I love the writing part, the weaving of a storyline, the development of each character, the study of the world around them and then twisting that, making the reader laugh, or cry, eitherway but I really dislike handing it out for editing. Its that in built repsonse that you think they dont like it, that they dont get it and buy now you'd think Id be used to it, but I'm not.
I feel the same way about people reading any of my books that I know. I want them to love them as much as I do and they inevitably might not. So when a reader tells me that she laughed everytime she read one of them (she was supposed to laugh) it eases my nerves and I think WOW, I got this one right.
At some point in the next few months I will be reaching out for beta reades for my latest project, mainly because it is very different to the three works I have on sale already, more character driven, more of an emotional read and a very big step for me, but that will give me nightmares. Every beta reader is a potential editor with a red pen, more more than one colour LOL
I said recently to the friend who is reading this and editing as she goes along that she had to be brutal with me, brutally honest even, because its no good pussy footing around and not learning the lessons. Hopefully at the end of the process, the book will be in better shape, I will have improved as a writer and I will have grown a think skin !
Oh the editing...I know exactly how you feel. The book flies to the page, then the dreaded time tweaking every line.
ReplyDeleteFor us indie writers we rely on friends, family and comments from other authors. Everyone has an opinion and there you sit wondering what to change.
Writing for me is putting a movie in my head to paper. Where it comes from, I couldn't say. It is the love of creating that keeps us tied to a keyboard. There will always be those who adore the end product and those who don't...but accepting that fact keeps us following the dream.