How reading books helped me with editing?

How reading books helped me with editing?

By Catherine Edward

Editing is a nightmare. We got that out and I told you how it affected me. In this post, I'm gonna talk about things that helped me while editing.

So, the huge mistake I ever did during edit was to stop reading. Yes, you heard that right. I was focused only on the story I was editing and I practically isolated myself from everything else. Eventually, this led to a situation where I felt like I was being drowned.

It's important to have friends and an active social life even if you're an author. Like I stress often, mental and physical health is very important if you want to have a healthy writing going on. You have to let your brain and body rejuvenate once in a while so writing doesn't feel like a burden.

What I was doing was the exact opposite. When I finally opened up to my friend, Rucha, she told me to take a break. I used to stay offline while editing, but when I do go online, she was always there poking me. She kinda kicked me out of my driver's seat and took charge when I wouldn't budge.

The catch, she's also an editor. And she snatched the script from me saying she'll take a look while I did all these things she said. I honestly had no clue why she was making me do all this.

It's funny when I think about that now. But it helped a lot. Rucha literally dragged me out of that hell hole. She banned me from touching my laptop. And at this point I was severely close to a break down. I was stuck with a scene, unable to move forward. I felt suffocated because the time was flying and I wasn't even past 5 chapters yet.

I took two days break, sleeping a lot and watching movies I liked. When I came back, she told me to read a title by my favorite author and come back. She said, she had a task for me. Grudgingly, I resorted to reading.

Cynthia Eden has always been my go to author. When I started reading her books again, I realized what I had been missing all along. My mind was suddenly at peace. On day two, I felt the ideas striking hard and I knew how to work through the scene I was stuck with.

I was literally screaming when I pinged Rucha, saying I know what to do. Her response was a simple smiley and words saying “I know you'll figure it out.”

From there my journey to polish the script became smoother. Every day I edit, this time I could easily navigate through the script, identifying the mistakes and correcting it. At night, I read.

In short, reading not only cleared my mind and but also provoked my thoughts. I'd let music play in the background so I don't feel isolated.

Also, it's important to have that one encouraging friend, who keeps shouting from the sidelines saying “You can do it.”

We all aren't same. But some of you could relate to my struggles. If you're struggling, open up with your friends. Don't be shy to ask for their help. You never know what wonders they could do until you asked.

Step out of your home every often. Live your life to the fullest. While you're writing or editing, it doesn't mean you have to isolate yourself. You can follow your passion while enjoying all good things in your life.

I figured that out in a hard way. Not anymore.

I'd like to know your experiences with editing. How did you overcome the struggle? What helps you better? Email me your experience at Catherine.edward@editingleindiehouse.com or authorcatherineedward@gmail.com for a chance to get featured in our blog.

Looking forward to connect with you all.