Editing

Broken pieces

img_1518This is my view. I’m inside listening to the fire crackle, to the heater fan rising and falling, to the tap on various keyboards of fellow writers. I’m editing, or to be honest I’m staring out the window.

I’m in the umpteenth draft of my young adult manuscript and I’ve made a change (a biggish one) and it feels like I broke it.

This is a good and a bad thing. I needed to do that I could mend it, but the process of mending it is tough and mind bending.

At the moment it feels like my story is something like this wind chime in the picture. One stray piece stuck in a bush on the other side to the body of the chime. It’s a pivotal piece and needs some careful wrangling to get it back in the right place.
Sigh. More staring. More thinking. More wrangling.

2015 in review

cubes-529831_1280

It’s been a long time since I last posted. Life’s been a bit crazy, and there just didn’t seem like there was time, or energy to post here. But, as the year draws to a close (only a matter of hours now), it feels appropriate to wrap up 2015.

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Deadline day

Draft 4

How much time I have spent on editing this draft according to Properties on Microsoft Word.

Only 35 days ago I committed the deadline of 5 October to have this latest draft complete. There were some (many) moments along those 35 days that I doubted my ability to meet it. It’s been great having this commitment though as it has driven me to the (near) end.

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Why procrastination can be helpful

tidyAfter a two days slogging at the editing, my mind has started to wander. One of the difficulties of being left home alone to edit over half of my manuscript for a number of days is the distractions.

pencil sharpenerI’ve started thinking about all the things I could do in the house: what needs to be cleaned out, reordered, tidied. Maybe I need to sharpen my pencils, maybe all of them in the entire house. What things I could send to the op shop. Is it time to take the dog for another walk? Or am I hungry? Maybe the toilet needs a good scrub – okay, I’ve gone too far.

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Shhh, I’m editing

shh

Photo credits to catherine on Flickr (https://www.flickr.com/photos/17305559@N00/)

They’ve all left. Hubby, Mr 14-year-old, and Mr 12-year-old have just driven off for three nights. Three whole nights. Mr 16-year-old is sunning himself in some remarkable national park with family friends in Western Australia (so jealous of him…). And I have the house to myself. For the first time in 16 years. Yep. Ridiculous I know.

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The hard slogĀ 


Looking at this gorgeous tree it’s hard to believe editing your own manuscript could be hard.

I’m lying on our trampoline, just woken from a snooze and early spring sun is shining. My gum tree is full of birds feeding on blossom and bugs.

What could be so tough?

Truth is that I’m exhausted. Ten days into my ‘chapter a day’ and I’m tired.

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Same Blood – Book

I had the pleasure of working with Rhiannon to edit her first book. Rhiannon is an RMIT photography student The pictures are stunning. Rhiannon did a brilliant job and it was a pleasure to work with her.

Back on track

Back on trackIt’s been a chaotic year to say the least, and having some deadlines is helpful in providing distractions.

These last few weeks I have been back at uni (RMIT) and work (comms work at a local high school). Not surprisingly, life has rushed on at great speeds without waiting for me to catch up with it. There are things that were screaming at me for attention. So that is what I have given them.

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Editing non-fiction

Non-fiction writing is a fairly broad term and can include articles, essays, interview, manuals, profiles, reports and reviews. The purpose of it can be to instruct, record, persuade, enlighten, inform, provoke, amuse, reassure, excite, inspire or assist. The non-fiction editor needs to ensureĀ the aims and challenges that come with this form of writing are met.

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