Polishing It Up

So it's nearly Christmas, and I'm in full swing on the editing process of the novel. It's going well (or at least I feel it is), and I'm working on adding in some material that I passed over during the initial writing of the piece. I've also had a big breakthrough in how the magic works in my world, which has become a much more important aspect of the story than I'd originally thought. So I'm pleased overall.

Editing has always been something I enjoy. A lot of my colleagues (fellow writers) loathe the editing process, finding it boring and tedious. To me, it's the editing process that really brings out the brilliant parts of the story. The time and effort that gets put into editing really brings out the writer in every writer, because it really utilizes the skills of looking at the story in a broader sense, taking into consideration characterization, theme, plot, and everything else on a global scale, rather than scene-by-scene. It's a process I like, and I'm eager to be going through it with a novel that I feel has some real potential (moreso than my previous attempts at a novel).

I'm hoping to finish -- or at least have a good portion done -- before the end of the year, as January will be very busy. I'm working to change a bunch of things in The JB Dryden Company that I hope will bring in some more money. One of those things is to bring The Milwaukee Writers Workshop under the fold of the company and start offering a variety of services geared toward the writers I already serve. I'm both excited and nervous, because it's a big step for me to charge for things I've given away for free for so long, but I think it's a good step for my company and my career. At least, I hope it is.

I've never been one for resolutions with the new year, but I believe my goal for 2010 is to get this novel sent out. Having spent years sending out short works, I know the feeling of rejection but also of acceptance and having people read your work. It's a great sensation. Doing it on the scale of a novel is something entirely new to me, though, and it scares me more than sending out short stories ever has, so I've been hesitant to do it with the other piece I have (which is complete). So we'll see how that goes.

Best wishes to everyone for the holidays. I'll probably see you next year. Cheers.