Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The writing life, part 100

I swear, my editor is genius. She is making things more subtle, which makes them more powerful. I am working ten hour days now, and when I am done, I want to go over the whole ms. again to make sure I got everything she asked me to do.  At this point, I would follow her anywhere.  of course, the problem with seeing this novel getting richer and stronger and more alive is my terror that the novel I am working on now is falling apart at the seams, that it is weak and silly and cannot possibly compete with this one (Of course, I still worry about the one I am revising, but less so since it is sold.)  How does any writer have or get confidence?  If you are a writer and have some, will you give some to me?

5 comments:

  1. Working with a wonderful editor makes you a better writer. Because you are so receptive to what she offers (without being a pushover, I'm certain), you will absorb all sorts of elements of her wisdom and it will be there guiding you as you work on the new novel. Count on it.

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  2. It truly is a amazing experience. Just changing a single sentence or looking at a scene in a different, subtler way, makes everything richer and stronger.

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  3. Absolutely! And sometimes the best editing you do, which makes it stronger, is to delete the last sentence in a paragraph.

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  4. OK, now you are giving me the shivers because that is EXACTLY what she is having me do, a lot. I have to say, too, Katharine, that I learned--and learn-- a tremendous amount from you, and my writing has changed and grown because of it.

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  5. No words of advice, but I'm glad you love your editor!!! It's so important.

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