Tag: Polishing a draft

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Craft Essentials

You May Be Done, But You’re Not Finished

Craft Essentials

“Rewriting is the essence of writing well; it’s where the game is won or lost. That idea is hard to accept.”

William Zinsser

Little in the writer’s life is as exhilarating as typing the words, “The End.”

If a celebration was ever in order, this would be our moment.

  • We’ve fought through the brain drain aka writer’s block.
  • Stayed at the keyboard till the wee hours of the night.
  • Surrendered free time to the fickle writing muse.
  • Missed parties, events, and time with friends and family.

But now, greatness is found in those two brief words that conclude the saga. The End. The skeptics, the critics, and those who predicted you’d never finish the book will be eating crow.

Bursting with a sudden rush of energy, (along with some well-deserved pride) you share the final product with a friend, your mom, or a writing buddy. You expect the standard oohs and aahs that attend the birth of greatness. Then somebody (clearly someone uninformed) says, “I don’t get the ending.” Or “I didn’t understand why the hero never showed up.”

The feedback is synonymous with calling your baby ugly.

You rationalize their response with the “I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt since they know nothing about writing,” brand of generosity.

Could They Be Right?

An essential component of writing well is the willingness to consider there might be a few valid points in their assessment. Some authors may not dismiss the critique entirely. They shop for additional feedback with an industry professional or pitch it to a publisher at a writer’s conference.

That can be the hard thump.

“It’s a good first draft,” says the pro. “Interesting storyline. I’d suggest you work with a coach or find a good editor to strengthen the plot and help develop your writing style. You have a promising start. Good luck with the second draft.”

If you believed the work was complete, this is a tough moment. A second draft, maybe even a third might be required. Adding more words is not the typical remedy. Killing off your darlings or discarding the overwrought half-page descriptions of the magnolias in full bloom in the moonlit night might be your road to success.

“We all have an emotional equity in our first draft; we can’t believe that it wasn’t born perfect. But the odds are close to 100 percent that it wasn’t.”

William Zinsser

The completion of a first draft is an epic accomplishment. In that finished work is evidence you have what it takes to be a writer – if you are willing to suck up the disappointment and dive in to refine and rewrite your work.

Don’t let the start stop you. You are not starting from scratch. But you do need to take a long look at your book baby with a more critical eye. The rewrite is inevitable as we learn the craft of writing. Every successful writer knows the first draft is seldom – if ever – the final.

Where Should You Start?

  • Consider the advice of the industry professional. If the feedback is general in nature, ask for specific insight for both strengths and opportunities for improvement in the work. For every “no thanks” to my first book – ten rejections – I asked for feedback that helped strengthen the work. I know their input and my willingness to incorporate it has helped me gain contracts for a total of six published to date.
  • Seek assistance from someone who has a successful track record to help move you forward. A certified writing coach or industry professional can help you accelerate your knowledge and build new skills.
  • Take a course – many are available online or through regional writing groups in your area.
  • Purchase and read books on the craft. The patron saint of this column’s book On Writing Well is a classic.
  • Attend a writing conference and select courses specific to your need.

Above all, refuse to throw in the towel (or throw a tantrum) and remember, you may be done, but you’re not finished!

Deb DeArmond

Deborah DeArmond Deb is a certified writing coach and award-winning author of five books. Her books often focus on family and marriage, covering relationship dynamics, communication, and conflict resolution. Her most recent wok is We May Be Done But We’re Not Finished (2021).

Deb’s published more than 200 articles in print and online, including a monthly column, for Lifeway Magazine. 200+ print and online articles published.

Deb helps writing clients achieve success using inquiry, humor, and a straightforward approach. Her clients describe Deb as “candid but kind” and skilled at helping “guide others to discover their answers and solutions to success.”

Website: debdearmod.com Facebook Author Deb DeArmond

Categories
Guest Posts

Sculpting a Masterpiece

Guest posts

The beautiful prose that came to mind in the shower somehow transformed into clunky sentences by the time I got to the computer. The more I wrestled with the words, the more unwieldy they became.

I have often read that true writing is in the rewriting. Most of us are not satisfied with a first draft. We know it takes several passes before writing is shaped into something acceptable to show others

Yet I get frustrated going over and over sentences trying to make them both clear and winsome. Why is my thinking so muddled? Why do I take so many words to say what I mean?

Wordy written in red by my teacher often adorned my school compositions.

The person who performed my first paid critique mentioned my “long, convoluted sentences.”

My husband told me after we had dated for a while that he used to wonder when I’d get to the point when I told a story. (After being married for 40 years, I’ve learned to jump to the main point first, especially when talking about the car or an appliance. Otherwise, he spends my whole narrative wondering what he’s going to have to fix.)

Yet, I’ve received enough encouraging feedback from my writing that I am not totally without hope. And now that I am aware of my writing mistakes, I can battle them with determination and knowledge.

