As a fellow writer, I know that the idea of editing and writing multiple drafts seems daunting. When you are working on a specific project, you want it to be perfect, and you have a false notion that it will be the perfect work of art the moment you set pen to paper for the very first draft. Well, as I said, this notion is quite false. The first draft is only the beginning.
I know, I know. No one really likes to be told that their baby of a project needs reworking so that it can grow and mature, but it is true. No one is so good at writing that they can get published with their first draft. I am currently working on a few projects, and I have learned my lesson. My first drafts were horrible. Now, that isn't to say that they were devoid of anything good. They had their moments of being rather well-written. But as I have worked on the future drafts, I have perfected the stories, added to them, and made the characters more and more human.
No matter how many edits you put your work through, though, it will never fully be perfect. Your book could be published and on the shelves of the local bookstore, and you, as the writer, will never be completely proud of it. Sure, you will be proud of the fact that it was published, but even now, almost three years later, I am no longer proud of my first self-published work. And here is the reason why.
I didn't put it through nearly as many edits as I should have. There were mistakes left behind that should have been dealt with before sending it to Amazon's Create Space. Since then, I have learned my lesson. I now put my book projects through so many drafts that it can't help but be noticed by the publishers to whom I present it.
Editing is extremely important. it gives polish to the works. It helps get rid of typos. It develops the characters. And it aids in making the story more clear. It brings about a great deal of enjoyment in the end, despite how tedious it can really be.
Don't be too discouraged when you feel like you have edited your book to death. This is normal. You put your book through so many drafts that you just get tired of looking at it. This is the time where you send it to other people to edit. My advice to you here is that you send it to a professor of writing or someone that you trust to give you a valuable opinion and analysis of your work. That way you have fresh eyes looking at it, and you can take a break, or move on to the next project.
Yes, editing is one of the most important parts of writing a book, besides the actual writing of it. Now go forth, my fellow writers. Go forth and edit.
