Labouring over the Words by Mary Folkerts

 

Writing can be like birthing a baby into the world; no two labour stories are the same. Some babies arrive before they are expected, while some are long overdue. Some babies come relatively easily, and some have a complicated delivery. My babies, for instance, always came long after "the plan", as if they were little perfectionists in the womb, not presenting themselves until they were as right as rain! This, to their mother's chagrin!

The words that pour from our hearts onto paper can feel like precious “babies”, as often they are birthed in vulnerability and pain. It can hurt to strike through words that we struggled over, or that we thought sounded just right, but to make a good piece of writing great, it takes editing.

What’s the right amount of editing to do on a written piece? How do you know when it’s good enough to hit send? The answers to these questions may vary depending on what you are writing, be it a blog piece, a submission, or a manuscript.

When I need to write for a deadline, it can sometimes feel like I’m trying to wring water out of a dry sponge. Writing comes easier for me when I get hit by a wave of inspiration, a sentiment I’m sure most writers share. But even as the deadline looms, and I sit staring at the words slowly leaking onto the page, the mind begins to lubricate, and the ideas slowly form.

Once the ideas have begun to gel into a cohesive piece, I read it through and edit as I go. I love using my Grammarly Pro editor to help me identify mistakes and make my sentences flow more smoothly. I use it as a tool, but I don’t rely on it alone.

If I have time, I like to leave what I wrote to simmer. I will come back in a day and reread my words for further edits. I read it out loud and have someone else read and critique. Second eyes often catch things that I missed.

Editing is an essential part of excellent writing, but I don’t want to get hung up on writing the perfect piece. And though I go through deleting words, changing phrases, and adding commas, I must never edit out my voice to make it sound like someone else’s. My voice is what makes my writing unique, as your voice makes your writing what it is. We each have our way of telling the story God gave us to share.

And sometimes it’s just time to hit send!


Words fall on my heart,
like drops of rain
soaking the parched earth–
a collection of words
spoken
from lips that sought to encourage,
drawn up from the recesses of my mind
words
committed to memory
returning
in moments of drought.

There is no expiration date
on the power words carry
like rain,
they revive the wilted flower
whose head is bent
low–
Let the words of my mouth
linger like
sustenance.

Mary Folkerts is mom to four kids and wife to a farmer, living on the southern prairies of Alberta, where the skies are large and the sunsets stunning. She is a Proverbs 31 ministries COMPEL Writers Training member involved in church ministries and music. Mary’s blog aims to encourage and inspire women and advocate for those with Down Syndrome, as their youngest child introduced them to this extraordinary new world. For more inspiration, check out Joy in the Small Things https://maryfolkerts.com/ or connect on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/maryfolkerts/

BOOK DAY: Living Liminal (Linda Hoye); Review by Lorrie Orr

 

Book Day

It's where we highlight books that InScribe members have read and recommend—based on our blog themes of Faith and Writing. This month's selection is written by one of our own InScribe members, Linda Hoye. 

TITLE: Living Liminal: A Slice of Pandemic Life

AUTHOR: Linda Hoye

PUBLISHER: Benson Books, Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, 2023

"Pandemic day n. Who knows anymore? Day by day. Hour by hour. Focus on the better things. The timeless and unchangeable things. Let the rest fall away. Now is the time to grasp the truth that we as human beings are not as in control of things as we would like to believe. It is the time to lament and to trust and to turn our attention toward home and toward God. Maybe the one true thing we can do today is to turn things over."

Each of us experienced the Coronavirus pandemic that began in March 2020 differently. In Living Liminal, Linda Hoye shares her thoughts written during the days of 2020 and 2021, bits of blog and social media posts, poetry, and journal entries, along with provincial health orders and statements. The book is a chronicle of one woman's story during the uncertainty and turbulence of pandemic times, compounded by the devastating forest fires and floods in British Columbia in 2020 and 2021. 

