Rewritten ~ Valerie Ronald

 

At the top of a blank page, the opening paragraph of my life story flowed smooth and neat. Loving parents and brothers, a comfortable home, good friends, school, and community. I assumed it was my just due, until the ink began to smudge. Like tears falling on handwriting, my father’s alcoholism slowly dissolved my carefully penned narrative until it was unreadable. So I crumpled the paper and started again. I wanted to get it right, to pen a perfect tale on the pristine page, convincing myself all would be well, but ink blotches and cross-outs disfigured every attempt. 

Some of the characters were too sad, primarily my beautiful mother locked deep in depression. How could she be part of the story when she would not speak? She slid off the page more times than I could count, fighting valiantly to return yet often reduced by suffering to a fragile footnote. Others were self-seeking, vying for their right to have riveting dialogue, like my brothers and I childishly competing for our parents’ attention. 

I wanted my father to be the hero, tall and handsome in his military uniform, medals flashing on his chest. With a career taking him around the world, he had the potential to make a fine protagonist, rich with hubris and brave deeds. But he fell flat on the page, addiction making him weak though still loved. He tried, but there was no denying his family was a sidebar to the bold print of his professional ambitions. 

If family drama was not my genre, then romance might be. I scribbled and discarded multiple pages in my search for someone to fill the void, many of the romantic leads fantasies from my own imagination. I rushed into marriage to a charming, narcissistic man, finding out too late his only goal was to self-publish his own grandiose feats. My manuscript ended up overworked and ragged ˗˗ pages torn, whole sections crossed out with red ink from my longing, broken heart. 

Years later, I saw myself in the Samaritan woman Jesus met at a well˗˗a woman seeking a safe place for her heart in the only way she knew how (John 4). She came to the well a broken, outcast woman, having had five husbands, presently living with a man not her husband. Jesus knew this about her, cutting through culture and gender barriers to voice facts about her sinful life which no mere human could know. To her He made known His true identity as the long-awaited Messiah. She went from a woman shamed and rejected to one transformed by a life-altering encounter with the One she had been waiting for. Nothing would ever be the same for her again because Jesus Christ rewrote her life. 

The account of the Samaritan woman revealed the truth about myself, that I was blind to my own need unless the One who knew my story opened my eyes. Could I invite Jesus to rewrite my life too? Absolutely. 

When I opened my eyes and heart to Him, He took the stubby red pencil from my hand and with the ink of His own blood, rewrote my life story from His perspective. Like an editor working on a manuscript to refine the original prose, the Author of my salvation made me even better without losing the essence of who He originally created me to be. He conformed me to His own image, editing out my sin to replace it with His grace. 

This transformation called me to leave my old, tattered life behind and begin again with a fresh page, rewritten by Christ. I found my focus shifting from myself to Him and those He could speak to through me. It turned out my life manuscript was a romance, not with an imperfect man but with the Savior of my soul. 

It is a work in progress, but as I seek to do my part, I do so knowing Christ Himself works in me, breathing His life into the new story He is creating in me. My life is now a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. (2 Cor:3:3 NIV)

Put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and … be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and … put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph.4:22-24 ESV)

 

 Valerie Ronald writes from an old roll top desk in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, with her tortoiseshell cat for a muse. A graduate of Langara College School of Journalism, she writes devotionals, fiction and inspirational prose. Her purpose in writing is to encourage others to grow in their spiritual walk.

Rewrite, Uncover a Hope by Alan Anderson

 

But they who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:31, ESV)

 

After reading through the posts this month, I don’t think I can add anything insightful to my post. You have all taught me so much.

I focus most of my writing these days on poetry. A life-altering experience, a few years ago, caused me to search what direction my writing is to take. Through time to process and reflect on the impact of this experience, I sensed poetry was my path. I am still a student of this amazing use of words.

Rewriting allows me to uncover and share hope with those who gift me by reading my poems. The poems I write are not for me, but I take the responsibility for crafting them with the hope others will benefit from them in their lives.

Writing poems takes work. A favourite poet, Mary Oliver, offers this wise counsel to poets in her book, Mary Oliver: A Poetry Handbook:

“What you are first able to write on the page, whether the writing comes easily or with difficulty, is not likely to be close to a finished poem. If it has arrived without much effort, so much the better; if it was written with great toil, that does not matter either. What matters is that you consider what you have on the page as an unfinished piece of work that now requires your best conscious and patient appraisal.”

For me as a poet, to craft and prepare a message of hope for someone requires “conscious and patient appraisal.” I do not want to just slap something together presenting a work of mediocrity; therefore, rewrite is necessary. My poems often exhibit raw emotion; therefore, I approach revision with great sensitivity.

I pray the Lord will use my words as He sees fit. My job is to nurture the writing piece I am working on. Using the love of words God gave me, I carefully craft each word before releasing my poem into the world. To love words means such parts of the process as doing a rewrite is a must.

My rewrites come about through me, asking a few trusted people to read a few of my poems. I then receive their feedback and give thought to what they suggest. I accept their critiques, revise where needed and polish the poems, to avoid mediocrity. I must rewrite and revise the poem before it is ready to be launched.

