As some of you know, not only am I a writer, I'm an editor. I freelance for a local environmental consulting firm and an online fiction publisher, Musa. I really enjoy editing. I love being able to help other authors out, and I learn a lot in the process.
One of my interview questions I ask authors is what is their least favorite thing about writing, and I've noticed that a lot of them comment it's editing. I can understand that. It can be tedious and you have to read the same story over and over and over again. And you always find mistakes. It's never perfect. It's an unending process. That can be a little frustrating, but a story is never going to be perfect. You have to get it to a point where it's good enough.
Personally, I really like editing, and not just because I'm an editor. I like it because it means the hard part is over. It means the story is on the page and ready to be fixed. I enjoy going back to the beginning of the story after I know how it ends and making sure everything flows right, foreshadowing is in the right places, and the characters are consistent throughout. I like knowing I'm one step closer to having the story finished.
Don't think that just because I'm an editor my stories don't need any work. They do. All stories do. I enjoy having my work edited. I enjoy working with an editor to get it into near-perfect shape. I like learning new things. So often I'm too close to a story to see my mistakes, and that's where an editor is invaluable.
Soon, I'm supposed to get edits back for The Appeal of Evil. I can hardly wait. It's one step closer to being released into the world!
