House Cleaning and Revisions

Take a very close look at this picture.  This is my office - otherwise known as our living room.  What you can't really tell from this picture is that the room is - CLEAN!

I have no problem admitting I have a cleaning problem.  Let me re-word that - I have a problem with cleaning.  I am neat enough - everything has its place as I can't stand clutter. But I am not a huge fan of dusting, sweeping, mopping, until it's done, and then I'm thrilled!

It's a lot like revising - a necessary evil that must be done.  I was about 40,000 words into my WIP before we went on our 2 1/2 week family holiday in July. So when we returned I needed to re-read the manuscript in order to get back into the flow. And of course I just can't re-read - I end up revising at the same time. 

At this stage I'm okay with revising. It is way easier to catch issues half way through than to fix a completed manuscript. Revisions are a lot like dominoes - make one on Page 31, and you'd better remember to catch what it affects on Page 171. 

The problem with revising - the same one I have with cleaning - is that it never seems to end. There is always some way to make the manuscript better - and something that needs to be cleaned! That is where the similarities end, however. With revisions, at some point, a writer simply has to step back and say "Enough" and let the work stand on its own two feet. 

If only I could say "Enough!" to house-cleaning....

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