When we write our first draft, it can be an exhilarating experience. As we write, all of our ideas come pouring out onto the page, seamlessly flowing like a rapid river stream.
But when it comes to editing our work, the task can be tedious, even exhausting. At first, we change a few things here and there, but as we spend more time on it, we begin to focus on the details, whether they are in the story or in the grammar or style of our writing.
But even after everything is fixed, new errors begin to appear out of nowhere. We fix those, patch them up, rewrite sentences and paragraphs, and then after that’s done, new errors appear again! (It’s as if our manuscript is conspiring against us to edit it until we go mad) An endless cycle of edits, indeed.
It seems that we’ll never be done with our manuscript, and we’ll have to spend countless days and weeks to finish it. Each time we read it, the story takes on a new appearance–a new identity. At some point, we might just have to accept the manuscript for what it is. Besides, perfection is only in the mind, not what is out there. Or maybe we just need to edit it to the point that the errors don’t exist in our mind anymore.
Fallton Havenstonne 