Step by Step

I've found that the editing process—even more than the drafting process—can be overwhelming. 

A few changes here or there to a chapter aren't too difficult to handle, but when one chapter needs an overhaul (like Chapter 12 of The Engineer's Craft) I find that the sheer amount of things I need to change can paralyze me. If I have a few minutes to write at the end of the day, I skip the opportunity because it feels like I have to take on the chapter all at once. My brain seems to think: what's the point of starting something if I'm not going to finish it within the next half hour? 

To combat this, I'm trying to visualize each change I need to make as its own section. 

I don't need to sit down and rewrite all of Chapter 12 in one day; I just need to sit down and write a short paragraph or two about Anwen accidentally dropping her pouch full of the Luminarium's stones and Bartus going to help her pick them up. I don't need to add Ilmar into every single scene after the undead fires (he originally died on the ice-crossing, but now I'm saving his death for later). Just one scene, give one line of dialogue to him, or give him one significant moment with Bartus before his death.

Step by step, the editing process continues. 

In all honesty, I'm incredibly excited about the end result of this edit. I've written five books in my life, but haven't gone back to edit any of them as extensively as I have The Engineer's Craft. And I can feel a difference. With each edit, the book becomes more real to me. I'm more proud of this book than anything I've ever written—more than anything else, it has potential.

I know that there's still a high likelihood that it doesn't go anywhere. But with this story, I'm at least letting myself hope that it can reach some audience, no matter how small. And right now, that's enough for me.