Editing

I’ve heard it said that editing is one of the worst jobs ever but I personally find it wonderful. Not all the time, mind you. I’ve written secretly for decades and used a variety of word processing apps and programs which can mean the text, opened in Microsoft Word, has a ton of unnecessary formatting. While I’ve tried to make these disappear in a wonderful way Word can sometimes manage, often it comes down to just removing them manually, which is the definition of tedious.

However, now and then there are wonderful edits where I can unkill someone I really never wanted to die anyway. I just change a word or two, alter a sentence, and that person lives on!

Character development is when the main or a supporting character learns or chooses something that alters his course, alters his viewpoint, alters them forever. Losing someone is one of the main ways that occurs but in the same way saving someone can also alter a character. Did they realize they’d put themselves in danger? Did they realize they had the power to alter another’s course of life?

It’s an interesting situation to ponder but I didn’t save that character for any of those reasons? I saved him so the main character can get used to not losing so often. So he can have more hope. Blame it on 2020 when life has been so difficult for so many. Blame it on a pandemic that has altered our nation, we hope, forever so that freedom and liberty really do apply to all! Well, it applied to Olozcho who will quite possibly die in a sequel somewhere. The real challenge here is, in future edits, I’ll need to remember that Olozcho isn’t dead anymore!

Thanksgiving prompted me to do the housework so now I just have a ton of homework to complete as the semester nears the end then decide what I want to take next semester. I’m considering a marketing class since that is certainly a part of writing I know absolutely nothing about. I also need to continue renovating the house, getting rid of all the things my Dad refused to throw away. Lots of things on my To Do list but I’m still on target to get the Print On Demand of Joanna 1 out before Christmas and also get Joanna 2 out by the end of January! As to the editing, I’m currently working on Dorian 1 and 2, getting them closer to being done so I can start the copyright process.

I love writing!