The Joys Of Editing

                                                                                                                                                                    
A lot of blogs I have been visiting lately, have been talking about editing. There seems to be quite a few of us shining our manuscripts. For me, this is my first novel, therefore my first edit.

My friend Ruth, (Pen, from The Dragon's Pen) likened editing - or the whole process of completing a novel - to giving birth. A good description indeed!

For me it's been like putting together an intricate quilt. Each scene is like a block that I have to join to the next, until I arrive at a completed quilt that is pleasing to the eye, or in this case, a novel that is a pleasure to read.

I've spent the last few weeks polishing my opening chapters and - phew! - they are now beautifully shiny. It's wonderful to see the end result, but it's such hard work.

Now I have to tackle the end and to be honest I've been putting it off. I know how it ends - of course - but there was something missing. I needed excitement, conflict, emotion etc etc. Alas I had nothing. But this morning as I drank my cup of tea whilst staring out at the window at green and misty hills, two wonderful scenes came to me. Scenes that allowed my heroine to be feisty, and heightened the excitement and conflict. Everything I needed before the finale.

So now I am dying to get stuck into the closing chapters.

The end of editing draws near.