Why We Edit Our Writing

(NOTE: I AM POSTING FOR FRIDAY THURSDAY EVENING AS I AM TRAVELING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. NEXT POST WILL BE TUESDAY, AUGUST 13)

I beg to differ here. You don't 'have' to write unless you want to, but if you're a writer, you might just feel like you do 'have' to right. But that's the lesser part of this post. 

What will happen if you write a draft, read it over and think it sounds pretty good? You might be tempted to start submitting it. And then? More than likely, it is going to bounce back with a rejection. 

There's a reason for editing. It's to make those first drafts a better piece of writing. Some writers edit multiple times. There are even some who keep editing and never submit. The fear factor comes into play in that case. 

More than once, I have urged you to put the first draft in a file and let it sit there while you move on to doing something else. Give it a few days, a week, or more before you make your first edit. Why? Because after that initial piece of writing sits and simmers, you are going to see it with different eyes than the day you finished the first writing. 

You'll see little mechanical errors that are easily corrected. You might notice that one or two areas need clarification. You could notice that your verbs tend to be passive rather than active. There are all kinds of things that show up after you've given that first draft a rest. 

Beginning writers are often eager to start submitting, so they want to skip that time-consuming editing process. My keywords for writers are patience and persistence. Writing a draft, letting it sit a while and then editing require a healthy dose of both those words. Take your time getting a piece of writing ready to submit. Don't rush. If you do, it is going to spiral back to you faster than a jackrabbit crosses the road. 

So, do edit because it is the right thing to do, because it will bring benefits in the long run, because you want to be the best writer you can be. 

Writing a Travel Essay

Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia

Travel increases in the summer, mostly because kids are on break and families can vacation. Even so, travel happens at all times of the year. In the winter, people head to warmer climes. During autumn, they gravitate to areas where fall color is tops. In spring, travelers want to be where the early blooming trees and shrubs are at their best. 

For writers, travel should be a natural inspiration. The photo above was taken in 2001 when Ken and I spent time driving all over Nova Scotia. One of the places we visited was Peggy's Cove. It's a very small village with rugged coastal beauty but is also the site of the SwissAir jet crash. A memorial that will touch the hearts of all is a visitor feature. I was so taken with the little village and the story behind it that I wrote a travel essay.

I've written several other personal essays and/or travel essays. One thing I've found is that I need to take a few notes when certain emotions or images come to me when visiting a place. I also need to write the first draft very soon after we return home so that the memories are still reasonably clear.

People like to read travel essays. If you can't go there on your own, what better way to learn about a place and enjoy the high spots than to read about another person's trip? If you've never written a travel essay, you should give it a try. It needn't be an exotic place like Timbuktu or Iceland. Write it well, and a piece about visiting the largest ball of twine in the world in Kansas can be made interesting. (Yes, Kansas does have the largest ball of twine located in Cawker City)

Things to remember when writing a travel essay:

• Don't merely write a report of where you slept, where you ate, what you did each day. That may be part of your essay, but it needs much more to be interesting to readers.
• Highlight special places or events of your trip
• Use some humor in appropriate spots
• Give a bit of history but don't overdo
• Let readers know your feelings, how something you saw impressed you, hurt you, or stayed with you
• If the trip changed you in some way, be sure to include what it was
• Include things you learned that you had not known before
• Use description but don't go overboard. Actors and actresses sometimes 'overemote.' You don't want to do that with your descriptions. 
• Watch the passive verbs. They are the path to boring reading. Look for active verbs
• Include people you meet. It could be a hotel clerk or a waiter or a taxi driver, but if they are an interesting person and added a memory, feature them.
• Do the same with food but only what is special or unusual. A reader doesn't care if you ate a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast unless there is something out of the ordinary about it. 
• If you were looking for something on the trip and did or didn't find it, that might be included.
• Photos you've taken are an added treat.
• Make it a personal story not a facts and figures article.
• Feature only one part of a trip. I wrote one that told about the food in the pubs in the UK and Ireland.

Is there a market for travel essays? Yes. Many magazines like travel essays. Airlines sometimes feature them in their company magazines you find in the seat pocket. There are websites that feature travel essays. Dave's Travel Corner is one with which I am familiar. Google travel essays or where to submit travel essays and you'll find other places, as well. I have even seen some travel anthologies when looking for places to submit. 

Can Dreams Inspire Writers?

It has been raining off and on here since the middle of the night. Thunder, lightning, heavy rain at times followed by a lighter, steady kind. It seems we are to have this off and on all day and into the night. One benefit is cooler temps. If it is a stormy day where you live, stay safe and dry. If you have sunshine, appreciate it. Now, on to today's topic.

