- edithead noun
- ed•it•head [‘e-dət-hed]
- plural editheads
- 1 a : slang someone who enjoys, researches aspects of, and spends an inordinate amount of time editing
- b : informal : a devoted fan of editing
OK, so I made all that up. But why not give edithead a chance to join its well-established, illustrious kin like Deadhead, hardhead, egghead, & __head? (I imagine you just generated your own mental list of cousin words, some of which are no doubt excellent for venting or starting a fight.)
I’m fully aware that my latest contribution to the English language has about as much chance of finding its way into mainstream usage as my first self-published book had of elbowing its way into the ranks of breakout novels.
What can I say? For me, playing with words is part of the allure of storytelling, so why not coin my own as a lead-in to a post about my newfound appreciation of editing?
Now, I admit that in the past after finishing a rough draft, I tended to adhere to the poor-pitiful-me school of thought championed by more than one self-editing, self-publishing author (see the lion’s share of my previous posts). I grumbled, I whined, I bemoaned my fate with the best of them as if I were stuck in the bowels of copyediting hell with my list of revisions looming over me like the sword of Damacles.
But when I started writing this post about the progress I’ve made after several weeks of a deep dive into the copyediting netherworld, I had an epiphany of sorts. I’ve actually been enjoying the challenges of proofreading my serialized companion novel before its upcoming launch on Kindle Vella.
So I decided then & there to change my game. Going forward, I intend to embrace editing as a journey in its own right, releasing it from the shackles of my rendition of the independent author’s lament.
Instead of fixating on this or that second guess about my choice not to hire a professional editor, for example, I’m determined to lean into a side of myself I’ve never truly appreciated.
The way I see it, not only am I essentially paying myself $1500-2000 to edit my latest novel (a typical fee for a professional from my limited understanding), but I’m also learning new skills, exploring helpful resources, & gaining confidence in my overall writing chops.
Not a bad place to be on this independent author journey of mine.
Till next time.
Drew Faraday, Edithead
