July 9th, 2009 / 12:10 am
Uncategorized

HOW DO YOU EDIT SOMETHING

what are your editing methods. and how many times do you usually edit something. is it better to edit something when you are angry. do you ever print shit up really small and then look at it. have you ever printed up something then sat int the woods with it. how do you know you are not ruining something. does anyone else like champagne mango as much as this kid does. (“this kid” is me). have you ever looked back on an earlier version and been like, “hell naw, this was better.” do you ever just add more sentences by looking at random words that have occurred in the piece and then rearranging them. does editing prove that there is no standard english. can anyone but the writer edit a piece of writing. how do you get the diamond sword in zelda. and how many people will feel this post is dumb and then try to compensate for their own low self esteem by demeaning it or those who comment on it. questions.

100 Comments

  1. sasha fletcher

      i save each draft so i can compare them. usually i print it out and go through and find any lines that don’t feel like they’re one of the banginest lines i ever wrote and then i cut that line. if i wonder about whether or not i should cut something, i fucking cut it. either way there’s a saved draft of it whole. i usually print it out when i edit. when i can. i think other people can edit. or i mean. i’ve gotten edits of poems that i then rewrote the edit into something more like how i would have done it. sometimes you do all you can think to do to a piece and then you do some more and then it feels like you can’t see anything and maybe other people can see it better because their eyes aren’t the eyes that have been looking at this thing for too fucking long? i’ve looked back on earlier versions and realized i cut too much. i never played video games much so fuck you i don’t know. i am tired. sam are you tired? i think it’s better to edit whenever. whatever emotion seems valid or like it’ll contribute something. just do it. drink some gatorade. stay hydrated. get some air.

  2. sasha fletcher

      i save each draft so i can compare them. usually i print it out and go through and find any lines that don’t feel like they’re one of the banginest lines i ever wrote and then i cut that line. if i wonder about whether or not i should cut something, i fucking cut it. either way there’s a saved draft of it whole. i usually print it out when i edit. when i can. i think other people can edit. or i mean. i’ve gotten edits of poems that i then rewrote the edit into something more like how i would have done it. sometimes you do all you can think to do to a piece and then you do some more and then it feels like you can’t see anything and maybe other people can see it better because their eyes aren’t the eyes that have been looking at this thing for too fucking long? i’ve looked back on earlier versions and realized i cut too much. i never played video games much so fuck you i don’t know. i am tired. sam are you tired? i think it’s better to edit whenever. whatever emotion seems valid or like it’ll contribute something. just do it. drink some gatorade. stay hydrated. get some air.

  3. Matt

      I edit laughing. When I laugh I know to not stop…the piece may be closer to being done.

  4. Matt

      I edit laughing. When I laugh I know to not stop…the piece may be closer to being done.

  5. davidpeak

      It’s all about distance. Distance yourself. Give it to some trusted readers. Listen to what they say. DIscard what they say. Read it out loud to yourself. That’s important. But give yourself distance. What are you trying to say? What is being told? How is it being told? What parts are strong? How can the rest be made equally strong. Distance yourself again. Come back. Do it again. Hello.

  6. davidpeak

      It’s all about distance. Distance yourself. Give it to some trusted readers. Listen to what they say. DIscard what they say. Read it out loud to yourself. That’s important. But give yourself distance. What are you trying to say? What is being told? How is it being told? What parts are strong? How can the rest be made equally strong. Distance yourself again. Come back. Do it again. Hello.

  7. Roxane

      I don’t do a lot of editing of my own work. It is something I am trying to work on. After I write something, I will read it aloud and try to find those places where the cadence is off. I don’t have a writer’s group but when I get feedback from a friend or editor, it is generally great, and I incorporate those suggestions into the draft and then I read the piece aloud again to see how the thing flows. Oration really helps me to find the flaws in a given story.

      That pretty much sums up my editorial process.

  8. Roxane

      I don’t do a lot of editing of my own work. It is something I am trying to work on. After I write something, I will read it aloud and try to find those places where the cadence is off. I don’t have a writer’s group but when I get feedback from a friend or editor, it is generally great, and I incorporate those suggestions into the draft and then I read the piece aloud again to see how the thing flows. Oration really helps me to find the flaws in a given story.

