Editing

I have received the Cover and Interior proofs of my novel. I now face the daunting task of painstakingly going through each and every word, piece of punctuation, chapter name, character descriptor, phrase of dialogue, etc. This is gruelling stuff. Why? Well, this is the final thing I must do before I unleash my work on the public. Once that's done, I cannot take it back. Part of me, the crazed perfectionist part, is cringing. What if I miss something? What if I say someone has blue eyes on one page and then fifty pages later they're green?!? I'll be laughed at, mocked horribly. What if I put a comma in the wrong place. Lynn Truss will have a field day with her sharpie. (Aspiring writers, please read her riotous work Eats, Shoots, and Leaves.) At some point, however, I know I will just have to let it go. Ultimately my goal is to be read, and in order for that to happen, I need to stop picking at it.

What this all comes down to is this: I need to finish editing and just say that this is the best it will be. I am happy with my story. My characters are who I want them to be. My plot moves in the direction it should. I need to trust that the people who read my book will like it. Or not. It is out of my hands now.

In other news: I have been asked to perform again. There is a holiday cabaret going on with Steppin' Out Theatrical Productions on December 5th at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts. Check out their website for more details. Also, if you don't have tickets yet for Angelwalk Theatre's first show of the season Off Broadway On Stage, it is most certainly worth a look. It will be an awesome night of fun, laughs, and great music at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. (Don't sell it Rob Ford!) Go here for more details.