It’s always a bit of a surprise to me that I still don’t know what my ideal process for anything creative is. It might have to do with my nature, which is likely not as “fickle” as I once thought but just not built for the kind of structure the rest of the world has. Right now, I’m looking more at how I really want to do things and embracing all of those tucked away parts of myself and life is getting easier. Still figuring it all out, but I think I’m getting the hang of listening to myself more ٩(•̤̀ᵕ•̤́๑)

Recently, I’ve started editing Rini & Butler again. I think this is my last edit before I actually start holding it out to people. I have tried before but it was quite half-hearted and my growth since then has made me want to make a lot of changes to the work. I still have the issue of thinking my work is not good enough, but I’ve relaxed how I feel about that sentiment and am less harsh on myself about it (´｡• ᵕ •｡`)

The current draft of Rini & Butler I have is from 2022, and I think it’s the third or fourth iteration (the first two drafts were really more about refining the work line-edit wise before it evolved). That’s how long it has been since I’ve touched the work. I have so many projects and when they’re nearly done, I think I get afraid of them. But as May progresses, so too have I! I’m already three chapters in and am luckily having a good time and am definitely adding to the story. I’m even taking it to work. I think my issues with my writing (doing it and how I feel about it) are effectively over. Not that they don’t exist anymore, but just that they don’t bother me nearly as much.

Editing for me has always been a bit difficult. I did it professionally for a while and was told that I am quite good at it by authors I worked with. I do enjoy editing and developed quite the skill for it when I was working for Publisher X, but working on other people’s work encumbered me with a lot of reading and editing to the point where I didn’t have the energy to do those things in my own time. Now that I don’t work there anymore, I don’t really have that issue but have found it difficult to get into editing on the computer. I spend a lot of time on the computer but I prefer to be hands-on, it helps with my memory and comprehension. I write on the computer because my wrists can’t handle writing longhand for more than a few pages (occupational injury). I still keep notebooks on my works and carry a notebook for scribbles everywhere but the days of writing full short stories on pen and paper for me are over. So, what have I done? I printed my draft out. And it has helped. Immensley.

I didn’t want to print my draft out at first, because I’ve tried to adapt most of my projects to digital form so that I’m not using much more paper than my notebooks and sketchbooks and am actively making the changes as I go, but I just couldn’t get the same output from editing digitally. Have printed it out has made it so much easier for me. For a number of reasons:

• I can see it, so I’m less likely to forget it’s on the agenda
• I can hold it in my hands so it exists more to me and occupies more space in my mind
  • this often leads to better insight about what I’m reading when it comes to my own writing. I seem to notice things more when I’m moving my hands over the page as opposed to scrolling and clicking
• I can take it anywhere
• I can adjust how I’m looking at something with ease
• I have complete flexibility over how I put my notes in
• the act of having my manuscript in my hand itself is motivating

How I combat the feeling of wasting paper is that it’s not a waste. I am using it for my benefit and will re-use it for a craft project later (I do this for a lot of my loose paper now, either craft or memos and project planning).

At this rate, I’m hoping to have this edit of Rini & Butler completed by the end of June or July. Afterwards, my current plan is to do a complete rewrite with the new edits and new scenes so that I’m taking it apart with an opportunity to add more as I go if I need to. Rini & Butler was originally written with a word cap, but now that it doesn’t apply there’s a lot to be worked on. I’m hoping this overhaul/edit will be completed by Litha at the latest. I will continue to post updates in here as I go and so we’ll see ( 〃▽〃)

Wishing everyone happy creativity, whatever your medium is. May we all find freedom to be happy in our creativity °˖✧◝(⁰▿⁰)◜✧˖°