As I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing this yet, I turned to Australian author, Sara Douglass, to find out about The Editorial Process.

Reading the procedure brings up a few emotions–excitement and fear being among them. Why the fear? Simply put, can I handle the pressure? Can I meet the deadlines, and in doing so…can I produce the goods? I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to give it a shot.

Now to go slightly off topic. I feel writing is like stepping stones across a pool of water (I’m sure I read that somewhere once). As we progress across the pool, we are learning all the things we need for when we reach the other side.

Personally, I feel that I’ve passed the half way mark. My thinking has changed, my knowledge is growing, and mentally I’m ready to step across the uncertain water to a stone that is closer to the finish.

My advice to those who are standing on stepping stones at the beginning of the journey, is to not doubt yourself, to listen when someone is willing to talk about your work, and not to take those comments personally. The only way to learn and grow, is to find out what is wrong with your stories. Hearing “I like it” is good but not helpful. Hearing “I like it but if the characters were developed more it would be better” is harder to hear, but is showing you the way to the next stepping stone. Listen and learn, it’s a necessity if you plan to reach the other side.

Filed under: Editing & Rewrites, Writing: