The Editor Within | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: The Editor Within | Previous Challenge Entry
By June Dickie
06/03/10
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We writers love to get our work "out there", into the world of readers. We long for some feedback, a word of encouragement or helpful correction. But could it be that sometimes we are in too much haste? Have we allowed "the editor within" to do her work? Admittedly she can be a bit slow, and we chafe at waiting for her input. But what she has to offer, a slight adjustment here, a change of word there, can lift the piece from mediocre to melodic!

I've noticed that when the Challenge is announced for the week, some contributions are submitted within the first hour! I wonder if such a piece has had opportunity to mature, to marinade in the mix of second-thoughts and remembered advice? Has the flavor had time to settle from a good bit of stirring, exchanging words and turning phrases? Could not the stew be enhanced if sprinkled with a different spice, or the taste be more tender with a touch of time?

It seems to me that it is the night hours when "the editor within" becomes most active. While the conscious mind rests, she quietly sifts through a kaleidoscope of thoughts. Then on waking and rereading a piece, she gently whispers an idea that lifts it like light shooting through stained-glass. Words that were lifeless gain a radiant splendor, the clumsy clambering is transformed with deftness and dexterity!

This editor truly has my best interests at heart. Rather than reduce my text to tatters, she kindly stretches me to think again, to not be too easily satisfied. She knows there is more within, if it can just be persuaded to leave the recesses and venture forth. Patiently she reminds me, "you’ve used that word already, find a synonym." Or she nudges, "Come on, let your imagination free! What imagery does that idea evoke? Can you not add some sensory descriptions to enrich the experience?"

And when my effort has been submitted, and some response has come my way, "the editor within" helps me appraise the comments, and appropriate constructive criticism. Always she is urging me on, to learn from my mistakes, and to plumb more deeply the treasure within.

So, dear fellow writers, be encouraged to take the time to listen to your internal editor. Let her be your prod to produce pieces that sing and soar, stories with serendipitous sonority, tales that leave the reader taut with tension, or entertaining enigmas that cause a chuckle to chirrup forth. Our Creator put sparks of brilliance within each one of us, and with some careful coaxing it can emerge.

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