Hoye's experience was home-centered, as it was for many in the world. She describes her habit of rising early to read, write, and drink tea while cuddled with a blanket and her dog. As a person who enjoyed solitude, the experience of enforced time at home with her husband and occasionally a granddaughter, had a different, unsettling feeling about it. Hoye shares her struggles with sliding into depression, with being overwhelmed by circumstances, and most of all, about her trust in God to bring her through this time. She writes of changing seasons, of details of time-stopping encounters with nature, and of the comfort of a lighted candle in the darkness of winter. Comfort is found in short conversations with friends, in books, and hot cups of coffee. 

I very much enjoyed reading Hoye's perspective on the pandemic. My own experience was much different. As a teacher, life became busier. My husband, a health-care executive, worked constantly. I found myself envying those who had time to bake sourdough, dabble in watercolour painting, and who wrestled to fill their days. Living Liminal gives me another look at how others navigated these days, weeks, and months, and has given me empathy for the different struggles everyone endured. 

Hoye ponders "I wonder if, as life hints at returning to something more "normal", we will forget lessons learned in the quiet? Will we take deep pockets of inactivity with us into whatever comes next? Have we come to appreciate the wisdom of not always doing? Are we comfortable with less? Or frantic for more?" We could ask ourselves these questions today as new challenges face the world. What kind of life do we want to live? 

Find more of Linda's writing at her Substack account. 

Lorrie Orr writes from her home on Vancouver Island, posting on her blog, and Facebook.

Editing??? Not Me, Not Now!! by Brenda J Wood

Editing? The farthest thing from my mind. I never edit ever. While I am writing, I write. I scribble the words. I flurry them onto computer paper. I sense the urgency of my message. Editing??? Editing destroys my thinking. Editing destroys the flow of my words. Editing too soon disrupts the energy of the thought. 

There is no room for correction in the middle of a task.

Suppose while a child put the dishes away, you holler at them for putting the plate on top of a saucer or a cup where the tea set belongs? That sounds foolish, doesn’t it? No child would do that and you would disrupt their thought and then they’d be stirring things and putting things and correcting things. Instead of actually getting the dishes out of the dishwasher.

That’s what happens when you edit too soon. Your perfection life takes over the higgledy-piggledy thoughts from your grammar teacher and intercepts your brilliant thesis. You stop and dot the i's and eliminate spelling mistakes or get distracted by the dictionary. Or Siri is trying to tell you how to correct the spelling mistake, and the thought you had about that peculiar little child sitting in sand by the side of the road; the story you were telling; the life you were living inside your head is gone.

This is why I never ever edit while I write. Editing is for later when all of the heat of the word is on the page; then and then only do you go back and edit. And just so you know, once you start to edit there is no end because we are picky beyond picky and most readers won’t even notice.

Top) Image by Jeshoots-com from Pixabay

Brenda J. Wood has authored more than fifty books. She is a seasoned motivational speaker, who declares the Word of God with wisdom, humour, and common sense.

Rewritten ~ Valerie Ronald

 

At the top of a blank page, the opening paragraph of my life story flowed smooth and neat. Loving parents and brothers, a comfortable home, good friends, school, and community. I assumed it was my just due, until the ink began to smudge. Like tears falling on handwriting, my father’s alcoholism slowly dissolved my carefully penned narrative until it was unreadable. So I crumpled the paper and started again. I wanted to get it right, to pen a perfect tale on the pristine page, convincing myself all would be well, but ink blotches and cross-outs disfigured every attempt. 

Some of the characters were too sad, primarily my beautiful mother locked deep in depression. How could she be part of the story when she would not speak? She slid off the page more times than I could count, fighting valiantly to return yet often reduced by suffering to a fragile footnote. Others were self-seeking, vying for their right to have riveting dialogue, like my brothers and I childishly competing for our parents’ attention. 

I wanted my father to be the hero, tall and handsome in his military uniform, medals flashing on his chest. With a career taking him around the world, he had the potential to make a fine protagonist, rich with hubris and brave deeds. But he fell flat on the page, addiction making him weak though still loved. He tried, but there was no denying his family was a sidebar to the bold print of his professional ambitions. 

If family drama was not my genre, then romance might be. I scribbled and discarded multiple pages in my search for someone to fill the void, many of the romantic leads fantasies from my own imagination. I rushed into marriage to a charming, narcissistic man, finding out too late his only goal was to self-publish his own grandiose feats. My manuscript ended up overworked and ragged ˗˗ pages torn, whole sections crossed out with red ink from my longing, broken heart. 

