've gone to so much work, the last thing you want is someone telling you they hate your writing.

But...regardless of whether your writing gets negative or positive critique...what does this step tell you about yourself? It says that you've already worked your absolute hardest on your own and you're ready to see how you can make it even better if need be. You're ready and open to hear what others think and because you are dedicated and love what you do, you're willing to take the advice of other writers and editors to make your writing its very best.

Before I end this post, I want to give a few words of advice when it comes to critique:

• Don't take critique personal. You may have created your characters, but they are not you. If someone doesn't like something about your story, that doesn't make you a failure as a person or a writer. When one of my piano students' plays a wrong note, that doesn't make them a bad pianist. They just need to work some more on the song. I have them practice again until they get it. Writing is the same way. The more you practice, the better you'll get.
• While listening or reading someone's critique, understand the difference between professional advice and their personal opinion. It's good to know someone's opinion, to have an idea of what readers will see when they open your book. But don't change your story just to please someone with a different opinion than what you have.
•  Think positive! Getting critique is one of the best ways of expanding your writing education. Think of critique as a teacher and coach to help you grow and become the great writer you dream to be. Don't allow yourself to become discouraged. And most importantly...keep reminding yourself of how far you've already come from the time you began that very first draft!

This is the end of The Joy of Editing. I hope to hear of all the ways you edit, revise, and prepare for the very last draft! Thanks so much for reading, and stay tuned for the next blog post series coming soon!