Epic Advice
Tag: reading
Emotional Equivalent
I used to feel that way.
At this point, I suppose that I’ve been writing for long enough that I tend to feel a bit of relief when I chop up and rewrite entire chapters during the editing process. I don’t have the same emotional attachment to words that I used to have when I was younger. I don’t think about the time and energy that was initially invested in writing them anymore — it’s all part of the process.
Instead, I care more about telling the story the way it wants to be told.
But I sure remember the angst I used to feel.
Thank you for sharing my work!
Concise
It often seems like every other writer needs to cut out paragraphs and scale back on superfluous prose during their editing process, and I have seen quite a few blog posts on the internet that make me wonder how someone can take so long to say so little. When I was in college, one of my classes required a 400-word essay, and all the other students complained about how hard it was to write something so short. Most people naturally write long.
Me? I’m the exact opposite. I adore being concise.
In fact, my first draft tends to be a little too bare-bones, and the second draft is all about putting in details to improve the pace — I don’t want to leave my readers feeling like they got swept up in a whirlwind of events flying by too quickly to process. My second draft tends to be twice as long as the first, yet still comparatively terse. After all, if *I* get bored of slogging through countless words, then I can’t imagine my readers enjoying it either.
Thank you for sharing my work!
Believe In Magic
Thank you for sharing my work!
Macro
Thank you for sharing my work!
Editing
I’m one of those writers that absolutely adores editing — it gives me the chance to slowly think, meditate, and deeply connect with each paragraph without the risk of losing the flow of creativity for the overall story.
Picture is not mine; found it on Pinterest.
Thank you for sharing my work!
Reading
Every time I read a novel, I experience two stories simultaneously — the one that’s written down on the pages of the book, and the one in my head of how I would have written it.
