So we’ve moved. Unpacked? No. But moved, yes. Yay!
More space for the kids to run around. No neighbors beneath us. Best friends next door. I’m thrilled.
However, I’m learning stuff about myself. Though the new place was “cleaned,” I have spent a lot of time cleaning. Wiping down blinds, walls, cupboards, cabinet tops, disinfecting the bathrooms . . . well, you get the idea. The thing is, I had to do all of that in my old apartment before leaving, and it wasn’t nearly as gross.
And after much reflection, I’ve figured it out . . . in my old place, the dirt was MINE. In our new place, the dirt is someone else’s. That makes it much more egregious.
The thing is, I think our books are like that, too. I see an overused adjective in my critique partner’s work, I heartlessly mark it (in the nicest sort of way, of course). A nicely worded phrase that’s simply unneccessary? Cross it out. Etc., etc.
When I see it in my own? But I NEED that adjective. Is the overuse really that horrible? And that phrase is BEAUTIFUL. Perfect. Necessary. I can’t cut THAT.
See, but it’s my own dirt. Maybe I should pretend I’m editing someone else’s work for my next revision . . . Do you find it easier to edit others’ work?