Chicken Soup for the Soul keeps chugging along. They are producing one new anthology book after another. Yesterday, I received a notice from them about another new title. This one will be called Listen To Your Dreams, and the theme, of course, is dreams.

They seek stories about what dreams reveal to us and much more. Here's the list of suggested topics. Remember that their list is only to inspire you, perhaps trigger a memory so you can write a story. These are definitely not the only topics.

The list:

• Dreams about finding love
• Dreams that saved you or a loved one from danger/death
• Dreams that helped you face your fears
• Dreams that changed the direction of your life
• Dreams in which you communicated with a loved one, either dead or alive
• Dreams that caused epiphanies
• Dreams that changed your behavior
• Dreams that made you more adventurous
• Dreams that contained important warnings or medical information
• Dreams that gave you comfort or helped you forgive someone
• Dreams that made you more optimistic/happier
• Dream journaling and how-to-use your dreams more effectively
• Premonitions that came true or saved you from something bad
• Learning to trust your inner guidance [we may do a chapter about inner guidance even if it occurs during your waking hours.]
• Amazing coincidences and synchronicity [again, we may do a chapter about this even if these things occurred during your waking hours.]

I have a story in mind to submit that is a topic not in this list. It's about how writers can use dreams. I once heard a poet speak on this subject and found it most fascinating. She said that our dreams are great for writing inspiration. If you have a dream and remember it upon waking, go immediately to your computer or pen and notebook and start writing. Just write, no sorting out or rethinking. Just write as quickly as you can and see what comes of it.

As always, read the Guidelines page very carefully. I am quite sure many good stories are rejected because the writer did not follow the guidelines. The deadline date is February 28, 2020. It seems far away, but you know how fast the weeks slip by. Don't wait until the last minute. When the editors receive submissions they like early on, they'll keep them in a Final Cut list, so give yourself plenty of leeway.

The following are other titles that are open for submissions. Read the information on each here.

Laughter is the Best Medicine
Stories About Christmas
Stories about Self-Care and Me Time
The Golden Years or Second Wind
The Magic of Cats
The Magic of Dogs
You Go, Girl

Can I Write Something New and Different?

There are just so many plots and themes for fiction writers to use. And, yes, new and other writers sometimes have a concern that what they write will be too much of what has happened in other stories. 

It's almost impossible to write something that no one has ever done before, something that is 100% fresh. That's not to say it's alright to copy what another writer has given his/her readers. 

We can write similar kinds of stories, but the important thing is to look for a new twist or turn to the tried and true. Make it all your own using your 'voice' not that of some famous writer whom you happen to admire. Using your own voice will make a familiar tale appear altogether different. 

If you love the kind of story that Danielle Steele writes, and you want to write similar novels, that's fine. But add your own bit of personality to the story. If you're a fan of John Grisham and hope to write just like he does, that's alright, but put your own stamp on the story. You don't want to be known as a John Grisham look-alike. Nope, you want to be you and no one else. 

If you write personal essays, you might fear that an editor is going to tell you that they've already published something similar only months before. If your essay appears too much like someone else's, then you need to do some revising and add a new perspective. 

Write How-To articles? There are thousands of them. Read several on the topic you have chosen, then look for a new way to present the material or some new direction that was not brought out in the already-published articles. 

None of us can write something that has not been done before, but we can definitely write it in a different way to make it our own. Don't fear being too much like some other writer as long as you're not making a carbon copy.

Writers Must Promote Themselves

(NOTE:  I HAVE A VERY BUSY DAY MONDAY SO AM POSTING THIS SUNDAY EVENING)

I'm still wondering how August got here so fast this year. Or is it just that the months and years go faster as we grow older? Possibly. Maybe it is because we are busy people which makes the days feel shorter sometimes. Whatever it is, August is here, and we're well into the first full week of this eighth month of the year. 

I was reminded today of a problem that many writers have. Some of us take humility to the nth degree. Our replies to those who ask us about our writing can be far from the truth, but only because we are afraid to puff out our chest and say what we should and may want to. Too humble writers say things like I suck at writing fiction. (Actually said by a writer I know today) I write but others do it so much better than I. I've got a lot to learn. Oh, I do alright but nothing great. 

Instead, we should be heralding our own accomplishments. Writers should share all the positive things they can when talking to others about their writing. Let people know what your successes have been. They don't want to hear about the number of rejections you received. They want to know the number of publications you've had. Don't hang your head and say Aw shucks, I'm really not that good. 

There can be a fine line between boasting and sharing what you've done in the writing world. Perhaps, it's the manner in which you mention the positive things as to how others perceive you as a writer. We all know that we need to build a platform and brand ourself as a writer if we are going to continue to attract readers and have lots of pluses in our writing life. You don't do it by putting yourself down to others nor do you do it by being Boastful Betty. 