I do not view rewriting my work as a drudgery. I see it as vital to nurture and breathe life into the poems to prepare them as messages of hope.

 

Alan lives in a small village called Deroche, British Columbia, with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. He enjoys walking on the dike near his home with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. He occasionally writes articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog is https://scarredjoy.ca.

The three R's by Lorilee Guenter

Write, revise, release. Most of the time, I have little trouble with the first R: write. If the idea is present, I can pick up my pen and spill ink across the page as I meet characters. I play with connections and clarify thoughts for essay or meditations. Sometimes the writing is only worthy of my journal page. Other times the stories and essays are worth another look.

Revise, revise, revise, there are days this feels like a bad word. It is the punishment for rambling. Other days I embrace it. Revision becomes a chance to consider the lessons held on the page. I learn more about the characters as I look at the gaps in the story. I see the teaching God is doing as He brings seemingly disparate ideas together in an essay. Revision in a way becomes an opportunity to relearn as I refine.

The time I spend refining a piece of writing varies. My longer stories have been through many revisions. They have had a few readers but mainly reside on my computer. Only one novel length story has been handed off to trusted early readers. I know the comments and critique from these readers is valuable for improving my writing. They ask good questions. They point out awkward passages and gaps in the story. I return to revision and in spite of the most recent feedback, refrain from releasing it.

I scrutinise and revise my shorter pieces as well. Nothing is released without revision. I find that the short pieces cycle through the revision stage fewer times. It is easier to hold the whole in mind as I consider the chosen word over a possible substitute. I also find it easier to catch gaps and repetition when the piece can be read in a single sitting. Even so, these are usually examined many times.

The hardest of the three steps is release. I want to release well written, well edited writing. I strive to improve my skills and thereby improve the readability of each story and essay. Since there is always room for improvement, there is always a reason to scrutinise each piece one more time before I release it. I have learned to overcome this hurdle and release some of my small articles, poems and stories. I have yet to release a longer story into the wild. I am once again revising the novel that is closest to its release. I don't know how many times I have looked at it. Some of the chapters are at the point where I add a word I removed on the previous read through or vice versa. Still I subject the story to another read.

As I stumble with releasing my story, the product of my imagination, I am reminded that God didn't give me a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7). Holding on to writing that needs outside eyes for improvement is not an act of courage but of fear. Likewise hoarding stories that are ready to send to an editor and then following through to publishing them, is steeped in some amount of fear. There are many "what ifs" that can stand in the way of taking the next steps. However, at some point the next step is not further revision. Instead, it is trusting that God will take the words where He wants them to go. Sitting on my shelf unread, they are a weight. Released, they may encourage, entertain or challenge others.

I think it is time for me to move from revision to release on at least one project. There are more stories waiting for the refining process and still more to be written. Hopefully you'll join me by taking the next step with your writing, whatever that step might be. 

I'm looking forward to a fourth stage: respond. I know if I take a step of courage the next step will become closer and closer.

Lorilee Guenter has moved from only writing in her journal to sharing small pieces of writing with the world. Now she is preparing to move from "just one more revision" to receiving a professional edit of her story. It's the next step.

Rewrite Rut by Carol Harrison

I don’t enjoy the seemingly endless rewrite rut of revision and edits. Maybe no one does, I don’t know. Yet I also know my first draft – that brain dump of information and ideas is never good enough let alone excellent.

I want to strive for excellence but I get impatient with the process if it needs too much revision or rewriting. How many times is too many to rework a project? I think it varies with the type of writing and its length as well. Short pieces seem to take less time for me.

I also realize that after a few tries working on, revising, rewriting, and editing I can no longer see where to fix the piece or improve on it. At first it is much easier to see mistakes and missing information. I also rely on early readers and check their suggestions of what is working and what isn’t. Are there gaps in the story? Is something unclear? Have I used period language if it is historical? Then it is time to see which suggestions must be implemented and it is back to revision and rewrites.

When I can’t find any more to change and am impatient for it to be done, it is time for the editing. My editor finds crutch words, overused words, grammatical, and spelling mistakes even still lurking in the piece. Then it is time to implement all the editor’s suggestions and fix the problem areas. I can see these in other people’s writing but miss them in my own. Once the changes are inputted, it is time to head back to the editor for another look. This might happen multiple times.

How often do I rewrite? The short answer is that it varies. I have had short pieces only need a few edits and no revisions. I have had other pieces need both revisions and edits which is why I think it depends on the piece of writing how often rewrites need to happen – at least for me.

How long do I hang on before letting my writing go off into the world of readers? Too often, I think I let my writing go too soon and only later wish I could fix one more thing or maybe even multiple parts. But it’s too late at that point. I’ve already hit send and it is off into the world.

One thing I need to work on is my patience with each bit of writing and all the revisions and edits that it might need. This way I can learn to strive for excellence instead of settling for good enough each and every time.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” (Colossians 3: 23)

Carol Harrison writes and rewrites from her home in Saskatoon, SK. She enjoys getting ideas down when they strike but is an impatient reviser.