Embrace the Edits

I'm in the throes of edits.

Some authors hate the edit process. Me, I love it. Yes, it can be uncomfortable when an editor is suggesting the changes rather than me, the story creator. But the truth is my editor's goal is the same as mine--make the story stronger. My editor wants my book to be a bestseller. If I keep that in mind, the edits go pretty well.

One of the reasons I like the editing process is that it forces me to see my story from a different angle and that gets my creative juices flowing. I see new connections between events. I delve deeper into motivations. Answering 'Yes, what if...?' brings me to places I hadn't previously imagined. All good. Maybe not all relevant, but definitely all good.

Relevance is the reason I like to sit with the edits for a while before diving in. For me, it's critical to thoroughly explore the inevitable questions that surface, to understand all the possible angles. But there's a difference between a possible angle and something that makes the story better. Some angles take you down a completely unnecessary path. I prefer to avoid those. Finding the time to mull things over isn't easy if the delivery schedule is tight, but it's essential for me. And it pays off when the edits start--the writing part goes much quicker when my brain has embraced the edits.