A Hodgepodge of Words About Editing

I've been reading this book by Susan Bell called The Artful Edit: On the Practice of Editing Yourself, and I am loving it. It's as though Bell knew exactly what I needed to have addressed here and now, today. It's hardly revolutionary material, but she presents her ideas in this wonderfully accessible way. After all, too often it is the things you think you know that need to be repeated.

I'll give you an example of what is moving me in this book. It seems so obvious, and of course I've heard it before, another day and in another setting, but I feel like I've been missing it lately. Bell writes,

Commit to your ideas; be certain enough to write them without wordy precautions, announcements or apologies. "I would argue that" is meaningless rhetoric, since you inherently argue your ideas by writing them down. The reader, by virtue of reading, wants those ideas and not peripheral verbiage (101).

It's a basic tenet of writing instruction. It's what they told you in school way back when you learned the five paragraph form. I heard it in high school. Some kids don't get it until college, if then. But I've been forgetting. And every time I apologize I know that I am doing something wrong.

In fact it is an important thought for me. My ideas have been trapped in a state of uncertainty, and I have mistakenly believed uncertainty/apology was a part of my charm, and meaningless words added rhythm. I must own my ideas even if they are wrong and not make a show of my own circumspection. I have been claiming in my writing that I'm too smart to make a statement directly.

I have a lot to learn about editing. I'm getting the idea I need to do a lot more writing and a lot less publishing.

Disclaimer: I have made no attempt to edit this post before publishing.