When we talk with an editor or publisher, we want to portray ourself as a confident, successful writer, one who is willing to work with editors to achieve the best writing possible. Start being negative and that editor is going to be turned off pretty quickly. 

In my profile on this blog, I mention being published in Chicken Soup for the Soul books 22 times. That's not bragging; it's letting you know what kind of writer I am. Yes, I'm proud of that accomplishment, but I'm not trying to lord it over other writers. I'm adding to my writing biography. It's an achievement, and it's been noted when I'm introduced as a workshop presenter or am giving a program to a group. It's part of who I am.

Your mother and mine taught us not to toot our own horn. Don't brag, that's what we were reminded of more than once. As a writer, you're not bragging, you're promoting yourself and your work. Do it with a smile on your face and your head held high.

Writing and Reading Poetry

Many prose writers also write poetry, myself included. Why make such a leap from lengthy prose to a few (or more) lines of poetry? 

One reason is that it is a welcome change from writing a thousand or more words in an essay or thousands of words in a novel. It's also a way to express your feelings and beliefs, your reaction to present-day happenings or to something beautiful that you observed. 

We can also read poetry as a break from reading full-length books. We read it for the beauty in the words, the images we are exposed to, and to learn the thoughts of the poets. 

Sometimes a poem is quite puzzling. We read it, then read it again and ask ourself What was that all about? There are poems which have meaning only for he/she who wrote it. In that case, we can still appreciate the words and images. Other poems have meanings that are quite clear. 

When you read a poem, don't read through it once and move on. Read it again or maybe three times. I always see more the second and third time. It's like watching a movie twice. I find that the second time around I see so many little things not noticed on the first viewing. 

we have naysayers who profess to not like poetry. I wonder if those people might begin to like it if they gave poetry a chance if they're willing to read more than one poem. I'd ask them to try reading a poem a day for a month and see if their attitude has changed any. 

I hope that young parents read poetry to their children from an early age. Many picture books are very poetic, and, of course, there are nursery rhymes. Immerse little children into poetry, and perhaps they'll find it easier to enjoy as an adult.

The poster photo above mentions Famous Poems. Are there some you especially like? A few that I like are:

• In Flander's Fields
• Fog (Carl Sandburg)
• The Road Not Taken (Robert Frost)
• Moonstain (Ronda Miller)
• I'm NobodyWho Are You? (Emily Dickinson)
• The Raven (Edgar Allan Poe)
• I Heard the Bells On Christmas Day (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

All of the above are old and well-known poems except for Moonstain, which was written by a friend of mine. Her poem has stayed with me ever since reading it and is now a favorite.

If you've never tried writing any poetry, there is no time like the present to try. Free verse gives you free rein, no rhyme or specific meter to worry about. Just pour your heart out in a poem. 

Write it, read it--either one or both, but do give it a try. 

My Hope For Writers This August

Summer seems to be slipping by awfully fast. I can't believe it is time to turn our calendar pages to the new month.

I liked this poster because it expresses something positive. I really do wish that something good happens for you this month, most especially in your writing world.

Maybe you'll get an acceptance from an editor. I saw a brand new writer on Facebook yesterday who said that she had made her first submission. It had been a month and she had checked the status. It said "in review' and she was quite excited. Her question to the writing group where she posted was how much longer she might have to wait to hear from the magazine. The advice in the comments below her post all gave her the same advice. Stop just waiting to see what happens for that first submission. Keep writing and keep submitting. I couldn't have said it better myself!

I've often mentioned the Submission Ferris Wheel. You need to submit your work on a regular basis if you have hopes of being published. Don't ever submit one piece, then sit back and wait to hear the result. You could grow old waiting as some editors don't respond if they don't want to publish what you sent. Chicken Soup for the Soul is one who notifies you only if your story is on the shortlist and then only if it makes the final cut. As much as I love the Chicken Soup for the Soul group, that is my one and only complaint. If my story didn't make it, I'd much rather know than wait. I have learned after a good many years that they usually publish a book about two months after the deadline for submissions. So, if two months have passed and you've not heard, you can consider it a No.

Almost every writing book ever published will tell you to start writing another story or article immediately after submitting an earlier one. Eventually, you'll know whether it's a go or not. Either way, you'll have something new to submit somewhere else IF you have kept on writing.

I hope those of you who have books published will have a big increase in sales this month of August. People are still looking for something to take on vacation or to while away the summer evenings on the porch.

May lots of story ideas pop into your head this month and I hope that maybe that trouble spot in the essay you've been working on will get resolved. My wish is that you will have a good conversation with another writer and that you'll get a critique with lots of complimentary comments from your writing group.

In short, I do want something good for all of you this month.