As some of you know, I decided, for no good reason, to write my first novel. I’ve finished three chapters, and I’ve made what I think might be a horrible discovery: specifically, that editing hardcopy pages is much more effective than doing so on the screen.
The had the opportunity to make this discovery because, prior to my plane trip, I decided to print out my just-completed chapter and, armed with a pen, tidy it up. I wound up making hundreds of changes to it, and I asked myself, how come I had so few changes in the prior two chapters? Surely not because they were so much better written.
Instead, I’m thinking that viewing things online is simply too kind. For some reason – – and maybe it’s just me – – I found far more opportunities for improvement with the printed page than I do on the screen.
This is horrifying for me because not only is hand-writing ideas and changes much slower than my 100 words per minute typing speed, but the application of the improvements and corrections is tedious, boring, and mind-numbing beyond belief. Actually incorporating my zillions of scribbles into the document is oh-my-GOD so dull.
I think I’m going to try reviewing my first chapter again online and see if I can do better. If not, I may have a dreadful task ahead of me. It’s ironic that me, Mr. Computer Guy Forever, may wind up editing the same way they did hundreds of years ago.
I might as well get a quill and an ink pot at this point.