      That pretty much sums up my editorial process.

  9. Angi

      I think I edit different lengths of things in different ways. Long short stories, like of the 15-20 page variety, I often do pretty major overhauls on, because I decide something major isn’t working. Shorter things I feel more like I scrutinize every sentence as I write and I only end up making minor adjustments later. I do better with suggestions from other people, though, than editing completely solo. I don’t know if that’s an answer.

  10. Angi

      I think I edit different lengths of things in different ways. Long short stories, like of the 15-20 page variety, I often do pretty major overhauls on, because I decide something major isn’t working. Shorter things I feel more like I scrutinize every sentence as I write and I only end up making minor adjustments later. I do better with suggestions from other people, though, than editing completely solo. I don’t know if that’s an answer.

  11. darby

      Word flow the way a sentence I basically edit essentially is faster when something too is too correct when long or the word edit more to the point the way I flow does not sound basically and too fast or correct or when I can see a sentence and when say there is a long point flow essentially faster more to the edit when I can point way of saying that basically the way is too long edit word flow essentially sound see a sentence basically the way there is a say when faster too flow does essentially the way I point way faster or flow when something I edit can see a sentence more to the a or the is too way the way I the or when I essentially edit.

  12. darby

      Word flow the way a sentence I basically edit essentially is faster when something too is too correct when long or the word edit more to the point the way I flow does not sound basically and too fast or correct or when I can see a sentence and when say there is a long point flow essentially faster more to the edit when I can point way of saying that basically the way is too long edit word flow essentially sound see a sentence basically the way there is a say when faster too flow does essentially the way I point way faster or flow when something I edit can see a sentence more to the a or the is too way the way I the or when I essentially edit.

  13. Michael James

      … you know, I love it when I am writing something and I kind of hate it while writing it. Like feeling all losery, and I keep writing out of stubbornness. And then afterward, while editing it, I start grinning or laughing, or smiling. Maybe grunting, making weird noises. Because then I realize the piece is affecting me. And this is good. And I rarely feel good about stuff, so that’s always kind of cool, right Matt?

      When your story starts making you feel.

      Feels like it’ll make someone else feel. And that’s always a cool feeling.

      Feel. Feel. Touchy feely. Feel-monster. Feel-a-titis.

      Feelatio. Feelicia. Feelice. Feelite.

  14. Michael James

      … you know, I love it when I am writing something and I kind of hate it while writing it. Like feeling all losery, and I keep writing out of stubbornness. And then afterward, while editing it, I start grinning or laughing, or smiling. Maybe grunting, making weird noises. Because then I realize the piece is affecting me. And this is good. And I rarely feel good about stuff, so that’s always kind of cool, right Matt?

      When your story starts making you feel.

      Feels like it’ll make someone else feel. And that’s always a cool feeling.

      Feel. Feel. Touchy feely. Feel-monster. Feel-a-titis.

      Feelatio. Feelicia. Feelice. Feelite.

  15. Michael James

      that was weird…. i posted this response at the bottom. Read it over. It was there. I return five seconds later and its gone. The fuck? Not even talking the one above…

  16. Michael James

      that was weird…. i posted this response at the bottom. Read it over. It was there. I return five seconds later and its gone. The fuck? Not even talking the one above…

  17. elizabeth ellen

      ooh, la la. champagne mangoes! someone’s livin high on the hog. do you wear velvet slippers and smoke a pipe when you’re editing, sam?

  18. elizabeth ellen

      ooh, la la. champagne mangoes! someone’s livin high on the hog. do you wear velvet slippers and smoke a pipe when you’re editing, sam?

  19. PHM

      I’ve always gone with the draft system. I used to do a rough draft by hand and then the first typed draft was the first actual rough draft. That carried over for awhile after I quit handwriting. I would always call the first draft of something a rough draft. That got annoying though. Now I seem to write in fits and starts. Eventually enough of these fits and starts coincide that I have a story. Then I go through and write it again. Then the draft system kicks in. The first five drafts are the most important, usually. That’s when it’s not just nitpicking. If I make it past those, then I’m just successively passing the story around and trying to find new areas of improvement. I’ve slowed down a lot, yeah, but mostly the quality has improved.

