Editing...

For many of you still involved in academic life, you may find this unbelievable. I like to edit. I actually enjoy it. When I was teaching, I would observe the horror on my students' faces as they received an essay back with RED MARKS everywhere. The blood on their pages blurred and smeared before their eyes into one HUGE "Oh-my-god-you-hated-it-didn't-you?" look as they gazed back up into my face. In fact, I loved it enough to want to make it better. Later, long after graduation, I had students return to their old teacher, me, and thank me for the time I had spent in reading and marking their work. (Thank YOU, Michael Glaser and Betty O and Michael Ouelllette, my English professors at St. Mary's College!)

Now that I find myself on the receiving end of red ink once more, I understand the need for it, and in fact, I respect the "love" that goes into someone's efforts to get through my prose and make constructive criticism for improvement. Writing is a solitary life validated when another writer or editor or publisher or agent cares enough to give you feedback about your work. For that matter, I am invigorated when a reader, someone who loves books and reading, gives me feedback. After all, it is the reader I will be seeking for approval when my novel is finally finished, so I'd best pay attention to what she likes!

I have been blessed this week to receive criticism from BOTH camps, a writer/publisher and a reader have read the beginning of my story and given me suggestions for making my manuscript better. The different perspectives of these people have led me to look at the manuscript with fresh eyes and do some word-smithing and editing. The result is better writing.

Thank you, Rhoda Trooboff and Tenley Circle Press! Thank you Emily Chewning!!

And now to my weekly poem...