I’ve never been good at keeping a journal. It all boils down to consistency. There are days when I skip making an entry. Life can crowd out the time I need to write down my thoughts about a day’s events. I’ve also been reluctant to pose as an expert on the writing process. If I knew anything of value about writing, my work would already be in print. I went out on a skinny limb in 2022 when I shared my 365 days of thankfulness. The exercise forced me to put myself out there with my soft belly exposed. Thank you for joining me on my journey in the written word. Therefore, I plan to keep a journal in 2023 to document my progress. I will call this post Entry 126: Editors Need Flashlights.
Note: I consider editing an important part of the writing process. Editing is where all the artistry happens.
My morning writing before I started Entry 126: Editors Need Flashlights
I listened to chapter four of Amazing Buchanan and The Beast several times and made changes. I will review it at least once more before I move on to Chapter Five. The point of view change worked so much better. It makes sense that Chad Wallace takes on a more prominent role throughout the book. Oliver slips into the background and proves a hindrance rather than a help.
Sometimes I feel like the editing process is like taking a flashlight and searching in the darkness for the spots where the words leak rusty water onto the page. My task is to fill those gaps and cover those leaks with better mortar. An editor needs a good flashlight.
The book I am currently reading right now and Entry 126: Editors Need Flashlights
I am about one hundred pages into Kate Atkinson’s Big Sky. The characters are being introduced, and they all seem involved in pedophilia, either as victims, investigators, or perpetrators. Jackson Brodie saves a kid from drowning. I am unsure how it all fits together yet, but that seems to be how this writer constructs a story.
What I’m listening to right now and Entry 126: Editors Need Flashlights
I loaded Pocket Full of Kryptonite by Spin Doctors into the CD player this morning and rocked out to their tunes while I worked.
What I dreamed last night and Entry 126: Editors Need Flashlights
Rooster and I were retired master thieves living in a fancy apartment in a city. Someone wanted us to return to work because we had a unique way of doing things. We must have eventually agreed because we were buying information. I carried a small dog in my purse, took it out, and played with it when I got nervous. There were books stacked under a desk with their spines turned backward. I do this in real life when I finish reading a book. Rooster says I’ve spent too much time binge-watching our show before bed. It is interfering with my dreams.
The adventure Rooster and I took and Entry 126: Editors Need Flashlights
We hopped in the car and drove to Indianapolis. We ate dinner on the lake in Cicero. It was a good way to spend the afternoon and early evening.
The thing I am most thankful for at this moment.
For the new light Rooster installed in my kitchen. The original light fixture in the room didn’t provide much light. The new one is blinding. We need to buy new bulbs with less wattage.
The henhouse Lady says
Light is good, but too much can make it hard on the eyes. The perfect thing is to find the right combination you can live with comfortably. Editing can take on a similar process. You need to shine the right amount of attention onto the project to come up with the perfect story.
Who is Molly Shea?
Molly Shea is an accomplished fictional short story writer from Indiana who writes short stories and novels about a fictional town called Tecumseh. To read more of her short stories and adventures, click here.
Be sure to follow Molly on Twitter!