  20. PHM

      I’ve always gone with the draft system. I used to do a rough draft by hand and then the first typed draft was the first actual rough draft. That carried over for awhile after I quit handwriting. I would always call the first draft of something a rough draft. That got annoying though. Now I seem to write in fits and starts. Eventually enough of these fits and starts coincide that I have a story. Then I go through and write it again. Then the draft system kicks in. The first five drafts are the most important, usually. That’s when it’s not just nitpicking. If I make it past those, then I’m just successively passing the story around and trying to find new areas of improvement. I’ve slowed down a lot, yeah, but mostly the quality has improved.

  21. PHM

      I guess I took it for granted that a writer should include writers, friends, and critics in the process of revision, but reading over these comments, it doesn’t, so I’ll annotate that usually after each draft I show it to someone, sometimes two drafts, and see what they think. Usually someone brings something to the table, but then there are times when they have a different vision for my story than I do. It’s all good, though. If you don’t use zoetrope.com yet, you might want to start. It’s a very useful community, I learned a lot there.

  22. PHM

      I guess I took it for granted that a writer should include writers, friends, and critics in the process of revision, but reading over these comments, it doesn’t, so I’ll annotate that usually after each draft I show it to someone, sometimes two drafts, and see what they think. Usually someone brings something to the table, but then there are times when they have a different vision for my story than I do. It’s all good, though. If you don’t use zoetrope.com yet, you might want to start. It’s a very useful community, I learned a lot there.

  23. Ronnie

      Printing in a different font than you typed it in, then sitting down with a beer and no limit on yr time, goes a LONGGGG way.

  24. Ronnie

      Printing in a different font than you typed it in, then sitting down with a beer and no limit on yr time, goes a LONGGGG way.

  25. chris

      never edit
      i’ve got nothing to hide

  26. chris

      never edit
      i’ve got nothing to hide

  27. +!O0o(o)o0O!+

      Writing has a composition stage and an editing stage. If you don’t edit, you’re just composing, not “writing.”

  28. +!O0o(o)o0O!+

      Writing has a composition stage and an editing stage. If you don’t edit, you’re just composing, not “writing.”

  29. thomas p levy

      i hate my writing when i read it

      so

      sometimes i just delete the worst shit. other times i rewrite the worst shit. sometimes i use the strikethrough tool. sometimes i unstrike shit. sometimes i just fix typos and punctuations and then i add line breaks or remove them.

      printing shit is unsuccessful. always. i will print something–or a lot of things–and it will sit on my desk / toilet / bookshelf / dresser for days with only a few pencil markings. i wont ever throw that printout away, but it will never get edited. i have boxes of printed shit.

      sometimes i open the file and read the first line / sentence / paragraph and then close the file and feel bad about myself.

      sometimes i leave it open for a long time and do nothing.

      sometimes i retype the whole thing and leave the original on the bottom and add more shit to the shit.

      ill reread it the next day and feel mildly good about it and then change some more shit and remove some stuff or not.

      there’s always very little progress.

  30. thomas p levy

      i hate my writing when i read it

      so

      sometimes i just delete the worst shit. other times i rewrite the worst shit. sometimes i use the strikethrough tool. sometimes i unstrike shit. sometimes i just fix typos and punctuations and then i add line breaks or remove them.

      printing shit is unsuccessful. always. i will print something–or a lot of things–and it will sit on my desk / toilet / bookshelf / dresser for days with only a few pencil markings. i wont ever throw that printout away, but it will never get edited. i have boxes of printed shit.

      sometimes i open the file and read the first line / sentence / paragraph and then close the file and feel bad about myself.

      sometimes i leave it open for a long time and do nothing.

      sometimes i retype the whole thing and leave the original on the bottom and add more shit to the shit.

      ill reread it the next day and feel mildly good about it and then change some more shit and remove some stuff or not.

      there’s always very little progress.

