No doubt you’ve heard writers talk about editing as if they expected toe surgery but ended up with a leg amputation. Yikes.
“Kill your darlings, kill your darlings, even when it breaks your egocentric little scribbler’s heart, kill your darling,” said Stephen King who was riffing off the editing advice attributed to so many writers (Faulkner, Ginsberg, and Oscar Wilde, to name a few).
In her book The Writing Life Annie Dillard said of the editing process,
“The line of words is a hammer. You hammer against the walls of your house. You tap the walls, lightly, everywhere. After giving many years’ attention to these things, you know what to listen for. Some of the walls are bearing walls; they have to stay, or everything will fall down. Other walls can go with impunity; you can hear the difference. Unfortunately, it is often a bearing wall that has to go. It cannot be helped. There is only one solution, which appalls you, but there it is. Knock it out.”
I agree and disagree. Or rather, I don’t think that either of the above fully capture the potential for joy and relief that comes with the editing process. Sure, editing can be painful but it also allows writers to rewarding.
I regularly meet with a group of writers to read and offer feedback on our work. Most of the time, I feel a grateful sense of relief that a) someone has taken the time to carefully read and listen to what I hoped to convey, b) they have the courage to tell me what’s not working, and c) they come alongside me so that I can be braver than I think I can be.
Whether offering feedback on a student paper, poem or on your work, I promise to do just that!
jessicamaywalters@gmail.com
Jessica May Walters 