Self-editing: what do writers need to know?

I've been working on a number of rather disparate projects over the last several weeks, which is beginning to make me feel a bit scattered.

That being said, one of my topics certainly is related to each of these projects, and that's the topic of self-editing.  It's something even I'm not overly fond of doing, but it's definitely something that needs to be done.  Sometimes it's relatively easy, and sometimes it's an horrendous uphill slog in the middle of a raging prairie blizzard.  Regardless, it's something I have to do, even if it requires a minimum of an afternoon and two (!) complete pots of tea.

I've been reading a bit, of late, on this obviously popular topic--a quick Google search for "self-editing" results in 31 600 000 hits.  Understandably, Browne and King's Self-Editing for Fiction Writers is on my list of things to read, despite critiques that damn it with faint praise.  We'll see what I think when I'm through it.

So the question is:  what do writers really need for advice, as a checklist, as a toolkit, when it comes to self-editing?  Help with line-by-line editing is certainly on that list, as are dealing with plot and characterization.  What about self-editing poetry? What else should be there?  What else would help you, as a writer?  I'm curious.

Artistic integrity

I had an interesting Facebook conversation last night with author Eric R. Asher about artistic integrity.  It's an intriguing topic, one that has made me run screaming for the metaphorical hills on more than one occasion.

There are times I think "artistic integrity" is over-rated, times that usually occur when someone, for example, decides to single-handedly reinvent every single one of the grammatical and stylistic rules of the English language, then gets perturbed when I suggest that they might want to make their prose (and it's usually prose, rather than poetry) a bit more accessible to their audience.  This usually results in a conversation in which that someone pulls out the "artistic integrity" card and says, "I'm an artist, I can do what I want" (complete with obligatory comma splice).

That being said, I think that "artistic integrity" is important, most of the time.  However, it takes a certain amount of experience and talent to recognize when you're using true artistic integrity, and when you're doing the former.

As Eric said, it's a fine line between the two.  And I agree.  There's certainly something to be said for not following the rules (regardless of your artistic medium), but I think that, in order to do so, you have to be able to prove that you can totally rock the rules first.  And I think that's where the problem lies, when artists decide that they don't need to know the rules at all.

In writing, especially prose, the rules matter a fair bit.  And, I'll agree, rules are made to be broken, but I think that you need to understand the rules and why they're there before you go about breaking them willy-nilly.  If I can't make heads or tails of what someone's written, I'll likely seriously question their use of "artistic integrity."

The luxury of a quiet afternoon

I have the luxury of a quiet afternoon at the moment, and intend to take full advantage of it.  The boys are having quiet time in their room, D’s gone off to the gym, to get groceries, and then to attend a board meeting, and even the dogs are being lazy.  I’m in the midst of a mountain of laundry (thanks to lice, blech!, and the youngest’s wet bed from last night), have buns rising as I type, and have been back and forth with an editing client, trying to arrange a meeting.  This is the most focused, and least distracted, I’ve been in a while. 

When I read articles about making writing fit into our busy lives, I see the almost inevitable suggestion that we lock ourselves away somewhere, ignore everything else, and write.  I’d love to do that, but I can say, as a busy, working mom to two boys, it just doesn’t work.  If I ignore the laundry today, I’ll end up paying later this week when I still have laundry to do that should’ve been done on the weekend.  There are certain things that make our house function, and I’ve come to the conclusion that those are the things that absolutely must get done, even if it means interrupting my writing time.  I likely have about two-and-a-half hours this afternoon, but I’ve scheduled that around the things I know need to be done. 

I have two blog posts to write, a scene from my novel to finish, a writing prompt to respond to, and a handful of poems that need to be edited.  I don’t have an exact schedule, but I do know that I’ve got 35 minutes from the time I put the laundry on until it’ll beep at me, so I’m aiming to get my blog posts written and scheduled during that time.  Then I’ll print off the writing prompt so I can think about it while I’m folding the laundry so that, when I’m done folding, I can sit down and write in the 25 or so minutes I’ll have left before I need to address the laundry again.  The next load of laundry is sheets, which require less folding, so I’ll have about 30 minutes afterwards, during which I’ll work on the novel scene.  I keep this process up, scheduling around things, until my time’s up, or until I get interrupted by the boys, whichever comes first. 

Don’t get me wrong.  There are certainly things I can ignore.  If you saw my desk right now, you’d wonder how I got any work done at all as it looks like a stratified cross-section of an archeological dig, complete with the last three weeks’ worth of detritus and papers.  It can wait, and so can the lunch dishes, which I’ll address while I’m tending to supper.  In the meantime, I’m writing, distractions and all.

The dreaded work/life balance

There was a seminar at work this past Thursday on work/life balance.  I didn't go.  I was too busy trying to manage said work/life balance.

I'm beginning to think that this fabled work/life balance is, at least for my real job, an unobtainable fallacy.  It seems that, no matter how hard I try, I can't make it work, and it's not because I'm being inflexible.  It's because, even though my job is somewhat flexible, it's not flexible enough, and part of that is due to the oddities of the organization for which I work.

I made the deliberate decision, two years ago, to reduce my teaching load and go on job share, something that I'm thankful my employer offers.  However, I find it appalling that I'm teaching as much on a half-time load as some of my colleagues in other departments (which shall not be named) are on full-time loads.  This disparity is a significant part of what's causing my work/life balance issues.  I'm not complaining, as I love what I do, but I find it funny, in a twisted way, that my institution is advocating work/life balance when it's making it extremely difficult for some of us to achieve that balance.

That's why I'm doing more writing, more editing, and more coaching.  I have plans, some big, and some small.  I want to teach on my own terms, and write on my own terms, and my goal is to eventually achieve work/life balance, outside of my real job.

I could set small, smart goals (and, don't get me wrong, I'm doing this), but I'm focusing on what's become a pair of big hairy audacious goals (which I'll admit need to be edited and tweaked a bit):  (1) to expand my editing business to the point that I can walk away from my real job, and (2) to join the ranks of Canadian publishers in the realm of science fiction and fantasy.

The months to come will see the birth of two online literary journals.  Early 2014 will see the publication of an edited anthology of short stories, theme and submission deadline to be announced in April.  Another edited anthology will follow in late 2014, and things will continue to grow from there.

Book Release: Days Gone Bad

A huge shout-out this evening to Eric Asher, one of my clients, whose first book was released into the wild today.  Check out Days Gone Bad, the first novel in the Damian Vesik series, now available at Amazon and Smashwords.  Print copy coming soon!

Judging a book by its cover

There was a discussion on one of my writing lists a few weeks back about book covers and whether or not, as independent authors, we should spend any money on them.  I've heard of authors who've said they won't spend any money on a cover because their books are going to retail for under $1, and of authors who spend considerable time, effort, and money to get just the right cover for their book.

Personally, considering that I've even been known to pick wine by its label (take a look at Blasted Church, which does an excellent job of creating unique and eye-catching labels), I think that cover design is integral to actually selling your book.

A quick Google search for the phrase "why spend money on a book cover" turns up 35 700 000 hits because covers do matter.  They're the first thing that I look at when I am looking for a book, whether print or digital, and a poor cover means that I may well not even pick the book up to read the back cover or the first page.  After all, I read a lot of books, but I'm busy, and I'm not going to bother picking up a book with a poorly designed cover because, at least in my experience, that also means that there are going to be problems with the book's text, as well.

Anyway, don't just take my word for it.  Do some research on book covers.  Whether you read Joel Friedlander's Why You Should Judge a Book By Its Cover, or an article from Psychology Today on why the visual cortex matters so much for marketing decisions, do some reading--please!  And save up for that cover art/design.