The Joys of Editing

I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.

Oscar Wilde

This quote really reminded me of my latest edit of my next children’s book, “Eco Zico.” I read through it yesterday to add in one or two words, only to take them back out again.

I think it’s time to move onto a new story!

13 thoughts on “The Joys of Editing

  1. Love the Oscar Wilde quote,
    Olive, did you do the cartoon and hand written bit, if I saw that on a book shelf I would buy that for my kids, I love that style, really fresh and hilarious.

  2. Ann

    I love Oscar Wilde, so tongue in cheek! I had to smile at the comma’s coming and goings as well. Still smiling. Thank you for that Olive!!!

  3. great cartoon! Love the quote too. I think Raymond Carver said something very similar when asked how he knew a story was finished.

  4. @Brigid; I wish that I was that talented! Natalie Dee is the illustrator, she has a great website with hilarious illustrations. When I was looking at some of them yesterday, they made me laugh out loud.

    @Ann; You’re welcome. Oscar Wilde had such a unique sense of humour!

    @Niamh; Great minds think alike and all that, lol.

  5. Fantastic quote. It’s so hard, sometimes, to know when it’s okay to move on.

  6. Ha! That’s really funny. It sounds like what I do to my first page.

  7. I can really relate to this! I must waste hours putting things in, taking them out again, shifting them around etc.

  8. Your post made me laugh this morning. Yes, if all we can do is add or remove a word, I guess it’s time to move one!

  9. I’ve always loved that Oscar Wilde quote. Good luck with moving on to your next story!

  10. @Theresa; Thanks and welcome back! Hope you enjoyed your trip?

    @Julie; Think you’re right! Sometimes, it’s hard to let go of a story. But, if there isn’t anything else to be done, there isn’t anything else to be done.

    @Joanne; Think many a writer can identify with it. We’re never happy with our own work!

    @Aubrie; Thanks for stopping by:) It’s always the first few pages that I edit a lot too! After that, my enthusiasm starts to wane a little.

    @India; Thanks for visiting! It is hard to know, but when I read this quote, it prompted me to move on:)

  11. Hilarious… and I guess that murder story scenario has been done before but it could probably stand another telling. They say there are no new stories under the sun. Maybe it’s just the way we edit them that’s different.

  12. Katherine

    I like the Natalie Dee comic! If you’re interested, I think the joke implicitly refers to what is probably one of Agatha Christie’s most famous novels, ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’. Sorry if I’ve spoiled that ending for any Christie fans, though! :s

  13. @Kath; Thanks! Had no idea that it was related to one of her novels:) And Natalie Dee is hilarious. I was looking at some of them again today and I don’t know how she comes up with her ideas…

    @Rosalind; That’s so true. I think we all like to think that we have unique ideas, but it’s true, it more than likely has been done before in some way, shape or form.

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