Although Blogger was having some technical difficulties last night, it did not stop me from making my blog post. It occurs to me that writing, in general, is a multiperson project.
I am an editor, and a damned good one at that. If you read my blog, you might not believe me. I have a lot of typos and other little errors that do not reflect well upon my skills (one of the many reasons I keep Cheff Salad unadvertised). But I do not edit my works. That's why they're there.
I am a great editor, but I am the worst editor of my own work. When I just finished writing something, it is way too fresh in my mind. I can't concentrate over each little letter because I already know the whole sentence in my head.
There are tricks that help you to edit your works. Read your sentences or paragraphs in reverse order. Read something else for 10 minutes and then come back to your work. Tricks are helpful, but really, the best editor is a fresh set of eyes.
That's when I realized that writing really is a multiperson project. One person may be writing, but another will be editing. Another may be giving creative feedback to aid in the revising process. There are agents and publicists involved, too. Some of whom may have more impact in the writing process than others, but all of whom do make a difference.
Consider all the people that are involved in your writing process. Don't forget to make use of them when you need them. Also don't forget to say thank you.
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I'd add that writing is, even before the first sentence, a multiperson project. From "thank you" to the first geometric glimmer of an idea that comes to you when you are waking up, there is a history. Steven Johnson, Where Good Ideas Come From, is a breathless overview of this idea (not my idea alone)! The older I get, the more I realize the complex swirl of ideas and claims that makes any "new" idea I have possible; when I was younger I thought I invented the world. So I really like the "thank you" you mention. Obeisance, a gesture of respect becomes important. And writing is that gesture, a practice of honoring thought.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I want to say THANKs Kev because I don't think I can say it enough. Second, I agree with DF. I've been thinking a lot lately about how to "create the new," and what I've decided is that everything new comes from something old; if the idea itself seems new, then its components are likely preexisting. Our minds are not blank canvases to be filled, but rather the mix of colors that make ideas possible. It's impossible to recognize every influence, but by beginning to notice the amalgam of colors in our consciouness we nugde ourselves closer to an understanding of the new.
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