He Who Wanders

A while back I mentioned that I finished the first draft of a novella about a hallucinatory painter. Since then, I’ve revised the draft and sent out copies to some friends in the hope that they’d give me some good critiques. So far every person has given positive responses, and positive responses only. Hooray!

Actually, no. Not hooray. This is terrible. I don’t trust them. There must be something wrong, something insufficient, something excessive, something irrelevant, something, anything! I am extremely sensitive when it comes to my writing, but I refuse to believe that my work has no room for improvement. Rather than say, “Great! I guess I don’t need to edit anymore before sending out query letters,” I want to polish the novella until it shines brighter than a newborn’s bottom.

A couple of my trusted readers told me frankly that they weren’t qualified to review my work. They recognize my skill, but they don’t recognize my inadequacies. It’s an odd thing to say, but I want someone who can tear apart my writing. A professional editor perhaps? Ah, but how could I possibly pay for that? I’m a poor college student rubbing two pennies together in an attempt to summon a quarter. I don’t have the money to pay for an editor.

What do you think guys? Should I just edit the novella again and again and again? Sure, I have my own personal bias because I wrote the novella, but it might be the best I can do. I’m just disappointed at how long that might take. I want to publish this novella.