A Note on Revising

“Kill you darlings.”

I heard that once before. No it wasn’t an elaborate murder plot, the author was referring to editing your manuscript. Every first draft is just that a first draft no matter how much you may enjoy a particular scene or bit of dialogue. Upon editing you may find that you’ll have to cut it out or at least pair it down. Hence - kill your darlings. Even if you work with a fine editor I believe in presenting your best work. Rather than get sloppy or lazy and think the editor will handle all the corrections I want to know how the story flows for myself. So for instance take my novel DEMON HUNTER. That particular story took me two years to complete, not because it was hard to wrangle the story but because upon editing I realized that certain things worked better so it would read smoother. An example is that when I started I had originally intended it to be in third person POV. Upon further study I realized that it would read much better if my lead character Costa told his story in first person. I had to go back and rework about half the story but it made a world of difference. Editing and revisions can be a messy challenge but it can also be a fun process that reveals your best work. Like a sculpture who doesn’t add more clay but strips away what is unnecessary for his art…that is the benefit of editing for yourself.
(to find out more for yourself read DEMON HUNTER: THE CHOSEN ONE at www.CynthiaVespia.com)