Aaaaaggghhh!!!

[Tsypheth]

Ok - I'm here because I've run into a problem that I have to assume some, if not many, of you are familiar with. It's been so long since I did any writing on this scale that I didn't expect to have this happen, but....

I CAN'T STOP EDITING!

I've finally finished writing my first short story in almost a decade, and glowing with confidence and pride in my accomplishment, I went back to give it a quick but thorough proof-read.

Two nowhere-near-quick and not-quite-as-thorough-as-I-thought proof-reading sessions later, I am ready to tear my hair out! I keep finding things that I can't believe I wrote, they seem so lame, contrived, or just plain cheesy. I keep finding contextual and simple grammatical errors. I keep thinking that I need more detail here, fewer prepositional phrases here, more dialogue here... the list is endless!

How does a writer get himself into this mess?!? And more importantly, how the hell do I get out of it!?!

Any advice or assistance of any degree whatsoever would be deeply appreciated!!!

-Tsypheth-

 

[Weird Harold]

I CAN'T STOP EDITING!
...
Two nowhere-near-quick and not-quite-as-thorough-as-I-thought proof-reading sessions later, I am ready to tear my hair out!

I don't panic until I'm editing in the double digits without any significant reduction in changes. Two edits, no matter how angst-filled they maight be, are just normal operations for me -- I average at least five edits per story.

There will come a point where you're mostly satisfied (or fed up) with a story. That's the time to push the fledgling out of the nest and see how well it flies; Most authors are never happy with the finished story and want to make "just one more change" to make it better.

It's almost a certainty that as soon as your story is posted, you'll spot somthing that makes you cringe that you didin't see it before you submitted the story. Expect it and live with it -- it happens to everyone, no matter how much work they put into making it perfect.

 

[Quasimodem]

I keep finding things that I can't believe I wrote ... the list is endless!

Writer's Quotes:

"Stories aren't written, they're rewritten."
"Stories aren't published, they're abandoned."


The only thing I have learned - and it's bloody obvious - is to save sequentially numbered copies of each version of my rewrite. That way, I can back up a couple versions, if I suddenly discover that my last set of ‘improvements' pooched the story.

 

[Axeltheswede]

Done is done

I agree with Quasi. When you find yourself picking the same nit, it's time to abandon the story. Pat it on the head and send it out in the world. Wave goodbye and go on to the next one.

 

[Whispersecret]

I have this nasty habit of editing AS I write, which is why it takes me so long to write anything.

I edit until I can read through the whole thing and find almost nothing I want to change. I am a perfectionist, and although I realize my stories will never be perfect, they will goddamn be as close to that as I can get them. It's a matter of pride (and compulsion) with me.

One editing trick:

I use the FIND feature to find all my adverbs. I look at each one and see if I can use a stronger verb instead and make replacements as needed.

Good luck!

By the way, I think editing is part of what separates the hack amateurs from the serious writers. More power to ya, Tsy.

 

[TheEarl]

I often find that I don't want to change my stories, even if I can see something wrong with them. So I tend to use two edits, then leave it. Otherwise I could end up performing major surgery and forget to sew up my story afterwards.

The Earl