Page 72 - the edit continues

I’m really into the meat of the edit now. The original works flows pretty well, so for the most part it’s just adding to and clarifying the story. As opposed to earlier when it was a lot of reorganization.

One bit that worries me - the lack of a professional outside editor. Being so involved with the book, I fear that I mentally fill in blanks in the plot. Points make sense to the creator, but maybe not to someone else.

The only other person on this is my wife, but she’s only about 4 pages into the thing. It’s not her particular flavor of writing. I’m sure that if her husband hadn’t written it - she would not be reading it. So I’m sure it’s hard for her to get motivated to read the thing in the first place. PLUS - a while ago I told her there were some pretty massive revisions to the text - which would make her take on the story different.

She suggested that she wait to do her edit until I had complete mine and given her a print of draft 4. I don’t like that idea for two reasons. I’m a bit of a cheapo, so the 182 pages I had printed for her would go to waste. And the larger of the two - it would add a great deal of time to the whole process. I tend to start a lot of creative projects, but never finish them - and I really want to finish this. But I’m afraid of it dragging out so long that I just give up.

Additionally - in the back of my mind I think that I have a shot of writing for a living. I don’t want to work in an office all my life - it’s just not meant for me. So I’d like to get paid for doing something I love and enjoy - not just something I’m good at. This way of thinking is probably counter-productive to the traditional model of creative success? I’m not sure. Hopefully I can figure out how to use this line of thinking as a motivator - only time will tell.