I just had to reconstruct three pages
of editing.
While I didn't enjoy the process, it
yielded an improved result. Maybe that's also been your experience.
I'm a third of the way though a
client's 85,000-word nonfiction manuscript. Using tracked changes on
a file that large puts a strain on my three-year-old little computer.
A few previous system freezes convinced
me of the need to save this file often, usually after editing each
paragraph. But this afternoon I let nearly fifteen minutes elapse
before the attempted save that caused the system to lock up.
So instead of editing another page or
two fresh, I revisited three previous pages.
Recreating the most difficult editing
came easily. Because I'd pondered the solutions, they remained caught
in my short-term memory. Likewise the obviously needed changes, such
as removing excessive use of italics and splitting long, complex
sentences.
But with the hard edits and the easy
edits out of the way, my eyes caught a fresh glimpse at passages that
were okay, but could still benefit from polishing.
First drafts of editing are like first
drafts of writing. There's nothing like taking a hard, fresh look at
your work, whether a week later, the next morning, or after a crash.
