Did I think I might be a writer? After all, I write monthly for the Missionary Herald, every other month for my associational paper, The Eleventh Hour Messenger, and two or three times a year for Opening the Word, a quarterly devotional published by the Herald and Banner Press.
I went to the 8th annual Indianapolis Writers' Conference this past weekend to find out where I stood. I gulped really big and submitted a published manuscript (an article from a recent issue of the Herald) to the "Thick-Skinned Critiques" workshop session. What would a professional editor have to say about my work?
Andy Scheer, editor and writing professor with the Christian Writers Guild put a copy of the first page of my manuscript on the overhead projector so that everyone could scan it. And then he (pictured here) started in.
He put a marked copy of that same page on the overhead projector, and suddenly my eyes were filled with circles, arrows, deletions, and carats, all blotching up my page with green. Whew! Of course, as Andy told us, this is how he would edit the article, based on a set of guidelines that he had handed out earlier. But at least he had reasons for all he said.
I was able to claim the edited version after the workshop session, so I plan to re-do the article according to his standards. I'm sure it will end up being shorter and punchier. I wonder how well I'll like it.
The conference was en eye-opener in a number of ways. Perhaps the biggest: I have a long way to go to be a writer. And its corollary: All of our conservative holiness publications need to send their writers and editors (at least their editors) to workshops like this, or else have them study with something like the Writers Guild.
If we want people to read us and take us seriously, we all need to to a better job.
P.S. -- At least I didn't fare as badly as another would-be writer who submitted a manuscript. On that one, Andy deleted one or two paragraphs on the first page and more than half of the second page. Whew! Maybe there's hope for me after all!
P.P.S. -- When I did the rewrite, it reduced the word count from 898 to 614. And I'd have to admit that, even though I'd be tempted to add back one or two things for clarity, the shorter version does say what I wanted to say. I wonder what Andy would do with a second pass at the article.
10 comments:
Sounds like a great conference. I agree, more of "us" should go.
Hmmmm.....this just proves what I've believed all along. You are wordy and long-winded! HeeHee
Love ya, anyway.
I think shopping with Melinda was more fun!
I didn't know you write for the Herald and Banner Press! What a cool thing! That little press is part of my history! Just ask my big sis. : )
Well, just for the record, I always enjoy your articles in the Missionary Herald and your blog posts, too.
I'm sure we would all benefit from a conference like this...
Thanks for your kind words!
I always thought you wrote intelligently, whether in the Herald articles I read, or back in the day when I was on "theirholiness.com" - don't think you need to work on anything :-)
I'm really supper hapy that you can more professionally edit mine articles for that there HERALD. Ain't never been a very well editorer mineself. And hopfully them their rodes won't not be quite badly when you guys come too PA this weekend.
P.S. I can't believe that you would be called wordy and full of hot air, or whatever you were called. I would NEVER do something like that.
Wow, Mark, you're REALLY encouraging! Thanks for being very kind to me.
Rex, as you can see close to the top, YOU don't have to call me wordy or long-winded or whatever. However, if you want to join the ranks of those who seek to keep me humble . . . .
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