Writing a rough draft is exhilarating. Most of the time. That new idea bubbles up in my mind, tingles my fingertips, and makes me sit my busy butt down long enough to put it on paper. It’s my happy place. However, editing is an entirely different animal.

Editing is like unleashing my inner pack on my writing. I don’t know if everyone has a crowd of canines that crashes into their thoughts, but if you don’t, I’d love to introduce you to some of mine. They’re extremely friendly and helpful. Most of the time.

The Bloodhound: This editor sniffs out each nook and cranny from sentence structure to syllable count. She snarls at spelling mistakes. She barks, “You just wrote two sentence fragments instead of complete sentences. You’re breaking the rules.” Bloodhounds are very useful, and I love them, but sometimes I have to call her off the scent. Once in awhile, it’s okay to break the rules.

The Yippy Cocker: Not all cocker spaniels are yippy dogs, but this one is. She yaps, “It’s too short!” “It’s too long!” “Use better language!” “That’s not right!” “That’s not right either!” “Don’t erase it!” No wonder she always need to pee. If I can calm the hyper, this puppy’s really useful. I just don’t let the little dog run my show.

The Shaggletooth Monster: He’s the dog featured in this post. He’s a mutt. He has no pedigree, and loves everything. He doesn’t bark, yip, growl, or bay – he licks. He will lick the wall, the floor, the couch, the toys, the paper plates…and I forgot he’s supposed to be in my head.

This editor never stops trying to get that last crumb off the page. The truest dog on a bone, he will keep at a piece of work until he’s accidently shredded and destroyed it. So, I love this guy, but at some point I have to pull that drool-soaked manuscript out of his mouth and say, “Okay. Let’s hand this off to someone else.”

If you don’t have a pack of pups on your writing team, I think it’s worth your time to sit down and discover how you think about what you write. Not only is this exercise useful, it can be a lot of fun. I want close with, “Trying it will make you want to howl!” But my team is good at holding me at bay. Most of the time.

Until next time,

Invent your story