The Editing Process

I recently heard an author state that the “editing the manuscript” phase is one of those periods in the self-publishing process that can be heavily riddled with self-doubt.  And to that admission, I must say that she is spot on.  I have spent the last full week reading and rereading my manuscript, both silently and out loud; having family read and critique parts of the book; and making the necessary corrections that I was able to catch every time I reviewed the pages of my book.  Repeatedly finding things you want to change in your manuscript doesn’t exactly spark a feeling of confidence; but, I know this phase is just part of this roller coaster of a writer’s experience I’m wholeheartedly and excitedly participating in.

This current pattern of continuing to find things to revise each time I go through my written work is a little unsettling; and ultimately, I know I need to get off of this editing train (at some point) before I arrive at a destination that I wasn’t planning to visit.  But, which depot do I stop at?  Well, I found some solace from this same author that I mentioned at the beginning of this post.  She reported that, unfortunately, there is no general rule of thumb to determine when an author can put his or her copy-editing and proofreading hat down.  The right timing is different for everyone.  However, she did proceed to give some tips on how you can come up with a pretty good determination for when to let your book baby go; but even with this revelation, an author’s written work of art is never going to be at a perfect state.  And, I suppose there’s something comforting in knowing that works of art don’t have to be perfect to be true works of art.

One of the author’s hints that stuck with me is her assertion that a book is ready to be sent on to beta readers or professional copy-editors/proofreaders when your gut tells you it’s ready to go.  Now, the following words aren’t this author’s; they’re mine.  And, here’s what I make of the whole “gut” statement:  intuition plays a fundamental role in the self-publishing ranks.  Basically, a book is ready to leave the author’s vice grip when he or she feels good enough about the imperfect work that has been created.  (Because perfection would indicate that there’s no room for improvement; and most creators should know that there’s always room to improve the creation).

Since I’m at the beginning of the writing learning curve, I don’t have an intuition barometer to work off of, but I will tell you that I’m feeling really good about my book at this point.  I’ve gone through several revisions to my manuscript and I’m so pleased that I’ve poured myself into the self-editing process, because my first draft was an absolute hot mess.  So, self-edits are critical, and I’m a firm believer that I’ll be so appreciative for the feedback I receive from a professional as well.  (Just as long as he or she doesn’t tell me to rewrite my whole book).  I have a few grammatical and punctuation items to research, but I should have a draft ready for professional critiquing by week’s end.  Exciting stuff!  I’m getting one step closer to my self-publishing goal.  Onward, march!  Finding a professional editor to read my book will be my next tall order.