Two Super-Useful Editing Tools

Beware!

This is the realm of hand-edits, pencil and pen.

I hope this post will offer you two new tools for giving swift and effective feedback. 

Tool 1: Renumbering

Something's off about the logic or flow of a sentence, paragraph or scene. You don't know what. It may not need a full re-write. It may just need renumbering. I'll offer an example at the sentence level.

Sentence Level:

Original sentence: She removed her jacket and beanie, scrubbing at the itch of dried scalp sweat, and approached the register.

My CP's note in the margin read: "Blocking: Where's her sketch pad now? The clerk comments on it later...")

Reordered sentence:
She approached the register, putting her sketch pad on the counter, removed her jacket and beanie, and scrubbed at the itch of dried scalp sweat underneath. 

How awesome is this tool? 

The fact that you can use it at multiple levels makes it super-handy. I've once had a renumbered scene that went from 1 to 20 and included paragraph renumberings of A, B, and C. Try it! I bet you'll love it. 

Tool 2: Hearts (or "showing the love")

This tool is for stuff that gives you goosebumps, or makes you LOL, or makes you sigh, etc. It's an easy and enjoyable way to give honest, positive feedback.

It's kinda self-explanatory.

Show the LOVE! It's easy!  =D

~~~

Side note, my poor car got squashed yesterday... Disaster seems to be in the stars...

Sometimes Stories

Sometimes Stories

are an awful lot
like stained glass windows 

that have been stared at by
a dozen pair of eyes
or more,

 that worn by wind and weather, time,
 mis-memory too,
 merely pieced together lie
 un-storied on the floor

and as it’s hard for sand to turn to glass
 so glass
puts up a sharp-edged fight

against a pair of hands
 come gently sweeping,



all edges turned
 once more
 to catch the light.

***

I wrote this as a Life Book epigraph. I'd had a particularly tough time sussing out the truth for this narrative. Finally, I settled on telling all the versions available. Sometimes letting the light shine in is itself enough.

Photo thanks to: 

Patti at  Women of the Word

Kristin Morales at Photo.net

Denisa Andreea C. on  World Vision Magazine