I’m in rewrite mode. And for those of you who know me, you likely know, editing is not necessarily my thing.

Details, complexity, clarifying… you know what I mean?

  • Half of you are like, “I get it!”
  • And the other half are probably thinking – “Writing is 75% editing. Don’t be a baby.”

The first half are likely divergent thinkers – as I am, and the 2nd half are likely convergent thinkers. Divergent thinkers like to generate ideas – come up with wild and unusual concepts. Convergent thinkers really shine when the creative work-at-hand is selecting and perfecting.

Divergent thinkers allow their minds to go everywhere, look for odd and unusual possibilities. They seek quantity of ideas over quality. Convergers grab the thoughts and bring them in. They seek focus. They select, edit and perfect.

I am a divergent thinker. I was a professional brainstormer and strategist for 20+ years. Why? Bec I could generate ideas at the drop of a hat – and some of them were good. (That was up to the Convergers to decide later.) Many showed up on national TV, and I’d say: That was my idea. Cool.

For me, rewriting can be overwhelming. I can lose the vision. Get bogged down in details. Forget to play and have fun. If you’re not having fun, guess what, neither is your reader.

So, I’m slogging through a 400+ page manuscript.

What is a divergent gal like me to do? I’ve come up with a few tactics that seem to be helping me, so I’ll share them here.

  1. Keep it short.
    – I edit one hour at a time.
  2.  Keep it fun.
    – Go in to the few pages you’re editing one day, and live there. Have fun in the scene, with the characters.
  3.  Take separate editing passes on the book
    – Don’t try to edit for every kind of change at once.
    – I edit for plot/storyline first. Do I like the story? Its point? Am I using the best events to make that point?
    – Next, I edit for secondary characters – is their story compelling? consistent POV? developed sufficiently?
    – For me, then, I’ll edit for “funny.” I’m writing a comedic novel… add the funny in a separate pass, so you’re not bogged down, when you’re trying to be funny
    – Lastly, I’ll edit for any social awareness I’m creating… have I offended? have I put forward my worldview in an entertaining (not didactic) way?
  4. Reward Yourself
    – What’s one thing your brain likes? A little step outside? A piece of chocolate? A game of solitaire? A song. A little jig? Some TV? Reward your brain with its equivalent of a sticker.

I often wish this novel were ‘effing done! (You can feel the fun in that, right?) It is important that we take into account who we are as creators, and what will work for how our brains like to think when planning to undertake any big thing, be it writing or rewriting.

What kind of thinker are you? How does it affect your writing habits? Interesting questions, right?

You could get your thinking process and preferences professionally assessed with a Decoding Your Creative Mind set of three creativity assessments. Once you know better, you work better.