This is the spot

I am at that spot in writing a paper where I am editing in full force. The lion’s share of the text is on the page, it just needs to be shuffled a bit here, preened a bit there. I know the material, have educated myself by reading what the masters have published on the topic at hand - feline calicivirus, and am in that wonderful spiritual place where I know it will all come together. I was working on the paper until 5 AM and up and working again at a little after 10 AM, excited to get back to it. I alternate between silence and playing music, sometimes concentrating with intensity, sometimes clicking the keyboard in rhythm to a tune.

A few weeks ago I was traveling with my wife in Chicago, on a train from suburbia to downtown for a little vacation break while in the area on business. I saw a man on the train with a stack of papers he was shuffling, marking here, looking there, going back and forth in an anal retentive fervor to get it right, just right. There on a vacation break with my beautiful, interesting soul mate, with new sights and sounds to take in, to discuss with my best friend, I ashamedly felt envy, wished I had a paper to edit.

I revealed this perplexity to a creative writer friend who understood. He said editing is like working a crossword puzzle is for some people. So here I am now, riding the crest of the wave that will soon crash to the shore as a finished paper. But for now, I am riding the wave, baby. This is where I love to be. This is why I look for writing and editing jobs. I love this process.