  31. pr

      I studied with Joy Williams ten years ago. She was a great inspiration and a great teacher. I read some interview with her where she said something to the effect of “When I revise, I just make things worse.” I wish I could find that interview and that quote. I have definitely made things worse. And I’ve also made things better. I often revise as I go along and like Alice Munro said, I do a lot of writing in my head before I write it down. I used to be in writers groups. At times, that was helpful. At other times, it wasn’t. I used to have a friend or two read things- one of those friends became an angry, jealous non-friend with very strange opnions that had to do with his rage (he took a lot of steroids- warning to others! Don’t have a someone on a lot of steroids read your work? Hm. Might be good advice) and not my writing. Subjectivity is real. I revise and I listen to people and I also, now more than ever, stick to my gut feelings about sentences, words, actions in a story. The best advice I get from others comes in the form of “line edit” stuff. That advice I LOVE. The rest- the meat of it, the heart of it–I’m not so interested anymore in what others say (the subjectivity thing). But I’m 41. If I don’t know where my heart is by this age- well, yeah.

  32. pr

      I studied with Joy Williams ten years ago. She was a great inspiration and a great teacher. I read some interview with her where she said something to the effect of “When I revise, I just make things worse.” I wish I could find that interview and that quote. I have definitely made things worse. And I’ve also made things better. I often revise as I go along and like Alice Munro said, I do a lot of writing in my head before I write it down. I used to be in writers groups. At times, that was helpful. At other times, it wasn’t. I used to have a friend or two read things- one of those friends became an angry, jealous non-friend with very strange opnions that had to do with his rage (he took a lot of steroids- warning to others! Don’t have a someone on a lot of steroids read your work? Hm. Might be good advice) and not my writing. Subjectivity is real. I revise and I listen to people and I also, now more than ever, stick to my gut feelings about sentences, words, actions in a story. The best advice I get from others comes in the form of “line edit” stuff. That advice I LOVE. The rest- the meat of it, the heart of it–I’m not so interested anymore in what others say (the subjectivity thing). But I’m 41. If I don’t know where my heart is by this age- well, yeah.

  33. Rawbbie

      If I write something by hand, then it could keep getting longer before I make any edits. Once the piece is on the computer it becomes a series of what if games. What if I change the POV? what if I change the verb tense? what if I change the order of information? If I make any significant changes I save it as a new file, if I make minor ones I just save it as the current file. I think editing (esp poetry) keeps writing from being a form of narcissism: yes I wrote this, but it sucks right now. Every art form has some form of editing whether it be sanding or erasing or adding a new layer of paint.

  34. Rawbbie

      If I write something by hand, then it could keep getting longer before I make any edits. Once the piece is on the computer it becomes a series of what if games. What if I change the POV? what if I change the verb tense? what if I change the order of information? If I make any significant changes I save it as a new file, if I make minor ones I just save it as the current file. I think editing (esp poetry) keeps writing from being a form of narcissism: yes I wrote this, but it sucks right now. Every art form has some form of editing whether it be sanding or erasing or adding a new layer of paint.

  35. Nathan Tyree
  36. Nathan Tyree
  37. Alain de Botton

      Hey Guys, Alain de Botton here. I’ll tell you how I edit shit: with a knife. I gut my sentences like I will that NYTBR reviewer’s brake system if I get a chance. My shrink says I should cuddle and pet my writing into shape, stroke the words the way I wish my absentee mother had me as a tiny Botton, and I am trying. I feel like this review debacle set me back a few steps from the progress I was making in session. Cest la vie. Great post Mr. Pink. I need your stylist.

      -deB

  38. Alain de Botton

      Hey Guys, Alain de Botton here. I’ll tell you how I edit shit: with a knife. I gut my sentences like I will that NYTBR reviewer’s brake system if I get a chance. My shrink says I should cuddle and pet my writing into shape, stroke the words the way I wish my absentee mother had me as a tiny Botton, and I am trying. I feel like this review debacle set me back a few steps from the progress I was making in session. Cest la vie. Great post Mr. Pink. I need your stylist.

      -deB

  39. Ani

      Oh my god. I am taking the fact that you mentioned Joy Williams as a sign that I should ask you what I thought of asking you earlier this morning. Basically, it’s a writing-related favor. Email me and all will be revealed! Please? (Unless you don’t want / have no time to do it, which is totally cool too.) Thanks, pr.

