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.

E is for Endeavor to Achieve Excellence by Carol Harrison

 

If I put in the effort and work hard or endeavor as I work on my writing, don’t I want to aim for perfection? Perfection, the ideal in our minds, where we make no mistakes, have amazing writing, and have it loved by everyone at all times, is a lofty goal whose standard remains out of reach. Missing the mark often leads to discouragement, disappointment, and with us being disillusioned. These are accompanied by the fear of failure.

The negative inner voice whispers, “But the negative voice in my head often whispers, “But if you can’t have perfect writing and be the best of the best, maybe settling for good enough will work.”  Then the whispers grow into a loud chatter, “That piece of writing isn’t good enough to even show people, let alone submit it anywhere. After all, you’re not good enough at anything.”

Why should I settle for the mediocrity of just getting by, just being good enough. Somehow this also makes the negative voices chatter about failure. They make it seem like anything I write must be substandard. I’m left with feeling like I’m trying to run a marathon carrying heavy weights of negativity with me every step of the way. What I’d love is to have wings to soar above mediocrity.

Striving for perfection and settling for good enough lead to a trap called comparison that nips creativity and courage in the bud and pulls us into a self-critical negative attitude. I’ve been guilty of that too many times. I compare myself to authors I admire and think they must have found the secret to success and perfection in their writing journey that I’ll never accomplish. Yet when I’m honest, I know I’ve forgotten that every writer is on a journey and I don’t necessarily see all the hills and valleys they’ve encountered or even know where along the journey they are at this moment.

I have a choice. My attitude needs adjusting as I endeavor to achieve excellence in my writing. Colin Powell said, “If you are going to achieve excellence in big things, you develop the habit in little matters. Excellence is not an exception; it is a prevailing attitude.”  

Excellence means doing the very best I can with the ability, training, and experience I have at this time. It also means remaining teachable so I can continue to learn new skills, improve ones I already know, and listen to critiques of those further along the journey than I am.

Some questions I think need to be asked to ascertain if something has achieved excellence for us include:

-         Has it improved from previous pieces?

-        Have I been willing to allow someone further along in the writing journey to read and honestly critique my work?

-        Have I taken the critiques of others into consideration and revised the writing accordingly?

-        Have I been impatient to finish and it falls short of the standard I should be at for the training, skills and abilities I currently have?

-        Is it the best I can make it right now?

The recipe for being successful in my endeavor for excellence involves attitude. Add in heaping quantities of endurance and effort. Liberally mix in enthusiasm for the craft of writing, for learning opportunities and mentoring. Be sure to find someone to add encouragement to the mixture. Leave out excuses and try to escape from the hard work mechanisms. Those negative attitudes take away from the richness of excellence.

In the books of Timothy, Paul is instructing Timothy on many facets of being a pastor, a church leader, and a follower of Jesus. In the Message, 2 Timothy 2: 15 says, “Concentrate on doing your best for God, work you won’t be ashamed of, laying out the truth plain and simple.”

In Colossians 3: 17 (ESV) says, “And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Paul repeats this attitude we should have in Colossians 3:23 (ESV) “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.”

Everything means my attitude, my life, and my writing too, I need to ask myself one more question. “Have I tried my best as I endeavored to achieve excellence?” To answer yes means I have put in the effort, energy, and enthusiasm to glorify God by not settling for less than I know how to do at this moment in time.

 

Carol Harrison, from Saskatoon, SK, knows she needs to encourage and be encouraged as she continues to endeavor to achieve excellence. She is grateful for each writer she has met and learned a lot from.

 

 

 

 

  

Excellence in the Message - Bonnie Way

I spent Friday night at a literary soiree at the second annual Write! Vancouver conference. To kick off the soiree, Marc Cote, publisher of Cormorant Books, and John Stackhouse, professor at Regent College, discussed what excellence means for a Christian writer.  Most of us can point to excellent Christian writers of past centuries (Tyndall and Shakespeare were mentioned), but what does excellence mean to each of us in the message God has called us to tell?

