Writer’s Quote Wednesday & BeWow: Editing

Converted_file_5d569831 (1)

It’s been a while since I joined in Colleen’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday & Ronovan’s BeWow. I have a pretty good excuse as I have been editing my manuscript getting it ready for self publishing. With that in mind I’d like to do some quotes about this process. Editing is the hardest part of writing for me, the ideas flow fairly easily whilst getting the story down on paper but the editing is fraught with difficulties.

“There Are Two Typos Of People In This World: Those Who Can Edit And Those Who Can’t”
― Jarod Kintz, There are Two Typos of People in This World: Those Who Can Edit and Those Who Can’t   

Perhaps that’s me! I’m that typo person….

I just find it so time consuming. A prison of my own neuroticism so to speak:

“While writing is like a joyful release, editing is a prison where the bars are my former intentions and the abusive warden my own neuroticism.”
― Tiffany Madison

It gets to the stage when I just don’t want to look at my work any more, I’ve had enough, my  heart is bleeding, and I’m leaping over the precipice…

“Edit your manuscript until your fingers bleed and you have memorized every last word. Then, when you are certain you are on the verge of insanity…edit one more time!”
― C.K. Webb

Don’t even begin to mention the word grammar to me…. this one will make you laugh!

“Making love to me is amazing. Wait, I meant: making love, to me, is amazing. The absence of two little commas nearly transformed me into a sex god.
”
― Dark Jar Tin Zoo, Love Quotes for the Ages. Specifically Ages 19-91.

Sometimes you get to the point when you are doing more harm than good. Your stories start to play hide and seek with you.

I edit my own stories to death. They eventually run and hide from me.”
― Jeanne Voelker

And never mind editing in your pyjamas it can have unknown effects on your underwear.

“Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear.”
― Patricia Fuller

I’m not sure about this breeding lark, Dr. Seuss really must have been in the grips of editing torment when he wrote this:

“So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.”
― Dr. Seuss

Yes, its making me want to kill someone… those words on the page are about to be machine gunned…

Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darlings.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

So today I’m taking a well deserved break, phew, and sharing some wonderful quotes with you about editing from some incredible authors, because I need that little spur to keep on going…. to push through the pain…

My favourite has to be this wonderful quote from Stephen King:

WP_20160214_001

“When you write a book, you spend day after day scanning and identifying the trees. When you’re done, you have to step back and look at the forest.”
― Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft   

My forest is beginning to appear… it sure looks different than when I started!

be-wow-blogger-image[1]

I do hope that these wonderful quotes will inspire you to push through the editing process to reach your final goal, if like me you are editing your manuscript.. Keep on going…. big smiles…

Do join in with Colleen’s WQW and Ronovan’s BeWow here are their links:

http://silverthreading.com/2016/02/24/writersquotewednesday-bewow-victor-hugo/

https://ronovanwrites.wordpress.com/2016/02/24/10-respect-quotes/

Bye for now, hope you liked my trio of trees that I photographed and edited from my previous post. Yes, even photos have to be edited sometimes….

 

file

https://www.instagram.com/kyrosmagica/

 

Marje @ Kyrosmagica xx

 

Published by

Marje @ Kyrosmagica

Hi. Welcome to my blog: M J Mallon - Kyrosmagica Publishing. A blog about magic, books, writing, laughter, and much more! I'm a YA fantasy author, poet and reviewer. My first YA fantasy novel The Curse of Time - Book 1 - Bloodstone is set in Cambridge and Book 2 - Golden Healer is now out too. As well as this, I have contributed to several anthologies, created my own with some amazing international writers, bloggers and creatives during the pandemic: This Is Lockdown and written two poetry collections: Lockdown Innit Poems About Absurdity & Mr. Sagittarius Poetry and Prose. I write book reviews on my blog and on Goodreads, book bub and on my bookstagram. I have a penchant for travel and have relatives in far flung places, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore, (my birthplace.) I grew up in in Bonnie Scotland, in Edinburgh, and now live in Cambridge. I love sunny, hot places, particularly Rome, Venice, Portugal, Barcelona, and I forgot to mention the sun drenched beaches of the Caribbean, how could I? I am lucky to have been blessed with two lovely daughters and a husband who I fondly refer to in this blog as my black sheep. Family joke! With my passion for travel, culture, beautiful beaches, good food, books, theatre, writing, and humour, I hope to keep you entertained. I'm loving every minute of this creative journey, please join me.

42 thoughts on “Writer’s Quote Wednesday & BeWow: Editing”

  3. Marje, great set of quotes and I’m a big fan of Stephen King’s ‘On Writing’ but never seen this quote before – brilliant and set against such an atmospheric photograph. I’m so happy for you that you’re beginning to see your forest. I’m soon setting to edit mine – this is both inspirational and daunting!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Love the quote by Stephen King. It’s so true. Like you, I have a hard time with editing. I don’t think any writer is going to tell you that the best part of writing is editing. That being said, I find joy in the thought that once the editing is done my book will be all the better for it. 😉 I just got through the editing process for the first installment of my Fantasy Angels Series and I’m in the middle of writing the second book in the series. I’m having a great time right now––not looking forward to the editing phase though.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. Marje, I have missed you and your wonderful collection of quotes. Thanks so much for all of them. The last one by Stephen King is amazing! I did laugh about the one that says don’t edit in your pj’s! I bought a collection of dressing gowns (soft fleecy ones) and when I write that is what I wear. I want to be comfy! LOL! It is such a joy seeing you again! ❤

    Like

    Reply

  13. These are wonderful quotes Marje. I relate to all of them! Revisions and editing…grrrrrrrr!! Loved your photograph with the SK quote and so true. So glad your forest is taking shape; mine too, but I’ve still got a lot of trees to identify 🙂 Keep going Marje, we can do this! Hugs xx

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  14. Pingback: #WQW (Writer’s Quote Wednesday) & #BeWow (Be Writing on Wednesday) – Poet, Mary Webb – Silver Threading

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.