      Sam, I edit with a blindfold on. It’s so much kinkier that way.

  40. Ani

      Oh my god. I am taking the fact that you mentioned Joy Williams as a sign that I should ask you what I thought of asking you earlier this morning. Basically, it’s a writing-related favor. Email me and all will be revealed! Please? (Unless you don’t want / have no time to do it, which is totally cool too.) Thanks, pr.

      Sam, I edit with a blindfold on. It’s so much kinkier that way.

  41. gay degani

      Distance, yes. But personal distance as well as trusted reader distance for me. I have learned the hard way (and must say, I still falter) by sending out pieces that aren’t ready. Of course I think they are ready because I’ve managed to solve key problems in structure, character, and clarity, BUT it’s a false feeling of being done, not the real thing. The real thing comes a day maybe two later when I’ve forced myself to read it again and discover–OMG–a ton of embarrassing fuck-ups.

      I fix those. Get flushed with succes. Think it’s ready, then reluctantly set aside again. Harder this time. I often send it out…

      But I hope I don’t. I’m trying to recognize a kind of “muscle memory.” Like recognizing that tennis posture for serving, where all your muscles have finally memorized where they need to be to get the ball low and hard over the net? A settling into that place? When that happens in my writing, that’s when I need to send it out. And not get lazy.

  42. gay degani

      Distance, yes. But personal distance as well as trusted reader distance for me. I have learned the hard way (and must say, I still falter) by sending out pieces that aren’t ready. Of course I think they are ready because I’ve managed to solve key problems in structure, character, and clarity, BUT it’s a false feeling of being done, not the real thing. The real thing comes a day maybe two later when I’ve forced myself to read it again and discover–OMG–a ton of embarrassing fuck-ups.

      I fix those. Get flushed with succes. Think it’s ready, then reluctantly set aside again. Harder this time. I often send it out…

      But I hope I don’t. I’m trying to recognize a kind of “muscle memory.” Like recognizing that tennis posture for serving, where all your muscles have finally memorized where they need to be to get the ball low and hard over the net? A settling into that place? When that happens in my writing, that’s when I need to send it out. And not get lazy.

  43. sam pink

      baginest. i like that.

  44. sam pink

      baginest. i like that.

  45. sam pink

      i think i agree about the trusted readers. but i have this thing where i can’t let anyone else see it until i know there is nothing else i would change. i have a weird paranoia about peoples’ suggestions changing how i see the piece prematurely. does that makes sense.

  46. sam pink

      i think i agree about the trusted readers. but i have this thing where i can’t let anyone else see it until i know there is nothing else i would change. i have a weird paranoia about peoples’ suggestions changing how i see the piece prematurely. does that makes sense.

  47. sam pink

      i slap my hog after i cover it in mango juice and download one of your photos.

  48. sam pink

      i slap my hog after i cover it in mango juice and download one of your photos.

  49. sam pink

      dude i used to handwrite too. now i honestly sometimes can’t even remember how to write by hand. like i just guess at how letters look.

  50. sam pink

      dude i used to handwrite too. now i honestly sometimes can’t even remember how to write by hand. like i just guess at how letters look.

  51. sam pink

      interesting. but dont you edit when selecting what to write down.

  52. sam pink

      interesting. but dont you edit when selecting what to write down.

  53. sam pink

      sometimes i think i like to print stuff out and take it far away from where i wrote it. like, i print it up and take it to places that have different feels. it helps balance the tone i think. like, if something seems too angry, then i take it to a park where a lot of people are playing. if something seems to funny or stupid, i go to the woods. it helps measure how effective or genuine certain aspects are.

  54. sam pink

      sometimes i think i like to print stuff out and take it far away from where i wrote it. like, i print it up and take it to places that have different feels. it helps balance the tone i think. like, if something seems too angry, then i take it to a park where a lot of people are playing. if something seems to funny or stupid, i go to the woods. it helps measure how effective or genuine certain aspects are.

