Two nights in a row now, I've skimmed the Advance Reader Copy for Fairer than Morning. It's only seven weeks until release. I try to imagine how those words will appear to someone reading them for the first time.
And I can't. I'm word blind, text blind, story blind, whatever you want to call it. I can read little chunks, but I can no longer absorb the story as a whole, as an organic development from beginning to end. I have read it too many times, edited it, proofread it word by word in the galleys.
And I'm kind of glad I can't read it right now. That way, it's all a big mystery to me. It's almost as if I didn't even write it myself.
It's also helpful because I'm working on my third novel, and I'm glad I can't be distracted by random thoughts about the first novel. I can finally relax and enjoy the process of original creation, in a way I haven't really been able to enjoy it for weeks.
The funny thing is, I know that I'm word blind in a different way as I write this first draft of novel #3. I've switched off the editing side of my brain so I don't worry too much about an adverb here and there, or word echoes, or any of the other stuff that drove me batty in the galley stage of Fairer than Morning.
Word blindness can have blessings.
Do you get word or story blind? Can you switch it on and off? What do you do when you go word or story blind, but you're not finished editing? Do you have any tricks to enable yourself to read your story again with new eyes?
21 comments:
How exciting that you have your ARCs, Rosslyn. It won't be long until others are holding your creation in their hands. I'm looking forward to reading your story.
I find that switching from reading on screen to reading on hard copy can help me see my story with fresh eyes. Another trick is to have my computer read aloud. Hearing the words can help me process the story differently.
My third novel became like that for me. So many eyes had been on it.
I've heard some great tips. Read it aloud, hang it out on a laundry line, have someone else read it to you, etc.
Word blind. Like this term for it.
~ Wendy
This happens to me very very fast! If I read something I've written more than a couple times and I am no longer able to look at it with fresh eyes. Which makes me all kinds of nervous and is why I often bite my nails while my crit partners have my latest novel.
Hi Rossylnn,
Congrats on the ARCs. Fun!
I love my novel that debuts in May, but if I have to read it one more time I think I'll go batty.:) It brings a whole new meaning to, "Can't see the forest for the trees." Can't see the book for the words.
I like to have my computer read to me too as Keli mentioned, but it's not built in to my old one, I don't think. I used to have a program for this but it died too. I'll have to look for this again because I could use it for book 2 that I'm working on.
This definitely happens to me too. If I'm editing something, and I know it needs work but my brain just refuses to make any sense of the words, I have to put it aside for a while. What Keli said is true too - hard copy is somehow different from print.
I'm sure I don't have any new tricks to add. When I was reading that, I thought, you'd need a fresh reader.
I love Keli's comment about reading things on hard copy. Since I'm a tightwad and don't like wasting paper and ink :), I wait until I have the story as perfect as I can. Then I pay to have it printed at the UPS Store and read it all the way through. It's amazing how paper changes perspective.
I really never thought of it, but that explains some of my feelings. I have set my WIP aside for quite a while now to prepare for a conference so it will be interesting to see if I can "see" it.
Congrats and blessings.
Hi Rosslyn-- HOW exciting that "Fairer than Morning" releases so soon. I can't WAIT to read it and (of course) will review it on my blog. Yay! I totally had the same feeling. When I got final edits (before my ARCs went out) and I called Rachelle and said "I can't read this... everything feels so flat and out of sort and terrible" and she told me it was a totally normal feeling for authors. That was a relief!!
I don't think I could read it, either (I would be too nervous/excited/self-conscious.)
Looking forward to holding a copy in my hands!
Lorena
PS. The interview with Nick Harrison from Harvest House is up!
http://divinesecretsofthewritingsisterhood.blogspot.com/2011/02/interview-with-editor-nick-harrison.html
Keli - I need to try that read-aloud trick! Even my Kindle can do it now.
Wendy - that would be one LONG laundry line. :-)
Katie - I love beta readers for that reason. A really good friend of mine just read the mss. of my second novel for the trilogy and gave me some great feedback.
Jill - I know, it's amazing to me how many times we must read our novels during the editing process! It's one of those things that we never suspect until it happens.
Elisabeth - I've also considered putting it into a different font for re-reading. My eyes get tired of Times New Roman.
Mary - Thank goodness it's about to get its real readers. I'm ready to put that baby to bed.
Sarah - I do that too. The entire paper manuscript is necessary for me if I'm really reading. I can't read as well on the screen.
Jan - I always benefit from not seeing it for a while, which is why it's nice that it takes a few months to get edits back on a mss.
Erin - Ha! That's similar to how I felt the other night. Rachelle is good at explaining these things.
Lorena - Going over to see Nick's interview!
Hi Rosslyn -
Wow! 7 weeks? Your launch date is almost here.
Yes, I get the whole concept of being word blind. At this point, reading my manuscript is almost useless. First readers, critiquers, and contests all expose those areas needing work.
Blessings,
Susan :)
I like your 'word blind' term better than my 'brain dead', which is how it feels to me when I'm trying to work through my umpteenth revision. I like doing revisions for a while. Then I reach a point when I start to panic because my tweaking seems endless and ineffective.
I have to give it some distance... a couple weeks or even months... then print out my latest version and read right through it. I usually have stickers on hand to mark any trouble spots, but I try not to stop and fix anything because I know I'll lose the flow. Reading into a recording device and playing it back is helpful with shorter work, but I haven't tried it yet with a whole novel.
It must be exciting to see those ARCs and know that the release date is coming soon. I wish you much success with FAIRER THAN MORNING. :)
I have to get space and time from it to be able to read it and see what needs to be done.
So happy for you!!
You will do fine. Let God's eyes work for awhile!
Patti
That's so incredible! I'm wishing you the best.
I do get this way. I think we're so deep into our writing, so crowded into each corner, that it's difficult to step away and see the whole room again.
I wish I could give you a hug! How exciting that your story is going to be out so soon!!! And yes, I think as authors we are 'work' blind in general after that first draft. Why that is, I just don't know. Perhaps if years passed we could read our work from a readers perspective. I sure hope so!
This is such a cool reflection Rosslyn, for lack of a better word to describe it. But it reminds me how complex our brains are, how agile in allowing us to, at times, be writer, and other times, be editor. I have experienced reading some of my work and feeling as if it came from something/one other than me. In fact, I often think it does. Some would call this a muse. With certain pieces, though, I would call it the Holy Spirit.
I do wish we lived closer so we could meet and share all of these exhilarating moments of the writing life together. I really do appreciate you and all the beautiful thoughts you bring into my world.
I got to the "word blind" phase after working for years on my first novel... I knew it wasn't polished yet but I just couldn't work on it anymore. I was totally blind.
In the meantime I have written two other books, but it's fun to go back and re-read the first one after the "blindness" passed (it took a couple years!) I still see the flaws, but I also see the great story that was in there hiding. I just need to become a better more experienced writer before I can bring that story out. I'm sure you have some old projects like that, too, I think most writers (who persist with their craft) do. Anyway, when you described "world blind" it immediately reminded me of that frustrating time when I just had to move on to a new project. Praise the Lord for new projects!
Word blind - been there, done that, and struggled with it.
Someone once told me to try "reading it backwards" - that this would make the words fresh.
Just made me confused. I find the only real solution is to give it some time, and then go back to it.
You sound like you are in a good place in your writing process. Good for you!
This is interesting to think about. I think, in general, I tend to get too focused on the nitty-gritty and sometimes lose focus of the bigger picture, the overall story being told.
Good thoughts here, as always!
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