June 2nd, 2010 / 8:17 pm
Craft Notes & Snippets

Does anyone like to edit their work intoxicated (not, not, not write–edit!)?

42 Comments

  1. sasha fletcher

      no.

  2. Sean

      Oh that’s too easy. Why or why not?

      I think i find an editing flow (sometimes). Then it’s gone. But it’s good when I lock it.

  3. mark

      yes. sometimes i get into a voice or see things that aren’t working in sentences while drunk that i hadn’t seen before. when i go back to these changes later they’re not always good, but many times they are.

      you?

  4. chris

      Can’t do it. Sober is when I’m working towards perfection. I’m satisfied with dogshit when I’m drunk.

  5. Tim

      If I’m the right voltage of intoxicated I’m generally quicker to spot redundant phrasings or off word choices, and braver about cutting them. It took me a while to figure out not to get much deeper into it while I was deep into the whiskey, though.

  6. brandi

      no but i like to edit hungover. can’t tolerate any kind of bullshit and i hate everything then.

  7. Salvatore Pane

      No, I’m usually too busy trying to drink even more.

  8. glad

      that’s so weird, I’m doing that now with a two buck chuck. TWO BUKS, WHAT A DEAL. can’t drink too much though, cause then i get distracted or fall asleep

  9. Mike Meginnis

      I’m exactly the same drunk, just way slower, so there isn’t any point. And I avoid hangovers as much as humanly possible in an MFA program.

  10. will have been

      i’m bored, i’m here, i’m drinking

      how about using the future perfect tense?

      Will have been
      will have been
      will have been

  11. sasha fletcher

      no.

  12. Sean

      Oh that’s too easy. Why or why not?

      I think i find an editing flow (sometimes). Then it’s gone. But it’s good when I lock it.

  13. mark

      yes. sometimes i get into a voice or see things that aren’t working in sentences while drunk that i hadn’t seen before. when i go back to these changes later they’re not always good, but many times they are.

      you?

  14. chris

      Can’t do it. Sober is when I’m working towards perfection. I’m satisfied with dogshit when I’m drunk.

  15. Tim

      If I’m the right voltage of intoxicated I’m generally quicker to spot redundant phrasings or off word choices, and braver about cutting them. It took me a while to figure out not to get much deeper into it while I was deep into the whiskey, though.

  16. Brendan Connell

      You have to be intoxicated to edit your own work. Either that or one of those people who “love to edit”.

  17. Landon

      I like to edit when i’m stoned. more attention to detail and flow.

  18. brandi

      no but i like to edit hungover. can’t tolerate any kind of bullshit and i hate everything then.

  19. Salvatore Pane

      No, I’m usually too busy trying to drink even more.

  20. glad

      that’s so weird, I’m doing that now with a two buck chuck. TWO BUKS, WHAT A DEAL. can’t drink too much though, cause then i get distracted or fall asleep

  21. DN

      I love this and am going to try it.

  22. DN

      I love this and am going to try it.

  23. Mike Meginnis

      I’m exactly the same drunk, just way slower, so there isn’t any point. And I avoid hangovers as much as humanly possible in an MFA program.

  24. will have been

      i’m bored, i’m here, i’m drinking

      how about using the future perfect tense?

      Will have been
      will have been
      will have been

  25. Brendan Connell

      You have to be intoxicated to edit your own work. Either that or one of those people who “love to edit”.

  26. Landon

      I like to edit when i’m stoned. more attention to detail and flow.

  27. Sean

      Editing with a hangover. That seems smart.

  28. demi-puppet

      Being drunk just means I misspell stuff. Coffee helps though.

  29. grontain

      i usually write in the morning with coffee, so sometimes in the evenings I’ll trick myself into thinking of writing with a glass of beer at my desk. this will devolve into, as salvatore mentioned, concentrating on drinking.

  30. davidk

      I would imagine there’s more hungover editing than ever. But it may depend on the intoxicant. I read The Road of Excess recently. It gave me ideas. Marcus Boon says there’s no really striking drug writing at present, Irvine Welsh, Augusten Burroughs, Ann Marlowe notwithstanding. I mention Burroughs because I think Dry, his alcoholism memoir, is a very good book of its kind.

  31. Gian

      You should do everything intoxicated, including editing. Do it sober too, but definitely do it intoxicated.

  32. amoo

      brandi – will you edit for me? i’m full of bullshit.

  33. Sean

      Editing with a hangover. That seems smart.

  34. chris r

      same here.

  35. demi-puppet

      Being drunk just means I misspell stuff. Coffee helps though.

  36. grontain

      i usually write in the morning with coffee, so sometimes in the evenings I’ll trick myself into thinking of writing with a glass of beer at my desk. this will devolve into, as salvatore mentioned, concentrating on drinking.

  37. davidk

      I would imagine there’s more hungover editing than ever. But it may depend on the intoxicant. I read The Road of Excess recently. It gave me ideas. Marcus Boon says there’s no really striking drug writing at present, Irvine Welsh, Augusten Burroughs, Ann Marlowe notwithstanding. I mention Burroughs because I think Dry, his alcoholism memoir, is a very good book of its kind.

  38. Gian

      You should do everything intoxicated, including editing. Do it sober too, but definitely do it intoxicated.

  39. amoo

      brandi – will you edit for me? i’m full of bullshit.

  40. chris r

      same here.

  41. brandi

      i will edit your face

  42. brandi

      i will edit your face