I’m encouraged by a legend concerning Michelangelo. Supposedly, someone asked him how he got the statue of David out of a hunk of marble. The artist is rumored to have said, “I just cut away everything that’s not David.”

Before we can create a work of art, we’ve got to drag out our hunk of marble. As many have said, we can edit a bad page, but we can’t edit a blank one. The marble that Michelangelo used had previously been considered and rejected by two other sculptors. He saw the potential in it that others missed.

So we dump the words in our head onto paper. We study the craft of writing and learn ways to “write tight.” We carve away unnecessary words and cumbersome descriptions. We chisel adverbs and polish with stronger verbs.  We sand away passive verbs in favor of active ones. We brush away clutter. We chip off  multitudes of facts and illustrations and keep only the most poignant ones. And we can pray with the Apostle Paul, “that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak” (Colossians 4:4).

Visualizing excess verbiage as clumps of rough stone adorning the statue of David helps encourage me to get rid of clutter-words in my writing.

A statue as detailed as David takes time to sculpt, and so does editing. Blaise Pascal once wrote in a letter, “I have made this longer than usual because I have not had time to make it shorter.” But the time is well worth it.

We might not become the Michelangelo of words. But we can sculpt our manuscripts as close to a masterpiece as possible.


Barbara Harper lives with her husband of 40 years in Knoxville, TN. They raised three sons, one of whom added a lovely daughter-in-law and an adorable grandson to the family. Barbara loves reading, writing, and card-making. She has blogged for almost 14 years at https://barbaraleeharper.com/. She wrote a newsletter for women at her church for 15 years as well as magazine articles, newspaper columns, and guest blog posts. One of her passions is encouraging women to get into the Word of God for themselves. She’s currently working on her first book-length project.

Categories
Writing with a Disability (Different Ability)

Proofreading?

Often, what we intend to say never comes through in what we write. Sometimes our enthusiasm inhibits the thoughts we are trying to communicate. Unless you’re one of the writing savants who never makes a mistake, you will have to revise your writing—you will have multiple drafts.

Multiple drafts ensure that your takeaway is clearly communicated. Revisions require rereading of our writing.

This aspect of writing gives me the most trouble with my disability. Again, my brain injury affects my eyesight. I have trouble reading an entire line without losing my place. I can look at a sentence a billion times and never see a typo. The situation is complicated more by my use of speech dictation. If my software dictates incorrectly, I overlook the error. But, like any other writer, I must sharpen my writing skills.

After college, I wanted to learn more about my craft. I knew I needed to learn how to communicate clearly with my audience. My goal was to be a professional writer.

Almost 10 years ago I learned about a professional writing course that utilized Christian authors as mentors for writing enthusiasts like me. After I received all the information, I applied for a grant for people with brain injuries in Georgia.

I was so excited when I received my introduction packet from the writing program I immediately got to work on crafting an introductory email to send to my assigned mentor and emailed it before I went to bed that night.

The next afternoon I received a reply to my introduction and I was heartbroken. My mentor stated that due to my poor grammar and careless mistakes, she didn’t feel I was ready for the program and suggested I go to a community college to learn the basics.

Bewildered, I sat in my living room and pulled out my introduction packet. When I flipped to the second page my heart sank. My first assignment was to email my mentor an introductory message to share my background and plans for the course. The next day I received a correspondence from the program informing me I was no longer enrolled.

In disbelief I emailed the head of the program and explained my situation, his reply gave me hope and forever changed how I l viewed writing. He offered to assign me another mentor and give me another chance along with sage advice I’ve put in my writer’s toolbox.

“From this point on, you have to look at yourself as a professional writer. I don’t care if it’s a simple love letter to your sweetheart or a thank you card to a coworker, it needs to be polished, edited and proofread.”

Proofreading?

Writers are only as good as they are readers. Stephen King once noted, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Just saying that makes me cringe.

Sometimes it can feel like you’re just talking to yourself. After all, you already know what you said. Or do you? Do you think you know what you said or know what you said? You never know until you actually go back and reread what is written. That is my purpose for proofreading, but along the way you may notice other reasons why you need to proofread.

  • Spelling
  • Punctuation
  • Grammar
  • paragraph/sentence structure
  • content (did you say ever everything you wanted?)
  • content flow
  • contextual meanings (sometimes we say something in our heads and it comes out completely different in print)
  • is your voice present

Maybe it’s just my brain injury, but I hope I’m not the only one who’s, …

“Did I say that?”

Sometimes we know our message so well it’s what we see on a page even if it’s not what is actually there. Our brains hear it even when it’s not written. This is why it is important to get a second set of eyes to look over our writing (especially in my case).

