Sunday, December 27, 2009

Editing has always been one of my favorite parts about writing.   As my novel is on it's 7th draft, I'm realizing that each edit becomes a victim of my latest mood.  I could write this same story twenty times, each time with a different twist on a character or situation. 

Unfortunately, that's not a good thing if I'd ever like to finish this process.  I'm afraid that is the real problem at hand, I don't want to finish.  It's hard to set aside characters that have become so familiar to you that you remark upon them in daily life as you would a close friend or family member, "Tommy would have loved that joke."  In the case of NORMAL, these characters have been with  me for about 3 1/2 years now.  I don't believe that it has series or even sequel potential, so how do I just set them aside and say, "I'm done." 

When do I move them from characters that share their secrets with me, pressing me on to reveal their story to characters that become static in their story on a page? 

I am sure now that is why my other completed novel, the UNTITLED one, still sits on the shelf waiting. 

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