Editing is an arduous process and reading the draft I wonder who wrote the words. It makes my headache and my stomach churn. Each occupation has a process which is unpleasant or uncomfortable and oh so very un-glamorous, and I consider editing to be a nasty piece of business. I push forward, deleting, rearranging and tweaking the piece.

Editing, I realize is an integral part of the writer’s job. It makes the words shine and flow. Done well, editing renders the words a secondary consideration. They become the tools used to tell the story. It is the story which moves the reader, transporting them to the world of the writer’s imagination.

How do you know when your editing work is complete?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Next item on my schedule is rewriting/editing a piece I hate. I consider it a fail. Surprise, surprise, it has been languishing in my short story draft file. I don’t hate the premise, but the story’s execution is weak. There are words, sentences, ideas I may salvage. It requires me to roll up my shirt sleeves, prepare for construction dust, and do Atlas style weight lifting.

I have several of these projects. A few stories have merit, good ideas, a likable character, conflict, the stuff you want in a story.  But they lack the spit and polish needed to shine, and for me to declare the tale good enough for prime time. While I may like these stories the prospect of dissecting, cutting reworking and rehashing them, is unpleasant. However, I want them finished, which leaves me little choice on what I must do.

How do you approach a rewrite or edit?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

There is a mystical realm, I know exists. I have visited, and I cherish any time I am granted in my favorite spot.  But I can’t always find my way there. It seems time spent searching for the entrance is inversely proportional to my success rate at arriving. You know the place. Real-time slows, flames fly from your fingertips, and nothing matters except converting ideas, giving physical form to the floating ephemera in your mind.

Call it the writing zone, speaking with the muse, entering the flow, they have similar qualities and the desired results. I am considering creating a sign for my writing space, declaring it a designated muse sanctuary.

How do you find your optimal writing zone?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer

Have you heard of art therapy?  According to Art Therapy Blog, art therapy is “a form of expressive therapy that uses the creative process of making art to improve a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.”

People normally think of drawing, painting, sculpture as the “art” portion of the therapy. But I don’t see why it can’t apply to the writing process. Writing is a creative process after all.  So why wouldn’t it provide the same type of benefits as other art forms?

Does writing leave you feeling restored?

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Keep on writing.

Jo Hawk The Writer