A New Perspective on Editing . . .

I took this great class about a week ago on editing. Specifically, the EDITS system of editing that has caused me to to look at my work in a whole new light. It was given by Margie Lawson. I'm putting a link to her website here, because it was a definitive moment in my comprehension of the writing craft.

It's a simple system of color-coding the elements which allows the writer to take a deeper look at their narrative and prose. So many times, we read over the same stuff over and over until the words blur, the meaning slides into our consciousness like water, nourishing but tasteless. We're too close to the project. We need another set of eyes, or . . . another way of editing.

So, having put this system in place over the last week, I can report several areas of what I considered my "near perfect" mss where I missed opportunities to make my writing "sparkle." Places I'd revised so many times my brain was numb.

But with the EDITS system, it's clear what's missing on the page. I highly recommend it. If you're interested, visit Margie Lawson's website. You won't regret it.