Editing Angst II

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It's great to feel the way the girl above apparently does, but while or after having read a wonderful novel.

And, speaking of novels . . .

If I continue to edit my second work, it is apt to turn into an entirely new story, so I really must cease with the edits at this point.

Here's the problem with that, though:

I keep thinking. And, we all know where that leads, right?

I keep thinking that maybe it isn't enough romance, or that I missed a lot of the show vs tell issue that everyone hates, or that I spent too much time on a scene and the reader will get bored, or that I didn't do enough to convey thought or emotion in another instance.

The only thing I'm ever truly confident about in my writing is the Strunk & White aspect, but even so, I still find goofy boo-boo's here and there.

I'm always afraid. Afraid of not only the unknown but the known as well.

My first novel turned into something completely different, and while I was and still am pleased with that end result, in the very back of my mind, I grieve for the loss of that original concept/idea/thought that got lost in translation.

I swore that I wouldn't go there this time, and I still intend to keep that promise, but first I need to let go of the what-if's that continue to plague me.

Not being able to afford the services of an editor and going the Indie publishing route means I am at the mercy of myself in this career. I'd like to think I know what is best for me, but sometimes that just isn't the case.

Editors, I'm told, derive the most pleasure in rewriting and/or deleting entire scenes.

I don't tend to do this.

I will reword bits & pieces and sometimes lop an entire paragraph or three, but I've never removed an entire episode from my work, which makes me just as nervous as the above-mentioned editing issues I'm grappling with at the moment.

This is all a part of the writing process, though.

We all suffer through the same angst, issues, and dilemma when it comes to reworking our blood, sweat, and tears.

I am just as excited to tackle editing and proofreading as I am with getting that first draft underway.

But then these issues crop up and suddenly it isn't all fun & games anymore.

I actually did go back and rewrite the entire first chapter, and while it is less wordy than before, I am still concerned that it isn't fast-paced enough.

I notice in a majority of the novels I've read that the two leads run smack into one another right out of the gate and take off running.

I didn't do that this time around for a reason, and yet I still worry that my reason isn't going to fly with my readers.

This second novel is slow-paced before it picks up steam due to its nature and the plot, so I hope that anyone who reads it will bear with me and come to enjoy the entire tale.

And, I left the ending a little on the ambiguous side: again, for a reason, but like everything else, I worry that the reader might get miffed and never read another thing I ever publish.

*SIGH*

Anyway, if you haven't done so already, please be sure to click on the EXCERPTS tab and read the first three chapters of my latest WIP. I look forward to hearing your responses.

Onward, ho!