Readability...

I find myself wanting to yank my hair out.

But wait! Allow me to explain why. It's not all that bad!

I have recently learned about "readability" when writing a novel.

Did you know, that most adults can read at a 9th grade level, but prefer to read at a 7th to 8th grade level in order to enjoy a piece of work?

Raise your hand if you went to university/college...

(Raises hand)

Raise your hand if you were told the smarter you wrote, the more intelligent you are...

(Hand shoots up)

Raise your hand if the reading you did in university/college was not very enjoyable....

(....slowly raises hand)

Raise your hand if university/college kind of ruined reading for you....

(Hand stays in the air)

Yeah. Don't get me wrong. Post-secondary reading is educational. Building your knowledge and foundations for a career you will (supposedly) do for a big chunk of your life.

So, frankly, uni/college reading shouldn't be enjoyable. It's a learning tool to help enhance your skills and trade.

But when it comes to reading for pleasure, you don't go back to your textbooks you spent hundreds of dollars on to "brush up on your knowledge" (At least I don't. I've kept all my career related ones) or to "wind down before falling asleep".

If I read one of my old textbooks before bed I would likely spend all night, lying wide-eyed in the dark rethinking all the knowledge I "thought" to be implementing in my everyday life.

Not sure about you, but I don't want that.

Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are many individuals in this world who enjoy reading educational literacy for "funsies". I'm just not one of them, and it seems the majority of adults feel the same.

ANYWAYS....all of this to say.

If your novel reads at a "college level", that's no bueno.

I have a slightly different problem.

I believe my manuscript to be rather simple.

(This is the "yank my hair out" part)

I am still a very, VERY new author. I'm learning so much as I go along. I also identify as a shameful perfectionist (I try so hard to pride myself in being "down to earth" for other things. Except myself). When I initially thought my manuscript was too heavy and "fluffy", I am now finding I cut out so much that it is eerily simplified, to a fault. Many might find it boring.

This is the rough part with self editing. The manuscript will never be "perfect" in my own eyes, and I'm sure many readers would enjoy how it's written NOW.

But listen, I KNOW I can do better. I'm aware of my abilities. I've just gone years without exercising them. Writing is not like muscle memory (I'm coming to find), it's a lot like self exploration. After getting back into reading other novels of the same genre, it ignited a different spark. I'm carefully learning to dim the self doubt, trust my vocabulary to describe, and share my story the best way I can!

So, does this delay my novel release? Absolutely!

Am I rewriting entirely?

No.

I'm combing through my story (again) adjusting the manuscript to fit the proper format along with adding (some) of that fluffiness back. Only with a better knowledge and growing education of my genre and style of prose.

(Fun fact: I never heard that word before getting back into writing. Prose. Makes me sound smart, doesn't it? Ha-ha.)

I've been told I have a great story. I want to be 100% happy with my final product (maybe 150%, if I can swing it). I believe this is the trick in helping me be satisfied.

Man, what a lesson.

Everyday, I feel more like an author. It's exhilarating.

If you're still here, thank you for listening to my fluff.

If you're not, it's fine. You're not my type anyways.

J.J. Monique