Years later, I saw myself in the Samaritan woman Jesus met at a well˗˗a woman seeking a safe place for her heart in the only way she knew how (John 4). She came to the well a broken, outcast woman, having had five husbands, presently living with a man not her husband. Jesus knew this about her, cutting through culture and gender barriers to voice facts about her sinful life which no mere human could know. To her He made known His true identity as the long-awaited Messiah. She went from a woman shamed and rejected to one transformed by a life-altering encounter with the One she had been waiting for. Nothing would ever be the same for her again because Jesus Christ rewrote her life. 

The account of the Samaritan woman revealed the truth about myself, that I was blind to my own need unless the One who knew my story opened my eyes. Could I invite Jesus to rewrite my life too? Absolutely. 

When I opened my eyes and heart to Him, He took the stubby red pencil from my hand and with the ink of His own blood, rewrote my life story from His perspective. Like an editor working on a manuscript to refine the original prose, the Author of my salvation made me even better without losing the essence of who He originally created me to be. He conformed me to His own image, editing out my sin to replace it with His grace. 

This transformation called me to leave my old, tattered life behind and begin again with a fresh page, rewritten by Christ. I found my focus shifting from myself to Him and those He could speak to through me. It turned out my life manuscript was a romance, not with an imperfect man but with the Savior of my soul. 

It is a work in progress, but as I seek to do my part, I do so knowing Christ Himself works in me, breathing His life into the new story He is creating in me. My life is now a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. (2 Cor:3:3 NIV)

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and … be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and … put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph.4:22-24 ESV)

 

 Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.

Rewrite, Uncover a Hope by Alan Anderson

 

But they who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31, ESV)

 

After reading through the posts this month, I don’t think I can add anything insightful to my post. You have all taught me so much.

I focus most of my writing these days on poetry. A life-altering experience, a few years ago, caused me to search what direction my writing is to take. Through time to process and reflect on the impact of this experience, I sensed poetry was my path. I am still a student of this amazing use of words.

Rewriting allows me to uncover and share hope with those who gift me by reading my poems. The poems I write are not for me, but I take the responsibility for crafting them with the hope others will benefit from them in their lives.

Writing poems takes work. A favourite poet, Mary Oliver, offers this wise counsel to poets in her book, Mary Oliver: A Poetry Handbook:

“What you are first able to write on the page, whether the writing comes easily or with difficulty, is not likely to be close to a finished poem. If it has arrived without much effort, so much the better; if it was written with great toil, that does not matter either. What matters is that you consider what you have on the page as an unfinished piece of work that now requires your best conscious and patient appraisal.”

For me as a poet, to craft and prepare a message of hope for someone requires “conscious and patient appraisal.” I do not want to just slap something together presenting a work of mediocrity; therefore, rewrite is necessary. My poems often exhibit raw emotion; therefore, I approach revision with great sensitivity.

I pray the Lord will use my words as He sees fit. My job is to nurture the writing piece I am working on. Using the love of words God gave me, I carefully craft each word before releasing my poem into the world. To love words means such parts of the process as doing a rewrite is a must.

My rewrites come about through me, asking a few trusted people to read a few of my poems. I then receive their feedback and give thought to what they suggest. I accept their critiques, revise where needed and polish the poems, to avoid mediocrity. I must rewrite and revise the poem before it is ready to be launched.

I do not view rewriting my work as a drudgery. I see it as vital to nurture and breathe life into the poems to prepare them as messages of hope.

 

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog is https://scarredjoy.ca.

The three R's by Lorilee Guenter

Write, revise, release. Most of the time, I have little trouble with the first R: write. If the idea is present, I can pick up my pen and spill ink across the page as I meet characters. I play with connections and clarify thoughts for essay or meditations. Sometimes the writing is only worthy of my journal page. Other times the stories and essays are worth another look.

