perpetual editing: the endless search for perfection

The never ending cycle of the more you edit, the better your story gets. The better your story gets, the more you edit.

The picture is of one of my first edits on one of my rough drafts, but you have to start somewhere. You can always edit bad writing, but you have to write something in order to be able to edit it.

“Does anyone else feel like no matter how many times you edit something, there is always something that could be improved? Whether you are writing a novel, poem, or a text, you’re always going to find something more to edit, to improve- it’s an endless cycle for everyone.”

You ask all of your friends to read what you wrote. A lot of them do, but only, maybe half will tell you that they did. Two or three, maybe more if you're lucky, will get back to you with feedback.

There's always the eternal critic, who feels that, no mater what you write, it will never be good enough. It can be discouraging. But if you sort through, you often find very useful feedback that can make your writing better, in spite of it's packaging. One of the insults that was hurled at me, (by family, not friend) I realized was one of the greatest complements I had ever received about my writing. It helped give me direction and focus. My writing vastly improved once I took a moment and stepped back. It was only then that I realized what this person was doing a really bad job of communicating. But they were right... ish.

Then there's the eternal cheerleader, whom everyone needs or they would quit. Everything you write is the greatest thing they ever read. As wonderful as it feels (and we all need that boost), I found myself frustrated when that was all I could find. I knew there was something not quite right about my story, and they weren't helping me find it, much less fix it.

Then there are the experienced writers. The been there, done that peeps who spend hours going over your story and helping you learn to be a better writer. They are the ones who take you from a dime a dozen to best seller quality. Without them we would still be writing like we did in middle school. They patiently explain to you about showing and telling, why you use that punctuation, that sentences shouldn't be a paragraph and a half long (thank you apostle Paul for a good example of mile long sentences). Those are the gold (or platinum) that hold your diamond up and make it sparkle.

Then there is that person that is always asking a million questions about everything in your story. They are the ones that make the unbelievable plot points fall in on themselves, make you shore up the flimsy ones, and take your manuscript from 30k to 50k words in one read through.

So, where do you go if you don't have friends like these?

Some people post their writing on Wattpad, inkitt, writing.com, and many others. Often you can get a little feedback, and sometimes a following, which is a great way to position yourself for self publishing. But what if you're a new writer and haven't mastered the art of captivating your readers’ attention on the first try? You could consider CritiqueMatch and Facebook beta reading groups, but it's a mixed bag. Sometimes you hit the jackpot and end up with a beta reader/critique partner with all the skills of an editor and a teacher rolled into one. And sometimes you end up with someone who barely speaks english or tries to convince you to change key plot points, or write only in their voice.

Even if you find the perfect beta/critique partner, how do you know when it's time to quit nit-pcking and just submit.

And this my dear friends is where I am right now. I am coming to the realization that no matter how many times I edit, there will always be something. I've been working on the same story (more or less) for five years now. It doesn't even resemble the same story as it was at the beginning of this journey, and for that I'm glad. But is it time to move on? Or is it one more time around the mountain?

Only you can answer that.