Forgotten Treats

I’m almost two-thirds of the way finished with the first edit of book three! So barring any unforeseen difficulties, I’ll be finished with the first edit before my husband and I go the Paris for our 25 wedding anniversary. (If you missed that story, click here.) While I’m on vacation, beta reader number one will read the novel.

Editing is not my first love. I love writing the first drafts—seeing where my characters will take me. And I don’t mind second round editing—polishing the prose. But first round editing is a bit more like grunt work—notes I left myself in the text with all the stuff that I didn’t deal with in the first draft like “Where the heck is Character X?”, “How Character Y get a weapon?”, and “This dialogue sucks.”. But first round editing does have its amazing moments. If don’t know if other writers experience this, but in the time between writing my first draft and editing it, I forget things.

So I’ll be reading a chapter and a character will say or do something that takes me aback, and I’ll think, “What’s going on?” Sometimes I pick up a red pen and begin scratching things out. But I’ve learned better. Frequently, it’s a small plot twist that I forgot about. That makes it so fun for me.

And now I’m off to work on the edit, hoping that I’ll find more forgotten treats.