Revise, revise, revise, there are days this feels like a bad word. It is the punishment for rambling. Other days I embrace it. Revision becomes a chance to consider the lessons held on the page. I learn more about the characters as I look at the gaps in the story. I see the teaching God is doing as He brings seemingly disparate ideas together in an essay. Revision in a way becomes an opportunity to relearn as I refine.

The time I spend refining a piece of writing varies. My longer stories have been through many revisions. They have had a few readers but mainly reside on my computer. Only one novel length story has been handed off to trusted early readers. I know the comments and critique from these readers is valuable for improving my writing. They ask good questions. They point out awkward passages and gaps in the story. I return to revision and in spite of the most recent feedback, refrain from releasing it.

I scrutinise and revise my shorter pieces as well. Nothing is released without revision. I find that the short pieces cycle through the revision stage fewer times. It is easier to hold the whole in mind as I consider the chosen word over a possible substitute. I also find it easier to catch gaps and repetition when the piece can be read in a single sitting. Even so, these are usually examined many times.

The hardest of the three steps is release. I want to release well written, well edited writing. I strive to improve my skills and thereby improve the readability of each story and essay. Since there is always room for improvement, there is always a reason to scrutinise each piece one more time before I release it. I have learned to overcome this hurdle and release some of my small articles, poems and stories. I have yet to release a longer story into the wild. I am once again revising the novel that is closest to its release. I don't know how many times I have looked at it. Some of the chapters are at the point where I add a word I removed on the previous read through or vice versa. Still I subject the story to another read.

As I stumble with releasing my story, the product of my imagination, I am reminded that God didn't give me a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Holding on to writing that needs outside eyes for improvement is not an act of courage but of fear. Likewise hoarding stories that are ready to send to an editor and then following through to publishing them, is steeped in some amount of fear. There are many "what ifs" that can stand in the way of taking the next steps. However, at some point the next step is not further revision. Instead, it is trusting that God will take the words where He wants them to go. Sitting on my shelf unread, they are a weight. Released, they may encourage, entertain or challenge others.

I think it is time for me to move from revision to release on at least one project. There are more stories waiting for the refining process and still more to be written. Hopefully you'll join me by taking the next step with your writing, whatever that step might be. 

I'm looking forward to a fourth stage: respond. I know if I take a step of courage the next step will become closer and closer.

Lorilee Guenter has moved from only writing in her journal to sharing small pieces of writing with the world. Now she is preparing to move from "just one more revision" to receiving a professional edit of her story. It's the next step.

Rewrite Rut by Carol Harrison

I don’t enjoy the seemingly endless rewrite rut of revision and edits. Maybe no one does, I don’t know. Yet I also know my first draft – that brain dump of information and ideas is never good enough let alone excellent.

I want to strive for excellence but I get impatient with the process if it needs too much revision or rewriting. How many times is too many to rework a project? I think it varies with the type of writing and its length as well. Short pieces seem to take less time for me.

I also realize that after a few tries working on, revising, rewriting, and editing I can no longer see where to fix the piece or improve on it. At first it is much easier to see mistakes and missing information. I also rely on early readers and check their suggestions of what is working and what isn’t. Are there gaps in the story? Is something unclear? Have I used period language if it is historical? Then it is time to see which suggestions must be implemented and it is back to revision and rewrites.

When I can’t find any more to change and am impatient for it to be done, it is time for the editing. My editor finds crutch words, overused words, grammatical, and spelling mistakes even still lurking in the piece. Then it is time to implement all the editor’s suggestions and fix the problem areas. I can see these in other people’s writing but miss them in my own. Once the changes are inputted, it is time to head back to the editor for another look. This might happen multiple times.

How often do I rewrite? The short answer is that it varies. I have had short pieces only need a few edits and no revisions. I have had other pieces need both revisions and edits which is why I think it depends on the piece of writing how often rewrites need to happen – at least for me.

How long do I hang on before letting my writing go off into the world of readers? Too often, I think I let my writing go too soon and only later wish I could fix one more thing or maybe even multiple parts. But it’s too late at that point. I’ve already hit send and it is off into the world.