Find readers who understand what you’re trying to say and let them give your work a look over. Family and friends are great, writer friends even better or better yet, a professional editor. They will let you know if they can hear your message clearly.

In the 21st-century, most writing programs and speech software like I use incorporate playback functions, this is another way we can make sure we hear our message:

  1. Microsoft Word: Speak text-to-speech feature
  2. Scrivener: Start Talking feature
  3. Pages: How to use text-to-speech
  4. Dragon Naturally Speaking: Playback Text-to-speech

Each of these features can help us better listen to what we are actually saying in our writing. However, they can never replace a professional writer’s need for proofreading.

Martin Johnson survived a severe car accident with a (T.B.I.) Truamatic brain injury which left him legally blind and partially paralyzed on the left side. He is an award-winning Christian screenwriter who has recently finished his first Christian nonfiction book. Martin has spent the last nine years volunteering as an ambassador and promoter for Promise Keepers ministries. While speaking to local men’s ministries he shares his testimony. He explains The Jesus Paradigm and how following Jesus changes what matters most in our lives. Martin lives in a Georgia and connects with readers at Spiritual Perspectives of Da Single Guy and on Twitter at mtjohnson51.

Categories
Polishing Your Message

Three Steps to Confident Feedback

Ever ask a friend’s, relative’s or colleague’s opinion on something you’ve written? You wait patiently, trying not to stare, interpreting each facial expression as a sign or clue. Finally a reply, “I like it,” or “It’s good,” is uttered with no additional words following.  You think to yourself, That’s it? That doesn’t help me.

Perhaps on occasion you have been the person responding above not knowing what to say.  You didn’t feel confident offering your thoughts. You’re not an expert or a published author. You still have trouble calling yourself a writer.

Well, “It’s good,” doesn’t say anything.  To a writer the phrase is too vague, too meaningless. He or she is seeking feedback more specific.

Whether asking for feedback or offering feedback, here are three steps to help readers share responses to a draft.

Before you start to read, let go of the pressure to catch every error or mistake. There is a difference between editing/proofreading and reader responses. Don’t be afraid. You are qualified to respond. You are an experienced reader, and writers need to know how their message is being received or interpreted. You are qualified to offer your reaction and thoughts to something you read.

Next, keep it simple. Keep it nice, and remember three things by ReadWriteThink.org:

PQP: Praise-Question-Polish.

Step 1: PRAISE.   Always find something positive to say about the piece you have been asked to read. Perhaps you like a particular phrase or word choice that lingers in your mind after reading, or you like how the writer describes a scene which easily forms in your mind’s eye. Always find something big or small to praise within the work.

question mark

Step 2: QUESTION.  As you read make notes of any questions that enter your mind. Maybe you wonder why the author doesn’t mention something you would expect to be included on the topic, or where the baby was in the scene when the mother went to the store. Any questions while reading can offer insight the author may need to improve or revise the current draft or work.

Step 3: POLISH.   Finally, offer specific ways you think the writer could polish the piece. These comments cannot be too vague. When you offer an idea to polish, the writer cannot be wondering what you mean. He or she needs a starting point or direction to act on your comment. Read-Write-Think suggests three types of comments: vague, general/useful, and specific. Below are examples of each:

Vague:  “Revise the second paragraph.” or “It’s good.”

Useful/general: “shiny engiveI don’t see enough background information or support for your idea.” or “Can you describe the kitchen scene better?”

Specific:  “I like how you give the points to remember, but can you add an example to help readers better understand what you mean?” or “The title doesn’t seem to convey the topic.”

If grammar and mechanics are your strengths, by all means offer comments and corrections. If you think something doesn’t look right, but you are not sure, you may suggest the writer double check a concern. The main thing about “Polish” is to give the writer a starting point or direction to consider changes.

Writers know what they intend to say in the message, but the receiver of the message does not always hear it as intended. If you are asked to offer quick feedback on a draft, just remember PQP. You can always find something positive to say, did you have any questions, and offer a specific comment the writer may consider to polish the piece.

You don’t have to be an expert or published author to provide helpful feedback to a writer. And as a writer, what you do with the feedback is entirely up to you. Some suggestions will spur new ideas, and some will lead to a dead end and remain left behind.  Nonetheless, diverse readers, diverse backgrounds, and diverse worldviews will encourage your message to be received differently. Stay focused on your message and meaning, use feedback to clarify and polish, then send your message out trusting the Holy Spirit to handle the rest.

[bctt tweet=”provide helpful feedback to a writer #writers #readers #polishing”]

[bctt tweet=”asking for feedback #writer #reader #drafts”]

Source acknowledged:  www.readwritethink.org,

ReadWriteThink.org is a nonprofit website maintained by the International Literacy Association and the National Council of Teachers of English, with support from the Verizon Foundation.”

Image Credits: Colin Harris, Dave Wilson   https://www.flickr.com/photos/