Symptoms of Editingosis
July 21st, 2008 by --KALEB NATION--
Alas, I think I have fallen prey to the dreaded condition of Editingosis. In the Guide to Authorly Conditions, Editingosis is defined as
[...] temporary affliction which plagues writers, usually in the second half of the year, in which the afflicted suffers from bouts of forgetfulness, untidiness, unkempt appearance and frequent whining [...] This is caused by editing taking so much brain power, there is simply not enough left for trivial matters such as Housework, Entertainment, Sunlight or Getting Out Of The Apartment.
It isn’t only me who’s out and about doing edits: loads of other writers are celebrating Revisions Season with me. I woke up this morning, after a wonderful didn’t-end-until-2-AM-but-I-got-2500-bloody-words-cut day of editing yesterday, only to find that many of my usual duties have gone undone.
To my utter shock and surprise, not only were my dishes crying out for my attention, but some absent-minded person had left more mess all over the bed.
The problem with Editingosis is that things really aren’t as bad as the condition makes you believe, and I quite possibly could get outside, see that glowing golden ball of gas, and dart back inside, and still make my deadline. I think by spending so much time revising, I’m violating my own editor’s commands:
Me: Yes, yes! Summertime! I’ll edit all day, every day!
Editor: Good. But make sure you get outside and have some fun this summer too.
Me (singing): All day, every day! All day, every day!
Editor: Great. One of THOSE authors…
All things are going very well. Just yesterday, in fact, I managed to cut about 2,500 words of plot meandering in one sitting. That is a lot of meandering, and has no place in a finished novel, so I’m actually very happy these word cuts are forcing me to be creative with the limbs of this book I chop off, armed only with a pen and two keyboards (yes, I have two keyboards).
My family was particularly disgusted after my previous post, in which I said a certain loverly (and wickedly unpleasant) character was taken out. You have to remember that they have seen this book in every stage, from the first draft when I was 14 all the way to now. They pretty much know all the characters who were in and are now out, and all the histories and backstories from each draft. So, to oblige them, I have decided to at least make a mention of the character I killed, just to keep her out of the Prison of Removed Characters until the next book. And after the book is out, I’ll take one of my commenter’s suggestion and post the deleted scene on here.
Somebody emailed and asked if I could show my writing notebook. I actually have a bunch of different writing notebooks and printouts and notes, and at the moment a few of them are sitting in a General State of Disorder on my side desk:
You can’t really read much of it but that’s they way it’s sitting on my desk right now. The big notebook to the right is an enormous, 11×14 inch drawing pad I use for plotting scenes out and working out notes (on that page in particular, I’m working out some gnome business). Then, on the left, I have two smaller notebooks. The corner of the printout is (by pure coincidence) partially covering an important piece of information (he he).
I have this melody playing in my head right now that I will probably be recording very soon into a new song. When I say that, it could be weeks before it is finished, but that melody is the beginning. Also, I have two very important interviews coming up: one with me, and one with someone else.
Posted in College, Writing
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July 21st, 2008 at 1:09 pm
I love this blog so much that I mentioned you on mine. Hope that’s ok!
Good luck with your editing!
July 21st, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I love your secret nerdfighterness.
PS DFTBA Indeed!
Also, poor gnomes!
July 21st, 2008 at 2:14 pm
Show writing “notebook”? Very funny. No writer has just one.
Yes, glance at the sun. Clean up. At least you still feed yourself, probably in order to keep from getting so hungry that you eat your manuscript.
2500 IS a lot. Longer than some short stories. Approx. 10 pages worth. A whole chapter, sometimes.
July 21st, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Catherine starts shouting, “He’s alive! He’s ALIVE! Everyone, KALEB IS ALIVE!”
July 21st, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Those notebooks look exactly like my writing notebooks look!
And I’m glad you finally posted an entry!!!!
July 21st, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Kaleb, have you not heard of paper plates, bowls, and disposable utensils? It would save you valuable time, not good materila for picture taking though. Folding clothes is overrated unless it’s a button up, t-shirts look good wrinkled. Save the brain power for the editing. Go get some sun before you look like a Washington lifetime resident!
July 21st, 2008 at 7:25 pm
haha Your journls look a bit like mine. Like I told you earlier, though, mine have doodles. I bet your mom is cringing at the pictures of your messes. It’s pretty bad when I get like that because I’m simply writing the book. I’m going to die before Bran Hambric comes out, Kaleb. haha I want to read your book SO bad! By just reading your blogs, I KNOW your book is going to be amazing. You’re such a character!
Oh, by the way, my best friend just came over, saw the pictures, and said that you need to do your dishes. haha I stuck up for you! I’m sure your book is going to be AMAZING, so don’t stress too much.
Take a little bit of time off and relax. Or do I need to tie you up for a couple of days? It’s for your own good! 
July 21st, 2008 at 10:55 pm
aww, your poor dishes and clothes. you are so neglecting. shame on you.