One thing I need to work on is my patience with each bit of writing and all the revisions and edits that it might need. This way I can learn to strive for excellence instead of settling for good enough each and every time.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3: 23)

Carol Harrison writes and rewrites from her home in Saskatoon, SK. She enjoys getting ideas down when they strike but is an impatient reviser.

Learning About Rewrites by Sandra Rafuse

 

Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash 

 

Several years ago, many several years ago actually, I took a painting class during a summer session at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. One of the assignments we were given was this one: we were to start a painting of anything we chose and, as we worked on it, we were to jot down notes of how it changed as we worked on it. I was reminded of that class when I first read the prompt for May.

 

The prompt suggested that I keep track of my rewrites and it asked if I enjoyed doing them. It wanted me to count the drafts I did before I pushed "send" for the final copy. As I read, I realized that I really am a beginner to writing like this. It's been years since I wrote something and then spent time doing rewrites for it.

 

My mind went back to the painting assignment in the Art class. I recalled that each day, as I painted, I would add new details to the picture and then I would also paint over parts that I thought I had liked but that I didn't like now. The assignment lasted only a few days but the changes I saw happening, using my paintbrush, and seeing the changes take place right before my eyes were amazing to me.  The picture I had had in my mind at the beginning was no longer there. How did that happen? When did it change so much? Where did it go? And the finished piece was so much better; more alive, more colourful, more interesting.  

 

I felt the two assignments were very similar. The painting had required new input everyday and the picture had changed every time I worked on it. The blog, when I started it, would also be looked at everyday and I would have the freedom to add, delete, and/or change any of the words and ideas I used in it.

 

I repeat that my level of writing experience is that of a beginner. I realized very quickly that I will need a lot of practice tackling the rewrites and observing how they change and improve my blog. I started on a lined paper writing pad. I double spaced to leave room for corrections and additions. I decided that even if what I wrote didn't make sense, I had better put it down on paper anyway. I needed something to build on.  

Well, I see now that I have lots of learning to do about rewriting.  Did I actually rewrite? I'm not sure. Words and paragraphs were inserted and crossed out, and pages were numbered so I could write "go to page 5 after the 3rd paragraph on page 2" to find the order of my writing.  When I thought I was finished,  I asked myself, is this enough? I didn't think so.

 

Sharon had said, "'Don't count the words."

I counted the words. I needed to know about how many I had. It turned out there were about 10 words on each line of the first sheet of paper. I stopped counting. That's all I needed to know. I was satisfied with what I had.

Did I enjoy doing the rewrites? I did. I was learning so much about how I could work on them. This was WORK. Good work. I needed this. Will it be difficult to let it go? For me and this blog, for this time, the answer is yes. 

I am so very thankful that the Lord gives us new beginnings everyday.  I wake up knowing I can start over, keep going, not give up. I have another chance every morning.

Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3: 22-23 NIV

 

Sandra lives in Rockglen, Saskatchewan with her husband, Bob, a dog and a very old cat. She is enjoying writing to share experiences from her life where God has been teaching her so many things.

How His Light Gets In by Sharon Heagy

 Photo by Matt Perkins on Unsplash

There it was! Gone! Though I checked it over and hacked my word creation with my pencil machete, slashing mercilessly through the clutter and confusion to make it crisp and clear, it wasn't enough. Simultaneously I pressed send and noticed a glaring mistake. Click. Whoosh. It disappeared. My eyes popped open wide and my jaw slung low. If I was a cartoon character my jaw would have been dragging on the floor. There was no way to retrieve it. My word baby was out there surfing around in cyber space, hanging ten on the waves of search engines and social media. No amount of clicking on that mouse was going to bring my baby back to correct the error. Sigh. HEAVY sigh.

I love to write, don't you? When I am in composition mode I am in my happy place. But once I have finished writing and I read those words over, ugh. It's not pretty. In fact, it can be downright ugly. But then comes my next favourite part. The edit. When I first began writing and was clinging to my words like a ship-wrecked man to a life raft, I dreaded the edit. But after seeing the results produced by clearing away the debris I was astounded. The globby mess was transformed into a clear, precise, clean copy. Turning a phrase just so, finding the perfect word, removing entire paragraphs, filling in some details and deleting others became a joy. Hard work but a joy nonetheless. We strive for excellence because isn't that what we should do as Christian writers? Yet, errors still happen. I am part of a writing team. Me and my Father, God and me. Actually, there are four of us, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit and little ol' me. That's why I get upset about the mistakes. I feel like I am letting down the team. But am I?

