What do I mean by the artist vs. the editor? Well, this month’s theme is all about how to edit our stories. But within one writer is–or should be–both the creative artist and the analytical editor. Both personalities are critical for creating a story readers will enjoy. But the artist and the editor don’t play well together, so it’s important for writers to recognize when to hang out with the one and when to send the other packing.
First Draft Torture
I find writing the first draft of any story almost torture. Because my pesky internal editor won’t leave my artist alone. I can be in the middle of a conversation between several characters, and my editor is saying, “You’re using ‘said’ too much. Put in some action tags” when my goal at this point is to establish the fact that Mrs. Murphy saw Old Man Willis sneaking around the abandoned Simmons house a few hours before it burned. And all my editor can see is that I’ve used too many “saids”!
But When the First Draft is Finished …
It’s time to roll my sleeves, put on my hard hat, and do some serious reconstruction and polishing. This not the time for my artist to skip in and tell me, “You know, Mrs. Murphy is a fascinating character. You should add more scenes with her.” Or “Do you really want Mayor Haggerty to be the murderer? Old Man Willis might be better.”
The artist can distract me with tantalizing variations on the story I’ve completed. But if I’m working on a deadline, I have to send her off to a field to frolic with unicorns and the Eater Bunny.
In My Experience
I’ve had much greater trouble with my editor during the first draft phase than I do with the artist in the editorial phase. Probably because the artist is so exhausted by the time I get to “The End”, that she appreciates a vacation.
In reality, writers can’t totally separate their artistic side from their analytical side, but I’ve found I have to focus primarily on one or the other. I don’t mind doing a few edits as I write my first draft. Or writing a new scene when my editor sees a need. But if I give both sides of the writing process equal weight at the same time, writing becomes drudgery, and I wear myself out.
So in the battles of the artist vs. the editor, who do you have the most trouble with?