Last year I wanted to see the New Year in with people. This year I wanted to be alone at home and realised that would mean I’d probably be woken by others wishing in the New Year in the tradition around here… I’m now awake at 4am and writing my first post of the New Year. Do you think I can go and set some fireworks off to wake up everyone who woke me with fireworks seemingly inside my bedroom at midnight?
OOh noo have I woken as a bah humbug anti-new year reveller? Oops! I could thank them for disturbing my sleep pattern enough so I catch my favourite radio programme at 4am on New Years Day and start the year writing early in the morning while everyone’s asleep (that’s another of my simple pleasures).
Happy New Year if I haven’t already said so 😉
Back to my New Years Day topic..
Each year I write a list of goals and randomly, throughout the year, see how I’m doing and try to complete them or gradually edge towards them to ease me into my new future. In 2010 one of my goals was to write a novel. I had no idea how or if it was at all possible. The same year I heard of a National Novel Writing Month. All I had to do was commit to that month of writing and hey presto I had a draft.. a very rough short draft that would be edited later… I now have 3 draft novels, none finished.
One of my goals in 2012 was to work out how I edit. Here’s my secret.. I’m VERY excited moving into 2013 as I really think I might have worked out how I edit. I say ‘how I edit’ as it’s no use focusing on how others write or edit. Each of us is different and you need to work out how you do it. That could take years. I started writing rather late in life and don’t feel I have the luxury of that sort of time.
I love writing and could happily do it daily though I’m sure my fingers and friends might complain eventually. What I’ve struggled with is the editing and finishing. Finally, fairy cake cases came to the rescue (I know.. mad or what!). Before everyone realises how amazing these are I wanted to post something here to show my use of them. I hit on the use of fairy cake cases when my house started filling up with them and I realised no-one could or should bake that many cakes. Once I started using them I realised how great they are. The different sizes and colours can be used for different scenes and people and books. I use them for individuals, families or groups of people, locations, characterisations and events. They can be mixed and matched, ordered and moved around to help with the sequencing. No spreadsheets for me! Give me a pack of cake cases with some coloured pens and I’m in my element for hours. That’s my editing secret..
Wish me well in finishing editing one of my draft novels in 2013!
ps I do realise you might think of this as planning not editing but for the novels I’ve got they’re already written and now need the editing/planning stage.. oops..
lynnelives 
Gives new meaning to post-it notes. Good for you, finding a quirky way of editing.
Thanks. I can do quirky. Plain editing I struggle with..
Hi Lynne, I’m very good at starting writing projects, not so good at finishing them, and absolutely terrible at editing! Like you, I have several unfinished NaNo novels – each with potential. I love your idea of using cup cake cases. Now I just need to find something that works for me….
Thanks Ruth, I had to be completely open to everything and find something I’d enjoy otherwise it would never happen. Good luck with finding your editing technique.
That is so cute. I do the same thing with note cards.
Thanks Michelle, so long as we find something that works for us it doesn’t matter what it is does it?
Fairy cake cases… I’ve never heard that term. I like it. Good luck!
Thanks! When it comes to editing, I’ll need all the luck and determination I can muster.
Some of them are larger muffin cases, but the smaller ones are for fairy cakes. We’ve recently started calling them cup cakes but I prefer the original title I grew up with.