I won't bother counting the words in this post until I paste them into my rebellious catch-all Camp NaNoWriMo document. I already know this one will surpass the hundred-word limit.
So, what does editing have to do with anxiety, you may be asking. Does editing make you anxious?
Quite the opposite. My feelings on editing range from neutral to positive. However, I very recently made the decision to let editing do the heavy lifting when it comes to earning income from literary pursuits so my writing can become therapeutic again. In attempting to generate social currency through submitting stories to anthologies on a monthly basis, I was starting to feel like a content mill.
I wasn't enjoying writing anymore. Since writing is an addiction that won't kill me as quickly as booze and drugs, falling out of love with it is catastrophic. I no longer had any place to channel my anxiety, and the fragile peace I'd formed with myself was falling apart fast.
Editing is a skill I've become adept at rather than a craft that holds profound personal importance for me. The fact that editing does not have the same significance has allowed writing to return to being a healing force rather than a source of misery.
And now for something completely different!
No, not a man with three buttocks.
It's an act of shameless self-promotion.
If you're looking for a line and copy editor plus a very nitpicky (but never harsh) proofreader, check out the details here.
Mention that you saw the link here and take advantage of a fifty percent discount.
I never thought that editing would be helpful in combating anxiety, but it is, at least for me.
Some people might find the reverse to be true.
~Ornery Owl Has Speaken Spoken~
Image by Çiğdem Onur from Pixabay
"Sorry to hear that He Who Must Not Be Named stole your broom, Harry, but I can keep you company on the way to the Mystical Library. Say, did I ever tell you about the time I reviewed this book that contained almost nothing but really bad dialogue? I joke you not! There were barely any setting or action descriptions. Just bad dialogue, terrible dialogue, and worse dialogue. Did I mention the dialogue was bad? It was really awful. The absolute worst!"
"Sort of like this conversation, then?"
"Yes, exactly! My brain hurt so much when I finally finished with that mess!"
If He Who Must Not Be Named hadn't also stolen Harry's earbuds and super wizardy phone, he'd surely be listening to the Wacky Submission Wednesday Synthwave mix!
I am so glad that editing is therapeutic for you.
ReplyDeleteI love a bit of shameless self promotion. Editing is fun. I don't do it professionally, but I enjoy working with editors on my short stories and longer manuscripts. I also worked with some of the contributing authors while curating the I Used to be an Animal Lover anthology.
ReplyDeletehttps://dacairns.com.au/blog/f/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-e
It's great that you've found something to love that can be a calming thing. I'm an editor as well and genuinely love it.
ReplyDelete