As sort of a companion to my blabbering about writing and other art forms, I wanted to point out one idea in particular. If writing is like drawing, then I believe it follows:
Editing is like inking.
I don't find myself drawing as much as I used to, but, for finished drawings, I basically go through three steps: sketching, inking, and colouring. I would usually have several sketches and ideas floating around at the same time, so I could either go sketch or ink when I felt like drawing. I inherently enjoyed making the sketches more, because it was undeniably a creative process.
At the same time, I didn't want to just keep a bunch of pencil sketches rotting in a drawer, so inking was still a necessary thing to do. Usually I would still put it off until I was in the right mood—usually a little less excited but still artistic enough to have an interest in the drawings. This was also when I wasn't terribly inspired to create anything new, so why not go over the old stuff?
Writing is the same way. The actual writing is the exciting and creative part, but I'm not always in the mood for that, and the first draft isn't complete (as much as I love posting serially). So I still have to go back over what I've made, strengthening the needed points and erasing the errors and irrelevant strokes. It's not as amusing, but it's a good pursuit for those times I'm not inspired enough to churn out new material, and it's a necessary step in creating a polished, finished project.
Does anyone else think the same? Are there any other comparisons you'd like to draw (haha) between the two forms?
Good comparison. I don't actually ink my drawings that much; it really depends on the style of the drawing. If I'm trying to make it cartoony (like, say, if it's fanart for Hetalia or X-Men Evolution in the style of those shows) then I'll ink it, because I want bold lines to separate the different parts/colors of the drawing. But if I'm going for realism, I usually just make sure the important lines stand out enough in pencil, and then color it. Personally, I find inking my favorite part of the task, because it's the least stressful; you don't have the challenge of making up something new, and you don't have to make sure there's good shading in the color or something. You're just strengthening what you already have. I don't know if I'd say the same for editing. It's definitely a relief to know that you're so close to posting something, but the writing process is undeniably fun, too. Unless you're working on a filler chapter. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteYeah, lately I haven't been inking anything but a few paperchilds.
DeleteWhy you like inking is probably why some people like certain phases of editing, actually, ha. I can see the difference, though.