TWO BRAINS
I was in charge of entertaining Blue one afternoon. We climbed backyard boulders, searched for “crystals” (flecks of decomposed granite), and collected acorns (food for Blue’s toy animals). Blue discovered a 10" piece of driftwood with a hole in it—a keepsake from our once-California life—just the size for a little stuffed animal friend.
“Can you make a car out of this, please?” came the request (and expectation).
The ocean-worn souvenir resembled an automobile with its long body, place to sit, attractive curves, but it lacked wheels, a fact not lost on Blue. Using four cork bottle stoppers with black, hard plastic tops and two extra-large needles, for axles, I created a pair of front wheels and a pair of back wheels. Blue watched. Then I contrived a drive shaft from a long pencil and several rubber bands (and possibly a good bit of tape).
I was quite pleased with myself until Blue said, “but there’s no steering wheel.” I didn't have any pipe cleaners (the fuzzy bendable wire-of-choice when I was a kid), so I resorted to forming a circle and spokes from plastic bag twist-ties which I connected to a toothpick jammed into a crack near the driver’s seat.
“What about lights?” I found plastic beads in my sewing box: two white and two red ones. We glued them to the top of the wood, front and back. After the glue dried, Blue supplied the power and away drove Squeaky Mouse.
When Blue’s mother returned from her outing, Blue showed off the new toy. “Look what Andi made! She’s so smart, she must have two brains!” …continued…
HALF A BRAIN
All writers have two brains. And I don’t mean right and left hemispheres.
There’s the writer-brain, which generates the words on the page, and the editor-brain, which shapes those words into art. To edit your writing, you have to give the writer time off and put the editor to work. Hard work.
Big picture (common sense steps we too often ignore)
Walk away. Let the writer-brain breathe and smile. Job well done. Now put the fancy fountain pen back in its case until the next writing session.
Gather your editing resources: references, style guides, source material, etc.
Call in the editor-brain. Set expectations. Give the editor a checklist, a deadline, and a red pen. Take three deep breaths. Dive in.
Read the selection (e.g., 3-5 pages) without making a single mark or comment. Restrain yourself. Just read.
Set a timer and get to work. You’re the editor now.
Little picture (today’s tip): Create a style sheet
If you haven’t done so already, create a quick-and-dirty style sheet. Notice, I did not say “style guide.” Official style guides—AP, MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.—already exist and are readily available online, as are dictionaries and other reference materials. Use them. (And keep a hard copy so you can keep working during a power outage.)
A style sheet, unique to your project, is a custom, updatable, one-page cheat sheet you create for yourself and your editor. It saves time and keeps you from second-guessing yourself. Here’s an example from my current memoir project:
My writer brain defaults to misspelling certain words every time: “neice” and “ocassion.” The adverb form of “accidental” can be spelled either “accidently” or “accidentally” — pick one and stick with it. NOTE: If I’m typing directly into a Substack draft instead of using MS Word, first, the errors remain unchecked. Same with place names: in my manuscript, this place name is one word, Hardrock; other places are two words: Round Rock and Rough Rock.
In the bottom right corner, I note my references. If an editor questions my spelling of the Navajo word for hello, ya’at’eeh, for example, I can point to the online dictionary found at glosbe.com. Note the telltale red underline on the style sheet beneath each Navajo word. The English dictionary in MS Word thinks they are spelled incorrectly.
My writer and editor brains have been working on my memoir this week. My self-imposed deadline of getting this posted on July 5th came and went. I hope this post gives at least one reader a practical take-away! I’ll post more editing tips in coming months and share valuable editing principles. For now, my two brains and I are on our way to a mimosa brunch, poolside!
July 10, 2023
Hi Andi, Thanks for sharing your editing tips, two brains and half a brain. Love your blue-green and orange original illustration! Glosbe.com is new to me and will be helpful. I appreciate the new ways you offer to think about the editing process. When I work with longer stories I find I struggle with continuity, I give too much detail or not enough in the writing. It’s such a process. Thank you for sharing yours.
Mary Van Pelt
Alamosa, CO
I can so relate to the writer's two brains! My editor brain is always trying to bully her way into the room, but when I am writing fiction I need to banish her to the corner.