Last November, I set a goal to work on my novel every day until the end of the year. I met that goal, and I have continued to work on it every day thus far in 2025. My writing stints aren’t always long, but the regularity gives me a sense of progress.
Over the last couple of months, I’ve found several places where I can work comfortably. My “office” is now a desk in my bedroom, but it is adequate. I’ve exchanged a view of a golf course where I watched deer and trees for a view of the inspiring and majestic Olympic Mountains. Seattle weather is often too cloudy to see the mountains, but there are also days when I have to shut my shade because the late afternoon sun is too bright.
Our retirement community contains many nooks and crannies that are good for writing, including a very peaceful and well-lit library. Plus, there’s a public library two short blocks from our community with quiet desks and lots of outlets. And, of course, Seattle is one of the top coffee cities in the world. I don’t drink coffee, but I do drink chai, and I’ve found a few coffee shops within a short drive.
I am now about halfway through this edit of my novel. So far, it is going well, though I know it will still need at least two or three more passes before it is publishable. I’ve been editing chapter by chapter, aiming for at least a chapter every day, though I haven’t always met that goal.
Periodically through this draft, I’ve also stopped to read back through bigger chunks of the book to be sure they flow smoothly. This novel has two characters with alternating points of view. It helps to read straight through several chapters in one character’s POV at a time. That way, I can see whether the character is developing as I intend, and I can avoid repetition in the character’s thoughts. After getting through a section of the book in one point of view, I then do the same thing with the other POV character. These “sectional edits” also help ensure that the characters face escalating problems, both in their personal development and in their activities through the book.
I remain convinced that this is the last book in my series about Mac and Jenny McDougall and their friends the Pershings and Abercrombies. There are several characters in this series I really like who perhaps deserve their own stories, but this novel completes a series arc about the development of Oregon in the wagon train era. This book takes place in 1872-73, and railroads are supplanting wagons as transportation across the nation.
I do have an idea for another historical novel, but I must stay focused on finishing this work-in-progress. It is too easy (and more fun) to explore the next shiny thing, rather than plodding through the hard work of editing.
Writers, what do you think is the hardest part of editing?
I agree. It’s too easy to think of the next novel while finishing the current one. Too many balls in the air keep us from catching any of them – they simply float above us.
Pam, at one point I had three novels in draft form, but I could only work on one at a time. I edited one, then the next, then the third. Slowly, they all reached a publishable stage. So I had three balls in the air, but only caught one at a time. And slowly at that.
Theresa
Hardest in editing is seeing the repeated words you should replace. The brain is accustomed to the story and sees broader things, not the details you need.
Why are you saying “chai”, Russian style, and not “tea”? I saw it elsewhere too. Is it a different thing for you? Here it is the same. We say chai, English says tea.
Marina, I agree that repeated words are really hard to spot in your own writing. But some of my critique partners find them right off for me.
In the U.S., we say “tea” for tea by itself (like English Breakfast or Earl Grey), and we say “chai” for tea that is spiced. So I often have tea in the mornings, then chai later in the day if I meet friends who drink coffee. (I don’t drink coffee.)
Theresa
The hardest part of editing is confronting my mediocre snippets. However, it does make the job worthwhile. Best wishes going forward.
Thanks for reading, John. My theory is that as long as each draft improves my mediocre first attempts, I’m doing well. No one can expect the first draft to be perfect.
Theresa