Tinkering with words

Last night my editor sent back notes on my third novel.  I love this part of the writing process.  I read through the manuscript, seeing how my editor has reacted to each page, and the process starts to feel more social, more collaborative.  Less lonely.

Best of all, the really difficult invention work is more or less done.  Now I get to play with sentences, cutting out all the extra, unnecessary words and phrases, polishing what's left behind.  The poet side of my personality loves this part of writing--this moment when every single word counts.

I also appreciate the chance to spend more time with my characters.  It's as though I've moved away to another state, and now I get to fly back for an extended visit.