Editing is a labor of love.

I've heard a lot of people say otherwise, but I would have to totally disagree. Yes, it can be a little daunting and a lot like a "job" even if you are just doing it as a side project, but since undertaking a friend's project I have expanded my knowledge of the field tenfold. Okay, not that much, but still. Between researching different techniques and exploring what works best for me, I have not only found how to make the best of it, but I have also benefited my own writing as well. Take for example last night. This is a situation that has plagued me since the beginning, but I have always wondered how in the world the books you get at the stores have such neat margins. Everything is so crisp! Now, I think most of us who write on our PCs and use Microsoft may have noticed that their new and improved version isn't all that user friendly sometimes. At least I have. I've spent hours of my time trying to figure out how to do it until, finally, I began to think, maybe this is just a trick of the trade that professional editors have and I will never be able to achieve myself. But I don't give up that easily. I surfed the web looking for programs and downloads that might solve my problem. I found nothing. Eventually I came to a site that talked about "justifying" your document. Now, once upon a time I knew how to do this. Not so much anymore. Every step I was told to use just didn't apply to my program, until I found the shortcut "Ctrl J". Now my document and any project I undertake looks superbly professional just as I've always dreamed they would. Why does everything have to be so ridiculously difficult and yet so easy!

I have also been writing again. It's been so long I feel like I am reconnecting with an old friend. Now, I think there a couple of reasons why I am feeling motivated again. One, I am curiously without a book to read. Seriously, it's like losing an arm or something. But I have always noticed that my creative mind blossoms when it isn't being shushed by the creative genius of others. Still, it's so much fun! I wish I could do both without the nasty side-effects. Second, I am really enjoying the company of my fellow Book Junkies on Facebook. They are a great team of fellow indie writers that offer great support and suggestions or even just a friendly hello. I am finding that reaching out and making connections can be very rewarding, even if it's just spiritually.

Let's see.....

Ah, yes. I have been expanding my musical selection on playlist.com and beefing up my iPod like a fiend lately. Usually, I search for musical suggestions in places like blip.com where I can see what everyone in my community is listening to, and I tend to get a lot of good stuff. But I always have another source, and that is books. Yes, books. One of my fav authors is J.R. Ward and she is always good for a handful of awesome songs or artists in each of her novels. In her last installment to the Black Dagger Brotherhood series Lover Unleashed (amazing read, btw) she introduced me to Black Veil Brides and Rick Ross. Can I just say, I love that woman. Her mind is a beautiful thing. For all my hardcore musical choices, my new theme (you know, the one that follows you around as you strut your stuff- like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever) is Adele's new song Rolling in the Deep. Now that is something I can jam to while writing, editing, cleaning, what have you. It's just awesome.