Oh, and i still have yet to get that picture of the gnome on the internet. But i will, i promise.
i hope you dont die or wither awat or something from lack of sunlight because you dont go outside at all during editing. go out and search your local supermarket or grocerey store [whatever you call it] for some pringles… my friends and i got 10 cans for $10! most amazing thing i’ve ever bought at a grocery store. I think pringles should be your snack for the next chapter of New Moon. but i should say that on Twilight Guy.
And now i tell you what I *really* wanted to say. I’m going to get your book, and i’ll tell all my friends, ‘oh you should read this, is so good and the author is really awesome and rad! We used to email sometimes, and it was really cool, until he pretty much dropped off the face of the planet and stopped emailing me…’ Maybe they wont want to read it after that… you never know.
:]
Corinne!
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:50 am
Aw poor little fellow!
A little advice writer, to writer, I filed a bunch of my book ideas, histories, info, into one flexible notbook with seperators for each book and then one for unfiled stuff that I have no idea where to put or random ideas I’ve had! It’s been such a life saver! And then you have one chunk of lined paper at the front to work off of and to write whatever you want on it, and then you can file it into the random or specific book section!
I was so happy when I made it I almost cried! >_< I was so over carrying around so many notebooks at once so I had them all at my fingertips should insperation hit!
Anywho! Hope this is helpful! Lemme know if it is!
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
are you ridiculously environmentally concious? if you arent, get some disposable cuttlery and things. it will infact make your life SO much simpler. if you are very environmentally concious and want to do your part, go vegetarian. being vegetarian saves 100 animals a year and and reduces your carbon footprint. not only that but the amount of power it takes to harvest fifty pounds of veggies is ten times less than that of fifty pounds of beef.
also you kind of need sunlight. it is essential for life and um if you dont get enough vitamin d from the sun you will get very ill.
just trying look out for you kaleb, not hecter!
ciao!
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:06 am
[...] I have gotten hooked by New Moon within the first few chapters. When I should be working to cure my editingosis I am actually reading this book and wondering: have Edward and Bella really parted ways for [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:13 am
Look whos a nerdfighter.
DFTBA man.
I thought you were awesome before, but lo and behold, you have become more awesome. More like Made of Awesome
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:04 am
By the way, your blog has become my source of the “learn-a-new-word-each-day” english improve philosophy; today’s word was “meander”: I particularly like the way it’s pronounced
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:15 am
Yay, I’m not the only one who suffers from this!!!!
July 23rd, 2008 at 10:40 am
[...] I have gotten hooked by New Moon within the first few chapters. When I should be working to cure my editingosis I am actually reading this book and wondering: have Edward and Bella really parted ways for [...]
July 23rd, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Hang in there Kaleb, just remember, you will remember these days for the rest of your life, and probably look on them in disgust at your living habits through them!
Even though I’m not writing a single thing, I have become a recluse now. I don’t go into the light, I’m the night owl! Ow, the light, it burns!!! Haha, don’t get THAT bad, otherwise some people might send out search parties.
Pray tell, what has happened to those trolls? Have they hidden themselves, scared that you will come after them?
Have fun with your editing, but still, do have some fun, summer is the time to have fun! And you must have some! Just put like two hours aside or so.
Lari!
July 23rd, 2008 at 1:50 pm
IT SAYS DFTBA ON A NOTE!
I didn’t know you were a nerdfighter. That makes you 100000000000000000x more awesome.
July 23rd, 2008 at 2:41 pm
…after reading all of the comments that mention “DFTBA” I had to go and figure out what DFTBA means…yay for Google!
Is there some painful initiation ritual I need to go through to become a nerdfighter, or can I just start calling myself one?? Geeks FTW!
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
What is PS - DFTBA?
Anyway, unlike you, I tend not to write in any consistent notebook now… mostly just on random notepad scraps or post-it notes when I think of something at work. I have a lot of free time at work :/
Your “Editingosis” reminds me of some similar symptoms that I have at this point; however, I am not editing a book, I’m just lazy and semi-nocturnal.
Good luck with the rest of your summer editing!
July 23rd, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Still haven’t bought new clothes, have you?
Tsk, tsk.
- Jaden
July 23rd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Awww, DFTBA! Nerdfighters FTW.
I love the books your reading right now, Looking For Alaska and New Moon..*le sigh* I’ll have to check out Leven Thumps…
July 23rd, 2008 at 7:24 pm
Lol, fellow nerdfighter. Awesomeness.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Kaleb Kaleb Kaleb OMG.
I see DFTBA.
The Twilight Guy is a nerdfighter?!
Your level of awesomeness just increased tenfold. <3
July 24th, 2008 at 2:20 am
So you won’t tell us who. What about when?
July 24th, 2008 at 11:09 am
good luck with editing.
July 24th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
I wonder who this someone else is!
July 26th, 2008 at 12:29 am
DFTBA! I hope you’re a nerdfighter. And if you aren’t, you should be.
And now that I’ve scrolled up, I realize that several other people thought the same thing. Wow!
HOO HA!