So, I’m thinking I should deliver a more serious blog about
another writer’s learning curve I’ve been travelling: one which we all travel,
eventually, through our own design, or that of someone else. Editing.
For some reason, when I finally gave in to my desire to
write, really write, I thought I could just knock out the finished article in
one draft. In fact, the word draft was not on my agenda. I honestly thought I
could just write a book, scoring out and amending my mistakes along the way.
Fortunately, while novels (ahem, first drafts) languished
under my bed, I wrote a play that was to become my one-woman show ‘From
Within’. I had the support of my director and dramaturge, Jeff Sheppard and
learned the value of another pair of ears as I re-worked the script.
My next lucky moment was meeting another writer, Vincent O’Connell,
who offered to mentor me to develop a film script. Now, that is excellent
training. I would turn up for a meeting, next three scenes in hand, he’d read
the dialogue, a whole paragraph, maybe, and challenge me thus: “Which of those
lines does the character need to say?” Of course, my first answer was ‘all of
them’. But as I stared at my precious words,
I would see plainly that no, they were not all needed. I continued to write
everything I needed to say, but came to enjoy the cull to get what they needed
to say.
During the last two years, on board with the Brit Writers
Publishing Programme, I got out my two novels and put on my Editor head. It has
been hard work, but a satisfying revelation. You see, with the world of
publishing undergoing so much change, the author has to offer a script as close
to ‘best draft’ as they can manage alone. At first, I was pretty disappointed
about that – my other illusion was that you’d be given an editor who would do
all that annoying work. (And yes, you will still get an editor go over your
final draft). But here’s the thing: when
I was asked to do re-writes, my first reaction was dread…of all the work, and
whether or not I’d see what needed to change etc., then it occurred to me, why
would I let someone else edit my work and possibly change my voice? Of course,
the only person who should do the re-writes is me, albeit guided by someone
else. So I’ve done the work. The book is in its current best state, and I am
trusting that my editor will merely have to tidy up. My book remains my book,
which is what I wanted all along.
When you are banging (or coaxing) out that first draft, make
sure that Editor is nowhere to be seen. But take pleasure in bringing those
skills out later. It will all pay off in the end.
