- Editing is an art, whether you’re writing a document for work, a letter to a friend, or the Great American Novel. Editing is also hard work — and is something everyone needs to learn as a writer. It’s easy to write an article or scene and think it’s finished because of all the blood and sweat drenching your shirt and keyboard. But guess what? You’re not done yet! The real perfection, the true beauty, comes later when you’ve let those initial words settle in a bit, when you’ve mulled things over in your mind a while longer, when you’ve finally thought of a word that’s even more descriptive and perfect than the one you fought for in the first place. Editing will also usually help us whittle things down to the most effective, important words — and that’s no easy task. But it’s so worth it in the end! With that in mind, here’s a writing quote for the week … about editing:
I have made this [letter] longer, because I have not had the time to make it shorter. (Blaise Pascal, French mathematician and physicist; 1623-1662)
See? Even mathematicians and physicists know the importance of cutting words (and how much time it takes to get it right). May you have a great week of writing and successful editing to make your words even better!
