Does it ever feel like you need to be in “the right place” or “right state of mind” to begin editing your work? Or do you tend to find yourself caught up in the emotions of life, not quite sure how to work through or around them?

Emotions

Here is the thing: there will never be the “right time” or “perfect place” to start editing your work, let alone writing when emotions are high! As much as we would love for the flexibility, life does not provide a plethora of hours for all the tasks that need doing. So we must make do with what we have, in a manner that is most time, space, and brain efficient.

Instead, we must learn to trade and streamline things into what works best for us within any given moment.

What does this mean for writing inspiration and productivity? I see emotions as a way to funnel my attention and energy into a spot. Am I feeling overwhelmed? I can have a conflict resolution scene or a literal mountain for my characters to climb. By voicing particular general sentiments, the scene writing can perhaps mirror how I’m currently approaching my own issues. Characters with different opinions are the other thoughts, warring ideas that are struggling to be chosen.

There is the threat of the scene being too long or repetitive, but remember all words are still good words. You can gather a collection of ideas or scenes completely out of order, or even time, that have that energy directly funneled. I acknowledge once character encompasses my approach to fervent destruction and distraction, yet another is the parent of the ensemble who is trying desperately to have everyone play nice and do the things that they are supposed to do.

However, emotions are never still, we are prone to have our plateaus of contentment, the grinding resentment of working past exhaustion. Strong emotions perforate through words as we try to find the “right direction”. Satisfaction is rare because we want the scene to be better, that we expect the act of writing to magically cure whatever emotional ailment we’re undergoing.

So sit in it, lean into the shadow self, shadow characters. Take a few minutes to address what weighs you down. Remember that your characters are human (or vaguely humanoid enough) like you: what do they look and act like when they have the same emotion. Ask what would put them in such a state.

If you prefer writing non-fiction, then consider the emotions as what your audience may be experiencing. For a self-help piece, what state do you think your audience would be in, and what do you think would be a helpful and meaningful section for them? Start from your current pain point and then find how it connects with their pain point. This might not always be affective, but at least having a direction to work while feeling stifled or blocked can help.

Editing

What can be more daunting than a completely blank page and a wiped mind? A whole block of words that you “have to” edit. Wait no, even worse is a page.

No: a hefty binder of words that invoke another assortment of feelings and responsibilities. This is even if you are writing for fun and yourself – what if there are people waiting for you to be Done? I can’t tell if that gives me anxiety or acid reflux. Point is, that is uncomfortable.

So how do you approach such a daunting task?

By not making it a big task in the first place. Actually, let’s just nix the idea that editing is a solid stage. If you are tending a garden over time, you don’t wait for a plant to be totally dehydrated in order to trim or move it.

What we are actually doing with editing, is maintenance: we correct language, punctuation; trim and tailor notes and blocks of paragraphs; shave down scenes to get to the juicy scene that is just underneath the surface.

One of the best ways to perform maintenance is to just read what you wrote for fun. Get some distance, come back, and let you surprise yourself! Go all the way back to that first chapter, or scribble, and see how you feel. Did ideas change from what you started with? How do you feel about that piece, and if you were to do it again, what would you change? Be interested in what you are writing and be open to new views.

A few things that worked for me are based on my preference to write by hand. It can also be a daunting task, and I have decent handwriting, but I know it’s not for everyone. However, switching between handwriting and typing let me have physical distance from the work. Transferring over to the laptop allowed me to edit as I read along. Sometimes I become distracted by the notebook falling open to a random chapter, and then time passes and I remember I was doing something.

Getting engrossed in your own story?! I highly recommend this. Then I subject loved ones to impromptu skits and monologues inside because the thoughts are coming to life. Yes, I sound like a rambling conspirator with wild speculations… but that is the beauty of passionate writing. The book is a piece of you.

And just like how you are always changing and learning, your book can change and adjust as well. Editing is the book growing and settling, a phase as it grows into reality.

Let the story breathe, iron out those clunky sentences, and put those characters into the light of day.

You got this.