I was delighted to interview Johnny Evans who is the author of a modern day epic poem called Screaming Ravens. It was great to talk to him about the difference between writing poetry, a novel and screenplays, all of which he writes.
We talked about the surreal moment, that involved a cemetery, the moon and a walkway of light, when he realised that he would be a writer for his whole life and the way that as he has grown older and wiser, the doubts and fears that cause writers block have mostly given way to an assurance in his own writing. He says that if we don’t have faith in our own writing, they how can we expect our reader to have faith in it.
That doesn’t mean that everything he writes comes out word perfect. In fact, he talked about the fact that his work can be edited up to twenty times before he decides to stop. He talked about that he will do four or five edits himself, before he sends his work to an editor. He said, “Nothing initial is perfect.”
And from my own experience I suspect that nothing we publish will ever be described as perfect. I know that when I read my own books, I can always find something to change, even though they went through multiple edits before I decided enough was enough and took the plunge to share my writing with the world.
What struck me in the conversation is how matter of fact he talked about the editing process. It is an integral part of a writer’s journey and something to be welcomed not abhorred. It is not a statement about the quality of our writing, it’s just a stage that a book needs to go through, to make it a better experience for the reader.
Listen to the recording to hear a whole lot more about what it’s like Inside an Author’s Mind.
If you want to know more about self-editing your work why not join me on my six week online editing programme that starts on 3rd November 2020.
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