The Pain of Editing…

If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you may have seen me mention the fact that I don’t particularly enjoy editing.

Unfortunately, editing is a huge part of being an author. A book can go through as few as one or two rounds of editing, to three, five, eight, or even more rounds.

I’m currently working on self edits for my royal intrigue fantasy romcom novel, and as much as I adore the story and the characters, I’ve been struggling to finish the edit.

Why I Can’t…

There are a ton of excuses I can give for why I’m not done already… 

Like the fact that I don’t enjoy editing, and that I’ve had other things to work on—or that I’ve been in serious physical pain for the past week which has made sleeping, eating, and focusing feel impossible.

But at the end of the day, these excuses don’t help me with anything. I still have a partially edited novel that needs to be finished as soon as possible.

…VS Why I Can

Yesterday I found myself staring at my manuscript. I was frustrated and on the verge of tears when a thought entered my mind:

“There’s always going to be a reason why you can’t, so come up with all the reasons why you can.”

Here are some of the reasons I came up with:

• I can do this because God gave me a love and talent for storytelling.
• I can do this because it’s not impossible.
• I can do this because I’ve done it before.
• I can do this because I’m not going to give up.
• I can do this because I’m going to put the time and effort into completing it.
• I can do this because I love this story and I want to share it with others.
• I can do this because there are no good reasons why I can’t.
• I can do this because it’s not nearly as difficult as I’m letting it feel.

It was a small shift to go from coming up with “can’ts” to coming up with “cans” but the impact it had on my mind was huge. 

Instead of focusing on frustration or anxiety and allowing these feelings to overwhelm me, I can concentrate on my goals and what it’s going to take to accomplish them.

And that goes for more than just writing books.

I can apply this principle to every aspect of my life that I struggle with.

And funnily enough, this principle mirrors a verse that I keep seeing everywhere…

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

There’s Always Something…

Our lives are filled with news. Some of it is good, some of it is bad. Some of it affects our own lives, some of it affects our family, friends, acquaintances, or complete strangers.

We’re never going to be able to completely filter out bad news—nor do I think it’s worth the time or energy to try.

But instead of honing in and focusing on the negative things going on around us and letting these things paralyze us with fear, doubt, or hopelessness, what if we flipped the script?

What if we added good things to the conversation? 

Seeing Past Pain

I was having such a difficult time thinking about anything but my pain because it was always there. Constant, intense, and sometimes unbearable.

So at first, the most I could do to “add good” to my situation was to say something basic to myself like, “It’s not going to last forever.”

Sure, it’s not the most encouraging thought, but it was a start. And soon enough I could get myself to look around my room and point out things that I was grateful to have—like my beautiful teacup collection, my books, my bed, my laptop, and even my water bottle.

And once I was done listing the things I could see, I started listing the things that I couldn’t see—like my family and friends, trees, animals, my favorite foods, and everything else I could think of.

It didn’t erase the pain, but it did make me appreciate the fact that I was alive.

Pain VS Praise

And now that the pain has lessened to the point where I’m not always thinking about it, I’m even more grateful for the things that I listed before.

But what if I hadn’t bothered to find things to be grateful for? What if I had just wallowed in pain and self-pity the whole time? 

Honestly, I don’t know. But I seriously doubt I would’ve been better off than I am right now. 

Maybe thinking about what I was thankful for while I was in pain is part of what encouraged me the other day to write down all the reasons why I can finish my edit.

Either way, I’m convinced that the best weapon we can wield against pain and negativity is gratitude.

If there’s always a reason to complain, then there’s always a reason to praise.

Before You Go…

On November 19th at 6:30pm, I’ll be leading a live online writing workshop for writers of all levels!

The workshop will feature:

• An inside look into what it’s like to go from writing as a hobby, to becoming a part-time or full-time author.
• Practical tips to help you motivate and re-inspire yourself when writing no longer feels fun or exciting.
• Helpful insights into what makes a story interesting.
• A simple writing exercise that will upgrade your storytelling skills and change the way you think about your stories.
• An open Q&A session where you can ask about anything from indie or traditional publishing, to beta readers and novel planning.

Click here to learn more or sign up!

Also, what’s one thing that you’re grateful for right now?

Let me know down in the comments!