I've recently taken up quilting. This is a miracle because I hate sewing. Seriously, when I told my son I had taken up quilting there was a long pause in the conversation followed by, "You know that involves sewing right?" I don't know why but I really enjoy quilting. Weird. One of the things I have learned from the fabulous ladies who are teaching and mentoring the beginners is a lesson learned from the Amish. Those folks are known for their excellent craftsmanship whether it be a quilt or a table or anything they build. Yet, while they too strive for excellence, they also acknowledge and accept any flaws or imperfections and do so because they know that God alone is perfect. 

The Japanese philosophy of Wabi Sabi values imperfections. This philosophy accepts imperfections in ourselves and in the world around us. It finds beauty in the weathered and the rustic as well as in imperfection. A Japanese art form called Kintsugi embraces the Wabi Sabi philosophy. It is the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the cracks and breaks with powdered gold, silver or platinum. It treats the breakage as part of the life of an object, part of its story. While we might fill a break with crazy glue, hoping to hide it, they fill it with a substance that honours the crack, revealing it as part of the vessel's history. 

While I was considering this art form, I recalled the lyrics of Leonard Cohen's song, "Anthem" about light getting in cracks and a light bulb appeared over my head. Aha! As part of the writing team, my job is to get the words down on paper and pray they are inspired by God. Even though I strive for excellence I still make mistakes. I need to accept my imperfections and cracks and let God fill them with the gold, silver or platinum of His Spirit to reach whomever He wants. It is His filling and anointing which makes the work of any worth or value.

 

May we be encouraged to accept and have faith to know, when we have done our best there may still be flaws but God will fill our cracks, because that's how His light gets in. 

"But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, 

for My power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:9a NIV

Sharon Heagy writes from the little town of Rockglen, which is nestled in the hills of southern Saskatchewan. Her kids have flown the coop so she and her husband have retired to town. She writes to inspire and give hope with a chuckle or two along the way.

Try, Try Again by Steph Beth Nickel

 

Motivation Frame Decoration You - Free photo on Pixabay

Mindset.

There has been much talk about mindset of late.

As writers, if we change our perspective about self-editing and revision, it could make the process far more enjoyable.

Even experienced writers and authors rarely publish the first draft of their work. It's fine--important even--to pour out our thoughts in our first draft, allowing our creativity to run free. We could consider this our play draft.

Polished writing, however, is a blend of play and work--as is life.

If we assign our inner editor a chair in the corner as we complete our first draft, we are free to play. We will need their input, but only when it comes time for revisions.

Going into our writing project knowing that self-editing is a crucial part of the process can help us see it in a more positive light. 

It can be exciting to strip away the elements that don't enhance our main message, the story we want to share with our readers.

Have you experienced the joy of replacing a mediocre word or phrase with one that evokes deep emotion or paints a clear picture? That's revision at its best.

Even the persnickety work of figuring out where that comma belongs or if you've included too many exclamation marks can give a deep sense of satisfaction. 

When it comes to making revisions, we may seek out help from our team (our critique partner, beta readers, editor, etc.). Still the ultimate responsibility of deciding which suggestions to incorporate into our work rests squarely on our shoulders.

Writing and revising are about sharing our message in our voice in order to effectively reach our audience. If we see doing so as an ongoing adventure, polishing our work will not be as much of a chore. It may even become something we look forward to and learn to enjoy.

A Few Words of Warning

Just as we can't expect our first draft to be publishable, we must set aside the idea of attaining perfection with our writing.

One publisher's style guide may vary significantly from another's.

Reader expectations vary from one genre to the next.

A reader's age and gender can affect what they expect in the materials they read.

Academic writing is expected to conform with a traditional polish that does not necessarily apply to other forms of writing.

And of course, our unique author voice will determine many elements of our writing.

How do you feel about making revisions?