  55. pr

      I’m very paranoid about my early drafts and can’t show anything until I have a solid, worked over draft. I think that’s quite normal and good and actually, I think it became a way of doing things after I did things the other way- show stuff in its early stages–and people said things that ruined my ability to get back into the piece. I’m hyper sensitive about stuff still in the making. After that- not so much.

  56. pr

      I emailed, you Ani. Check you spam, too- my email aften shows up as spam.

  57. sam pink

      i agree dude. i like when i read something and ican’t remember writing it. it’s like a ghost or some shit.

  58. sam pink

      i agree dude. i like when i read something and ican’t remember writing it. it’s like a ghost or some shit.

  59. sam pink

      yeah like, i imagine that after writing something, i will change it a lot, and that i know some of its weaknesses. but then i imagine, if i showed it to someone before i couldn’tn figure out what else to do, i imagine that would derail how i think about it.

  60. sam pink

      yeah like, i imagine that after writing something, i will change it a lot, and that i know some of its weaknesses. but then i imagine, if i showed it to someone before i couldn’tn figure out what else to do, i imagine that would derail how i think about it.

  61. darby

      ‘ve had a long struggle with distance like others are saying, not struggle, assumption it is important, but how do I force distance? I don’t trust, trust, so I send to one place quick, used to anyway, no sim sub, and allow that time for distance, so when it comes back no I have some distance and its out of the submission cycle and reviseable, but these daze I’m better, things sit open on my desktop for weeks and months now before, even really small things like poems will just sit until i’ve picked enough at it where I feel something about it, and i have individual days of distances that accumulate, partly it helps that i’m less interested in submiting work any where, like I don’t want to think where so it sits on my desktop inadvertently providing distance, but for longer works like writing books i have to do drafts like do a first draft of it all and then go back and revise each chapter chronologically, and as far as what I am editing, for sound mostly, does this have sound instead of content or content instead of sound and what do I prefer today or can I make it have both, I ask and answer dude get some sleep, but sometimes I edit for typos or leave them in if they kill me, sometimes you have to edit in such a way that makes it sound unedited for that effect, I don’t think iv’e edited anything in this comment except where i wrote reviseable it was originally just revise but i read it back thought reviseable.

  62. darby

      ‘ve had a long struggle with distance like others are saying, not struggle, assumption it is important, but how do I force distance? I don’t trust, trust, so I send to one place quick, used to anyway, no sim sub, and allow that time for distance, so when it comes back no I have some distance and its out of the submission cycle and reviseable, but these daze I’m better, things sit open on my desktop for weeks and months now before, even really small things like poems will just sit until i’ve picked enough at it where I feel something about it, and i have individual days of distances that accumulate, partly it helps that i’m less interested in submiting work any where, like I don’t want to think where so it sits on my desktop inadvertently providing distance, but for longer works like writing books i have to do drafts like do a first draft of it all and then go back and revise each chapter chronologically, and as far as what I am editing, for sound mostly, does this have sound instead of content or content instead of sound and what do I prefer today or can I make it have both, I ask and answer dude get some sleep, but sometimes I edit for typos or leave them in if they kill me, sometimes you have to edit in such a way that makes it sound unedited for that effect, I don’t think iv’e edited anything in this comment except where i wrote reviseable it was originally just revise but i read it back thought reviseable.

  63. Jonny Ross

      You should write a full post maybe on your experience being in Joy Williams class. That would be sweet.

  64. Jonny Ross

      You should write a full post maybe on your experience being in Joy Williams class. That would be sweet.

  65. +!O0o(o)o0O!+

      I handwrite and let my arm take over. The selection process is pretty much intuitive. Channeling the voice of God. I get the fuck out of the way, until the composing is done, then I type and have at it forever.

  66. +!O0o(o)o0O!+

      I handwrite and let my arm take over. The selection process is pretty much intuitive. Channeling the voice of God. I get the fuck out of the way, until the composing is done, then I type and have at it forever.

  67. Alain de Botton

      Me too. I take mine to other people’s jobs and then insult their intelligence. That doesn’t change my piece’s tone, but it does make me feel like less of douche.

