Every time I provide an update on my “big project” and the editing in progress, I feel like I’m punching a writer’s time clock. Marking time, paying dues. Chronically the adventure? Or the pain?
I’m pleased to say I’m in flow and a couple of new ideas have surfaced in this…oh, I dunno…ninety-ninth re-read. The reveals in red-line edits are fascinating and the self-talk that goes on while I work is amusing. I should put a camera myself to capture the emotions. (No, no, never. No.) How about a description instead?
My most frequent pose, I suppose, is my “frustration face”. My left hand resting on my forehead as I push my bangs up so high they look like 80’s punk rocker spikes. (Which I rocked, once upon a time. See evidence below.)
It’s a great posture for whining and lamenting, but horrible for the back. Even so, with my left hand on my temple, I can massage my noggin as much as I like as my right hand puts a red pen to full and feverish use.
My hands are in synch, now that I think about it. When I sigh and see a wonky sentence or decide I need to flip some action around, change some dialogue tags, my right hand gets down to business while my left soothes (or clamps down) on my forehead. As if it’s a containment device, holding the emergence of a potentially ***brilliant*** thought before it escapes.
The other pose occurs less frequently, so I usher it in with glee. It’s the smirk. When I read something I like, I grin. Just a tad…a sideways smile. Half-up and half-down. Hopeful but emergent just the same.
Humor is hard and landing a joke is beyond my range, but I can tickle my own fancy. The satisfaction that comes when I encounter a phrase that gives buoyancy. It’s a self-satisfaction smirk, for sure. Like sneaking up on oneself with a prize.
Encouragement. I’ll take it all forms, especially when one of my dear beta readers, Kathleen, offers the absolute BEST comment ever to motivate, keep me on course. As we concluded a fun catch-up call last week, she asked how the editing was going. I didn’t sugarcoat.
“It’s a slog”, I said. “I’m fussing with sections where the action sags but I’m making progress.”
Kathleen’s reply:
“Keep going and hurry up. I’m dying to know what happens next to Jane!”
Can you imagine my grin? Kathleen’s dose of encouragement and her curiosity about a main character – Jane – is the best gift a writer can receive. Along with these two words:
Keep going!
Vicki 😊
Hi – I’m Victoria, Vicki, Dr. Vicki. I hold a doctorate in Adult Education and I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and author of Surviving Sue | Eckhartz Press.
Check out this link to learn more about my book “Surviving Sue” – all about resilience and love.
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Victoria Ponders 
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