Wrongful Jail Sentence for Words

"Writing is easy.  All you have to do is cross out the wrong words." - Mark Twain


That quote is definitely not as inspirational as one would think but then it has been one of those mornings where a Tuesday feels like a Monday.  I overslept by three hours so I was a bit late to work.  My car key had problems working and I then got stuck behind large construction trucks.  Of course when you are late the world doesn't open up any paths for you to get there faster.  The good news, besides the fact that I got some extra needed sleep apparently, is that I made it to work and Chapter Thirty One is now complete.  I also only have two or three more chapters until completion.


That is very exciting news for sure but there is a level of patience that writers must have throughout the whole process but I am noticing most especially at the end.  I am so close to the end that I want to just write and write and write and rush through the chapters until I see those two magical words...The End.  I have to be careful though that I do not rush the writing too much in my exuberance. The result of that is when I go back to do my edits it takes so much longer.


Now that Chapter Thirty One is written it sits and ruminates in my head for a while and I go back in that interim period and edit Chapter Thirty.  This will be a large task since Chapter Thirty was a longer chapter than others.  It is good that the chapter is put away for a bit even if it means you are writing the next chapter.  The thoughts and actions of that may continue into fresh and exciting action and progression but when you look back at a chapter that you are editing after not reviewing it for a brief period you have fresh eyes to see many of the "wrong words" as Mark Twain so eloquently stated. 


Mark Twain is right in his assessment that writing can be easy.  Anyone can be a writer.  We all sit down and write emails and letters, reports for school or even our jobs. Anyone can sit down and write a novel.  The difference is that it is not just writing; it is also editing and a very large boulder of patience.  As anyone who has read my blog can attest I have been writing this novel for a few years.  I have had periods of inactivity on it.  I have had periods like now of great inspiration.  It is not just about the writing though.  Anyone can sit down and just write.  What I am learning is that it takes writing and editing and editing and editing, a bit more writing and then back to editing.  Writing is about crossing out the wrong words.


When we are writing our pens are moving over the page so fast it seems like it would catch on fire, or in this modern world our fingers are tapping on the keyboards like a fast musical song resembling Rachamaninov.  The story is unfolding before our very eyes and our brains are click clacking, all wires inside are buzzing as we are pushing the scenarios further and further.  Yet, when we get to the end of the chapter and take a breath, maybe go back and edit the piece after a momentary interval it becomes about removing words, changing words, moving action sequences, creating a story that flows a bit better than it did when we were picturing it in our heads so that what we see in our heads translates to the reader in a smooth sequence.


Writing is easy. Editing is not difficult. But, the patience comes from the fact that we have to stop often, change what we wrote and go back to chapters we envisioned completed quickly which are now being re-worked.  I am admittedly not the most patient person.  Yet, watching the slow progression of my book as I have continued and persevered with the writing and the editing has been exciting.  Saying that I am done with Chapter Thirty One is a large accomplishment which is the reward for patience.  Our patience is rewarded because, though we have to stop and edit and reshape the mold of the story, being patient that it is not just sitting down and writing a novel quick, fast and completed, it is all part of the process.  I watch as the completed written and edited pages fill my book with a pride of ownership.  The pauses to remove the "wrong words" becomes just another part of the process.  Plus, at the end of it all, I continue to write again.


If I had to rework Mark Twain's own eloquent appraisal of writing I would say, "Writing is easy, editing is a process but it isn't a fast speed race for the sprinters and we must all learn to take the time to remove the fat from our diets if we plan on even making it to the finish line."  Sounds better than saying that any of the words were wrong like convicts that need to be jailed, maybe just a bit misguided and superfluous, but not wrong.