  68. Alain de Botton

      Me too. I take mine to other people’s jobs and then insult their intelligence. That doesn’t change my piece’s tone, but it does make me feel like less of douche.

  69. pr

      That’s a great idea. IT was a weekend thing, ten years ago. But it was HUGE for me. I remember it very well.

  70. Editing « Oh, Darned Wind!

      […] enjoyed this post and the 35 or so helpful, funny, weird, honest, modest, and kind comments that followed over at […]

  71. Catherine Lacey

      Whiskey and Tarot cards, duh.

  72. Catherine Lacey

      Whiskey and Tarot cards, duh.

  73. Catherine Lacey

      psssh……

  74. Catherine Lacey

      psssh……

  75. sam pink

      i like mean editing. like, i enjoy editing when i feel really mean. so when i look at what i have done, i act like an enemy. like a snotty asswipe who hates everything. i think it helps.

  76. sam pink

      liquid g, and kenny g.

  77. sam pink

      i like mean editing. like, i enjoy editing when i feel really mean. so when i look at what i have done, i act like an enemy. like a snotty asswipe who hates everything. i think it helps.

  78. sam pink

      liquid g, and kenny g.

  79. Zip

      Zip knows what you meant here, Sam. “O” is inhabited by a ghost, or a maniac, or a god. You’re more careful. :)

  80. Zip

      Zip knows what you meant here, Sam. “O” is inhabited by a ghost, or a maniac, or a god. You’re more careful. :)

  81. joshua

      reading it aloud and with feeling is the most important thing you can do in the editing process. if you either can’t “feel” it when you’re reading or it sounds horrible, then you know where to edit.

      i also like to shelve a piece i think is “done” for a minimum of a week, then come back to it with a small sense of detachment.

  82. joshua

      reading it aloud and with feeling is the most important thing you can do in the editing process. if you either can’t “feel” it when you’re reading or it sounds horrible, then you know where to edit.

      i also like to shelve a piece i think is “done” for a minimum of a week, then come back to it with a small sense of detachment.

  83. joshua

      that comment needs to be edited

  84. joshua

      that comment needs to be edited

  85. darby

      your face needs to be edited

  86. darby

      your face needs to be edited

  87. gena

      ouch

  88. gena

      ouch

  89. Michael James

      this is like a rap song for writers….

  90. Michael James

      this is like a rap song for writers….

  91. Michael James

      i think that has to do, like you mentioned, with energies. various places build up energies in the walls, the floor, the things around you, you know?

      thats why my writing fucking sucks since I’ve been stuck in the boony of Texas without a car, stuck in a house for damn near 6 months. Stuck in a haunted house with an evil ass ghost-demon thing. Fucking with my chi man.

  92. Michael James

      i think that has to do, like you mentioned, with energies. various places build up energies in the walls, the floor, the things around you, you know?

      thats why my writing fucking sucks since I’ve been stuck in the boony of Texas without a car, stuck in a house for damn near 6 months. Stuck in a haunted house with an evil ass ghost-demon thing. Fucking with my chi man.

  93. pr

      Ghosts and hauntedness will only give you strength, if you survive it. You are blessed MJM. Give it time to settle.

  94. darby

      i am always mean so i am always editing it and being done wid it. I cut my novel down to a sentence bitch. my fingertips nunchuk my stories until they are close to dead. then I say, turn over. get a drink o water. wrike poekry unkil khis gankster. Mean it.

  95. darby

      i am always mean so i am always editing it and being done wid it. I cut my novel down to a sentence bitch. my fingertips nunchuk my stories until they are close to dead. then I say, turn over. get a drink o water. wrike poekry unkil khis gankster. Mean it.

  96. sam pink

      i got hit with an actual nunchuk in the leg once. it really hurt. like i had to try hard not to cry.

  97. sam pink

      i got hit with an actual nunchuk in the leg once. it really hurt. like i had to try hard not to cry.

  98. Sabra
  99. Sabra
  100. this is what a poem looks like « Project Dust World

      […] 11, 2009 · Leave a Comment Inspired by Sam Pink’s post on htmlgiant called “How do you edit something”. It is also inspired by the fact I responded to his post with an intense fervor about […]