This week's blog post:
Exploring the Self-Editing System - Part 3

The series continues because that's how meticulous the system is, its best feature being that it's free. You just do it.

Too, my "system" can be used in part, in whole, adapted, or used before sending off to a reputable editor.

#AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Writing #Writers #WritersOfMastodon #AmEditing #SelfEditing #Revising #Indie #SelfPublishing #WorldOfOntyre #Fantasy

https://christinahawthorne.wordpress.com/2025/05/01/exploring-the-self-editing-system-part-3/

Started post-editor revisions on Book 1. Seeing Bex, who's lead in Book 2, from her bestie's POV again was a bit jarring. Vil thinks of her as confident and badass, neither of which are adjectives she'd ever use. And he doesn't seem to notice her resting adorableness at all.

#AmWriting #Revising

A quotation from Horace

Use both ends of the pencil if you hope
to write what gets read twice.
 
[Saepe stilum vertas, iterum quae digna legi sint
scripturus.]

Horace (65-8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 1, # 10, “Nempe incomposito,” l. 72ff (1.10.72-73) (35 BC) [tr. Matthews (2002)]

Sourcing, notes, alternate translations: wist.info/horace/75466/

#quote #quotes #quotation #author #edit #editing #pencil #rereading #revise #revision #revising #writer #writing

Today's excerpt:

Following The International Seasickness Incident of five years past, Lyra’s family had stopped allowing Etsian within sight of their yacht. Although no one had cared about his motion sickness prior that, vomiting on the Crown Prince of Sansal had been bad enough to get Etsian blessedly banned from even being on the docks.

#amwriting #revising #WritingExcerpts

A Sense of Doubt blog post #3585 - SoD Reprint of #365 - 2016 - "Memory" a poem, after Louise Bogan. https://sensedoubt.blogspot.com/2024/12/a-sense-of-doubt-blog-post-3585-sod.html #urns #Memory #Poetry #Writing #Revising #Loss #Reprint #Blogging

Haven't accomplished much over the last week due to not feeling well. I'm still worn out and the headache that set in yesterday is still hanging around, but I'm going to TRY to get some work done on this draft.

#Revising #WritersLife

Am looking at an entire chapter going, "Does this lessen the tension of the next several chapters?" And I think the answer is yes. Because my characters are being mature and communicating... But I don't want to cut that. So need to up tension some other way.

#revising #writing

I realized yesterday that "Decrease word count" and "Add earlier engagement of the arc that takes over Act 3" were somewhat contradictory goals. Am now focusing on cutting enough that doing the second thing doesn't make the book longer.

#revising

I have now gotten to the part of my novel where we're seeing how well this triad can work together in defense of democracy.

This is why I maintain that hiding my political views is pointless. If you don't like them, I doubt you're going to enjoy this plot arc.

#revising #antifascist

Replaced a scene that was cute and kinda amusing with something that made me feel queasy and gutted. There's a revelation in the middle that totally broke my heart for my character. I just want to give him a hug.

I love taking acceptable and making it something with solid oomph.

#Revising #MyNovel

Studying late? Watch your dreams merge with reality here https://mike-jory.pixels.com/featured/dark-academia-surreal-mathematician-painting-mike-jory.html #mastoart #buyintoart #aYearForArt #FillThatEmptyWall #beltie #beltedGalloway #DarkAcademia #studying #revising #math #surrealArt #figureDrawing #LifeDrawing

@ixtlidekami @Emmacox @CA_Hawthorne @novelx456 @crcollins

When I was a kid, I hated grilled liver. One time my mother insisted I eat it. I chewed on one piece for what might have been a half-hour. She gave up. Remember, this was the woman who'd been a bailbondswoman who done her own bounty hunting.

I find when I rewrite the beginning of stories, they become like that liver I spat out.

That's me, tho. Don't be me.

#writing #revising #writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon

Finished the last four chapters of the serialization project and sent the file to the beta reader. Soon I'll have no excuse that I have to revise something to keep on schedule. I am going to have to return to composing stories.

I'm sweating. Now.

And I just admitted it.

#writing #revising #author #writer #writingCommunity #WritersOfMastodon #fiction

Rewrote Chapter 1 over the last two days. It's now 3500 words, which is 1500 lighter than last draft. Going to try to repeat that with Ch 2. Will probably stop there, but will likely bring back the rewrite approach for any scene the betas flag as too slow.

#writing #revising

#music #onrepeat
Me You by TSHA > 100 👍🏽​👍🏽​

#writing #revising

#writingcommunity #writersOfMastodon

I rewrote the opening scene of the work-in-revision without rereading the previous version. It's now 800 words shorter. And I think it still says everything it needs to, just snappier and with some unneeded stuff cut.

I'm not intending to do this with the entire book, but I am doing it with the first two chapters because they ramble too much and this approach seems to work better than just trying to cut content.

#writing #revising

#Alabama #delegates at the #UnitedMethodist #GeneralConference state "Removing #antiLGBTQ #language is their top priority"

#Delegates say the big issues are best summed up as the three R’s: "#Removal of #harmful #language regarding #homosexuality; #regionalization allowing more #selfgoverning in different parts of the world; and #revising the #SocialPrinciples."

#Women #Transgender #LGBTQ #LGBTQIA #Spirituality #Religion #Progress #Representation #Culture

https://www.al.com/news/2024/04/united-methodist-general-conference-alabama-delegates-removing-anti-lgbtq-language-top-priority.html

In other news, apparently I forgot to muse here about whether I'm currently experiencing Obsessive Compulsive Editing Disorder or if I possess non-disorder reasons to keep making changes to the WIP. I THINK it's the latter. "One last pass, then to the betas!" has been said about a million times now BUT the changes all seem significant, so I don't think I'm revising just to keep from having to share.

More on Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/andybwriting/748383401155903489/just-one-more-revision?source=share

#revising #MyNovel #writing #WritersLife

New locale today. Sitting at Coffee Matters while my kid is at her work term job. She'll only be a couple hours so it's not worth driving back across town. Hoping to finish the final chapter of SotM today!
.
#SotM #amwritingsupernatural #revising #coffeeshopwriting #writingfuel #writingcommunity #bookcommunity

Last night, my daughter shared a tip she'd read. Ask why each scene would be someone's favorite.

My initial thought? "That's kind of a lot of pressure." A less intimidating question, to me, is, "Which of the reader's favorite elements are represented here?"

The scene I worked with yesterday was flat and tedious. And looking it while asking, "What's to love here?" lead to me deleting all but a few paragraphs. Short is better than boring.

#writing #revising #writingtips #writingadvice #mynovel