I'm resistant to change. I know, shocking, right? It seems everyone in the world is hipper than I am these days. They listen to bands I've never heard of devices I couldn't possbily work with an owner's manual and pictures. A few years back, my office went paperless. I still can't work half the programs.
I'm not a technophobe. I'm willing to learn. I can navigate my way around the net and eventually I catch on. But I'm trying something new, which is actually something old.
I'm editing on paper.
Yup. Don't call the Green Police, but editing on my computer just wasn't cutting it for this latest project. Finally, I printed the ms and went after it with a highlighter and pen.
I love it.
No distractions. No internet beckoning. I'm totally portable. I find that I'm reading the prose differently. I'm seeing it differently as well. I can lay out the chapters, compare them.
I don't know that I'll always edit books this way, but sometimes it's nice to go unplugged. In this case, stepping away from the computer really broke the logjam for me.
Next I might try writing a novel with pen and paper.
Naw! I'm not that crazy.
Or am I?
I always edit a hard copy. I write notes all over the place, rewrite entire scenes on the backs of the pages - stuff I can't do on the laptop (and I'm not about to shell out for a tablet.)
ReplyDeleteBut, on the other hand, I shred and recycle drafts I no longer need - so it all evens out in the end. :D
I'd forgotten how liberating paper can be. But yes, I'm like Fred in the picture above, freaking out when I'm really only inches from the floor. This is how I embrace change: with both arms clutched round its neck screaming bloody murder.
ReplyDeleteI always edit a few times on the computer but do end up printing it out & doing it again. You just catch more on paper. I've planted a few trees outta guilt. 'Sall good :)
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