When I was little, I liked to say my name out loud, over and over - because eventually it sounded foreign and unfamiliar. Even words we use all the time, like the can sound really peculiar the more times you say it.
That's the feeling I'm having with the latest round of Cat and the Dreamer edits. The more I consider whether that word, the comma is correct, the more removed I feel from the text, until - after reading the sentence over and over - it makes no sense. Argh!
I hope this is just my perception and it will all make total sense when it's finally finished. But it does spookily echo a dream I had the other night - my first sentence was gobbledygook, and I when my eyes focused on the text, I'd misspelled 'stuck', among others, and I woke up in a complete panic.
(On a related note: I spell-checked this post because I wasn't sure how to spell gobbledygook. The spell-checker had that word, but doesn't know spookily! How strange!)
When my sentences stop making sense, I move on!
ReplyDeletewhen i edit too much, the story doesn't sound like me anymore, like i'm trying too hard to impress my readers. i don't like reading stories where it sounds like the author was trying to make every word perfect.
ReplyDeleteI've certainly over-edited in the past. I think I've learnt my lesson. And yes, I agree, with some authors it's like they just sat with a thesaurus and used EVERY word in it!
DeleteDefinitely time to stop for a cuppa :-)
ReplyDeleteYep, definitely!
DeleteI've stared at words thinking they looked so weird - and their words I use (and spell) every day. Sometimes things just don't look right. That's when I get my I-pod out and listen to music and drink some caffeine. LOL!
ReplyDeleteGood luck,
Michelle
www.Michelle-Pickett.com
Author of Concilium, available July 2012
Concilium: The Departure, November 2012
PODs, available June 2013
See, I used the wrong "There" in the sentence in my first post. I think it's time for that caffeine!
DeleteI remember once completely forgetting how to spell 'the'. The mind works in mysterious ways.
DeleteThat was a favourite game of mine when I was a child. You can make any word sound alien if you say it often enough... enough enough enough enough ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you need a bit of a break and then you'll be able to get back to editing with a clearer head.
Actually, I'm all done. That's the beauty of a novella - I'm finding it's not taking me that long to get to the end.
DeleteI love the sound of specific words. My favorite: apprehensive. (I think it goes back to when I first heard it).
ReplyDeleteAs far as the commas; I'm very bad with punctuation. Although, I've been reading some helpful guides lately, very simplified, and it has helped.
I love punctuation. I'm a huge semi-colon fan!
DeleteDoesn't it seem bizarre that there is a correct way to write gobbledygook?
ReplyDeleteLol yes. And I originally spelt it wrong!
DeleteIsn't that the strangest phenomenon, when you say or look at a word so long it no longer looks right?? I think you have a beautiful name.
ReplyDeleteThank you Melissa.
DeleteThat's why you should rather read over your sentences and only stop when something jumps out at you. Also, that's what crit partners are for. ;-)
ReplyDeleteVery weird that the spell-checker doesn't have spookily.
Thanks for following my blog!
I'd got down to the nitty-gritty, moving the comma two words to the right type of editing. Glad it's all over now!
DeleteI can't say I've ever had the problem when editing, but when I have to say a word that's new to me or that I've only seen in writing, then I get confused at times. English is so strange.
ReplyDeleteStrange but wonderful. I can spend ages reading through my thesaurus searching for the right words!
DeleteHi, Annalisa
ReplyDeleteOh, I always have to look up gobbledygook - even now, I had to scroll up to check!
Yes, sometimes words blur in front of me or nothing makes sense. I usually step away, go for a walk, that sort of thing.
By the way, thanks for following my blog. Please pop over and see my latest post - I have a blog award waiting for you. :)
Thank you Joanne!
DeleteAny writer who can spell "gobbledygook" is all right in my book.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to my blog Rick, and thanks for the follow - hopefully it's not totally full of gobbledygook!
DeleteGobbledygook, sounds cool to me. This is quite an interesting post.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Melissa.
DeleteHey Annalisa, I have a couple awards for you over on my blog. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel, I'll check them out :-)
Deletethere's an award for you at my blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle, I'm popping over now!
Delete