Do you have any suggestions that will help your fellow writers improve their mindset about the process?

Steph Beth Nickel is the former Editor of FellowScript and the current InScribe Contest Coordinator. Steph is an editor and author and plans to relocate to Saskatchewan from Ontario to be close to family in the spring of 2026. (Headshot Photo Credit: Jaime Mellor Photography)

Let The Rewrite Go by Bob Jones

Let it go. Let it go.

Sorry, not sorry. I couldn’t help myself considering this month’s prompt.

Letting a rewritten post go is no trouble for me. Once I hit the double-digit rewrite level, I am ready to not only let it go but to fire it off into the ether. I’m a detail guy. But details are my nemesis. Try as I might, punctation, sentence trimming, and expressive vocabulary occupy my attention and delay the launch. Everything must be just so. I write so many drafts a guy could catch his death of cold.

What’s crazy making is that after all those rewrites, once I publish a blog and then review my content 24 hours later, I see too many glaring portions demanding another rewrite.  Let it go.

Habit

My writing habit is to get as many words on the page as possible. Write, don’t edit on the fly. An introduction, the body of the post, and a conclusion. I let it sit for 12 hours or so before editing. And rewriting. And re-editing. And again.

Obviously, the pattern requires planning. This post was started on May 2nd to be published on May 8th. My first draft was completed at 8:25pm.

May 3rd, at 8:58am I did my first edit and my first rewrite. And then the 2nd.

At 3:01pm I was into my 5th rewrite.

I enjoy the process except when I have multiple writing commitments that coincide.

On April 10th, I underwent emergency surgery to remove a piece of gangrenous bowel. That was interesting at age 70. I’ve heard about NG tubes and catheters but now I’ve had firsthand experience. That set me back in my writing schedule and I am only now catching up.

Like the abdominal pain that motivated me to call 9-1-1, there is a level of agony that comes from writer’s envy. Every other writer seems to be able to effortlessly weave sentences into paragraphs that draw readers in. My sentences leave something to be desired. So, they MUST be rewritten. And after multiple failed attempts to craft something close to viral perfection, it’s time to hit submit.

This post was scheduled at 7:51am on May 4th.

Deadlines

The discipline of meeting deadlines with a written piece I hope readers will enjoy is good work. That’s one reason I appreciate being a part of the Inscribe Writers blog group.

Thank you for reading.

Jocelyn and I leave for Ukraine on May 28th for seven weeks. I had to let my rewrites go early for June and July. I’m sure we’ll have something to share about our experiences that will fit the August theme of seasons of life.

Read more of Bob’s content at REVwords.com

Tighty-Writey by Susan Barclay

 

 

One of my goals for 2025 is to work on rewrites or revisions of past work, and I’ve been doing that for the last few months. Rewriting is an important part of the submission process. You want your work to be the best that it can be before sending it into the hands of editors, agents, publishers, readers—in short, decision-makers. With the amount of competition in traditional publishing, nothing less than superlative will do, and even then there’s no certainty of acceptance. Writers have always needed a thick skin and that is even more true today, apart from self-publication.

Personally, I enjoy the process of revision. There is something about viewing your story with fresh eyes that allows you to see where a plot line may have gone sideways, a character needs greater development, description is wanting, or there are typographical or grammatical errors. While revision doesn’t always make a piece better, in my experience it usually does. The writing gets tighter with fewer extraneous sections or words.

How many drafts I write or how long it takes me depends on the needs of the piece and my ability to accurately assess those needs. I might pass a story or article through my writers’ group or a writing friend for extra feedback. I might let it steep a while and let my thoughts about it percolate (apologies for the mixed metaphor!). I might set it aside for a while and work on something else before coming back to it again. At a certain point, though, I let it go and send it off. That usually happens when I’m well-satisfied that there is nothing or little more I can do to improve it.

When the revisions are complete and I’ve submitted my work with a little prayer, I breathe a sigh of happiness and move on to something old or something new. I don’t worry while I wait; I trust the process and I trust God to know what is best for both my writing and me.

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c. Susan Barclay, 2025. For more about Susan and her writing, please visit www.susan-barclay.blogspot.com