John and Marc began by discussing excellence versus humility.  As Christian writers, we are called to both--excellence does not mean arrogance and humility does not mean that we don't strive to be our best.  Humility is an understanding of where you are in the scheme of things; even if God has blessed you with the gift of words, you need to work hard to honour that gift and to write as best you can.

Of course, excellence does not mean success.  Dan Brown's name came up frequently during the evening as a writer who is successful but not excellent.  Our pursuit of excellence may mean that we achieve excellence but not success.  Yet as Christians, we answer to God and not to man; God's definition of "success" is not the same as man's.

Nor does excellence mean that we will get noticed.  We must be true to our calling, single-minded in our pursuit of art.  Marc pointed out that if you chase the market, you will never catch up--at best, you will write what is popular today and by the time it gets published, it will be two years old.  If you follow your vision, you'll always be on time with what's inside your heart and mind--or with the message God is calling you to write.  In fact, often what gets noticed in not excellence, as in the Dan Brown case.

What is excellence?  It needs to be a function of your calling, your vocation, your message.  Marc asked how you will feel about your work once it is past revision--when your book has been published and you can't change it anymore, will you still like it?  Or will you regret not working harder on it?  However, the pursuit of excellence can also be paralyzing--a writer may never publish their book because they can always revise it.  Thus John challenged writers to be able to stand before God and say, "At this season of my life, about that message, that was the best way I could say it."

Writers are often admired for the belief in the Divine speaking through chosen people.  All creative people recognize that creativity is a gift, that moments of inspiration happen when we least expect.  At the same time, we have an obligation to carve out the time to write and to put our best effort into those moments of inspiration.  Inspiration does not equal excellence.

John challenged us to perform as we practice.  Whatever we write--long or short--should be excellent.  Don't use the excuse "it's just a tweet" or "it's just a blog post" to write something that is not excellent.  He has a small, target audience in mind as he's writing and, after writing each chapter, asks himself, "Did I reach my audience?  Did I speak excellence for them?"  For the writer, it's also important to read well; great writers learn from other great writers.

The panel was an inspiring and encouraging way to kick off the Write! Vancouver conference.  I felt challenged by John's and Marc's words to push myself further in my writing and to make sure I write what is excellent, not what is "good enough."  Their discussion remained in the minds of many writers on Saturday, as we frequently came back to the question of excellent in writing during other workshops.  And so I challenge you too, as a Christian writer, whatever the message God has given you to tell, tell it with excellence.

Bona Fide - Ruth L. Snyder

Bona Fide is a Latin expression which literally means, "In good faith." The World Dictionary defines bona fide as "real or genuine: a bona fide manuscript" or "undertaken in good faith: a bona fide agreement."

Lately I have been challenged to consider whether people see me as a bona fide follower of Jesus Christ.  Two recent events in my community brought these thoughts to the forefront of my thinking. Firstly, I was delighted to hear about a grade 12 student from our local K-12 school who called a fault on himself during a badminton tournament match point. Most people watching probably didn't realize that he scooped his shot. If he had not called the fault, he could have won the match and the gold medal. However, this student is a bona fide athlete who realizes that winning at any cost is not what the game of badminton is about. Secondly, I was saddened to read about a priest in our community who has been charged with an immigration scam. He is a man expected to provide spiritual leadership, to be above reproach. Apparently, he caved to the green-eyed monster of greed and chose to participate in illegal acts to temporarily gain money. If convicted of this crime, the priest will not only bring disrepute upon his personal character and beliefs, but also upon the church he served, believers, and ultimately God.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." The Apostle Peter urges us, "...abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. Keep your behavior excellent...so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God..." (I Peter 2:12 NASB)

And so, as I sit here I wonder: When people look at me, do they see someone genuine or do they see a fake? Are my actions above reproach? Do I "fudge" the truth, or am I completely honest? If someone asked my kids about my behavior at home, would it match who I am in public? Am I seeking to please God all the time, not just on Sunday? Do I measure myself against man's standards, or God's?

Each day I make many choices, usually seemingly small and insignificant. However, each choice I make either leads me closer to my Heavenly Father, or farther away from Him. Today, and every day, I need to consciously pursue God. That is the only way others will see me as a truly bona fide follower of Jesus Christ.

Ruth L. Snyder

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