Work avoidance

Editing, while my stock in trade, can sometimes be a drag; any work can become a chore when you'd like to be doing something else.

I had all the classic symptoms: I tidied my desk, got out the sticky arrows I needed and lined them up, unwrapped a new Post-it(tm) note pad, re-arranged the coloured pens, fixed my editing board - the hinge was loose - went and made myself another cup of coffee, checked the dogs, then the rain gauge, re-filed some of my cds, made a phone call; then printed out the copy for editing.

Of course, while that was happening, I had to check my e-mail, some of the blogs I read, the news...

When I realised what I was doing, I stopped myself and got on with it.

Yes, I can say I concentrated until my brother dropped in for a cuppa tea, then we sat and watched the Bears-Vikings game before I returned to do more pages.

It's not that the book is boring; I like it. It's the volume of work to be done and the time it takes. The writing part is (ha!) the easy bit; the editing, well now, that takes more concentration, more thought and more care.

I've done 52 pages and only two of those are clean. The first twenty pages though... oy... are covered in red pen and sticky arrows. I can see, however, that after those pages, I was in 'The Groove'. Text flows much easier and there are fewer paragraphs to re-write. (I am shite at the first thirty-odd pages.)

The dogs need feeding now which is another delaying tactic. Tomorrow is another day, and I have the rest of the week to do all I need before the family arrives for Christmas. I hope it's enough time.