I don’t do many posts about writing craft, but since the line edits just finished up on my novel, I thought it might be fitting to touch on it.
Many people probably don’t realize how much rewriting goes into a book. Before that book hits the shelves, it undergoes dozens of readings and changes from its original form. Because unfortunately, characters don’t jump onto the page fully formed, settings don’t appear out of thin air, and the words certainly don’t write themselves.
I look at editing like a quality control check. It gives me a chance to take what I have, fine-tune it, and make it the best it could be. As usual, I can draw a parallel to sewing. Sometimes a seam just doesn’t look right or the fabric isn’t cooperating. In those cases, I choose to backtrack so I can fix the mistake–even if I have to tear out some seams that took me forever to lay.
I have the same attitude towards editing. Yes, sometimes the cuts hurt. But that’s why I enlisted an objective set of eyes to help me.
When I sew a crooked seam, my initial instinct is always “it doesn’t look that bad.” But is that really the type of work I’m striving for? Am I going to be happy letting others see something that’s only half my best effort? Do I value my work enough to fix the problems? When it comes to writing, that’s why I’m so thankful to have an editor. She can be the one to spot the crooked seams and tell me to rip them out.
This isn’t a knock on those who want to edit their own work, because there are many good reasons for doing so. But I firmly believe that a professional editor is well worth the investment when considering publication, for the simple fact that authors are only human. Our eyes skim over commonly used words, and our minds fill in the gaps. An editor’s job is to find those gaps and expose them.
Even so, it’s also scary knowing there’s someone in the world seeing my less-than-perfect efforts. Presenting raw writing to an editor feels like being laid bare before a stranger. When the nerves start to settle in, I have to remind myself that vulnerability is also a blessing. How freeing it is when we have someone who sees us as we are, not as we portray ourselves!
Of course, the only one who truly sees us as we are is our Savior. And the foot of the cross is the perfect place to be laid bare.
Sometimes, ripping out seams is important in other areas of life. When a bad foundation has been laid in a relationship, it might be time to do some work. Or when bad habits have crept into our lives, we need to pull up the roots to plant new seeds.
No matter the context, starting over is hard. It can feel like all the work we put in before was for nothing. But starting over can also bring renewal. When we’re brave enough to try again, we see the fruit of our labor with the foundation we laid.
Because the goal is to create something excellent that brings glory to the Creator. And sometimes that requires letting go of our first try so the next season will be bountiful.