Editing: The New Neverending Story

First, let me say that I'm not one of those authors who doesn't like editing. I find it an enjoyable part of the process.

Which is good, 'cause it's all I've been doing for the past several weeks. And it's all I'm going to be doing for the foreseeable future. Put it this way? Doing this blog is an exciting opportunity for me to do something OTHER than edit.

Oh, it's all good, mind you. Just mailed off my page edits for "Touched by an Alien". (Have I mentioned you can pre-order it right now from Borders.com and Amazon.com? I have? Have you so ordered? If not, let me remind you to do so again...) And I'm revving up the edits for "Alien Tango" (coming from DAW Books in December, 2010). And I have a variety of other editing-related things going on that have nothing to do with my Alien series. All in all, I'm an editing fool right about now.

The entire process has been fascinating, especially as a first-time novelist. For short stories, it's been faster, shorter, and by far easier. For novels? Not as much. At least my agent says that my reaction to my page proofs was a standard author's reaction (and we shall speak of this no more...they're in the mail and I can forget all about them now).

Of course, the risk is that, after the seven-hundredth read through, you're going to be a little sick of your beloved novel. I'm right on the cusp of that. Thankfully, I just go and stare at my cover art and it relaxes me because the cover's so awesome it reminds me of how much I love my book. Even if I'm sick of going over it with a fine-toothed comb. For what seems like the millionth time.

I'm sick of it mostly because I just know a typo's going to make it to press. And I know someone's going to point it out, most likely during whatever ends up being my largest book signing event.

The question won't be "if". The questions will be "when" and "will Gini burst into tears or throw something?"

I'm betting on both.

Love,
Gini