The Editing Process and the Fear of Falling at the Final Hurdle

What fresh hell awaits me now?

Getting over the final editing hurdle is, for me, proving to be the biggest challenge I have faced to date in the whole novel writing process.

Up until now, writing the synopsis had proved to be the greatest challenge I needed to overcome but, in hindsight, it had been in my head all along, just elusive.

To be an editor you need to be disciplined, a skill I am having to knuckle down and cultivate, as well as being ruthless.

I just want to wake up one morning to find out that it has been done and I can send it away for a professional edit. A time when I can let my hair down for a while and enjoy writing freefall once again until I get the manuscript back and have to start the process all over again.

It does make me wonder though, how many first-time novelists fall at the final editing hurdle?

“Edit your manuscript until your fingers bleed and you have memorized every last word. Then, when you are certain you are on the verge of insanity... edit one more time!”
C.K. Webb

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BRIAN TRUBSHAW was chief test pilot of the British prototype Concorde 002 during its development phase. He was regarded as one of Britain’s most famous names in aviation. As test pilot for Vickers-Armstrongs he test flew the Viscount, the Valiant, the VC10 and Super VC10. He test flew the 1-11 for the British Aircraft Corporation before reaching the pinnacle of his career as Chief Test Pilot for of Concorde. In 1980 he became Director and General Manager of Filton until he retired in 1986, but remained on the board of the Civil Aviation Authority, until his death in 2001.

Updated paperback released on 1st February 2019 to coincide with the 50th Anniversary celebrations

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When British Airways and Air France announced that Concorde was to be retired from service in October 2003, it signalled the end of nearly three decades of supersonic passenger flights. Concorde had flown for years without a major incident. But in July 2000, an Air France Concorde crashed near Paris, killing all 109 people on board and four on the ground. By the time the modified aircraft went back into service in November 2001, both BA and Air France faced mounting problems, which spelled the end for Concorde. As the former British chief test pilot, Brian Trubshaw’s close association with Concorde placed him in the unique position of being able to write the inside story of this world-famous supersonic passenger jet. Brian was closely involved in the exhaustive investigations into the 2000 tragedy. Heavily illustrated, this book covers the Paris crash, Concorde’s brief return to service and its decommissioning in 2004.