Editing creativity’s spark

You know those Monday’s where the day starts off rough (forgot to set the alarm?!) and you know you have a list of things to get done? But you forgot to write a sticky note with said list or at least a hint of what you wanted to do. Rewrites are like that.

I took last week off to focus on my other writing. Too many times it never made it on that sticky note of things to do. Or it always seemed to be the only item not crossed off and then (horrors), the sticky note was thrown away. That last, of the last, item still not crossed off.

My New Year’s resolution (or one of them) was to be more intentional with my blog this year. (This topic jogged my memory and I remembered a resolution, yay!) Being intentional, I mean as, don’t forget to write a post or to write several short ones in advance so I wouldn’t have to think about it during the busy seasons (like planting or harvest). It’s okay to write a few in advance but it got to (last year) where I felt I was skipping out on my own passion for writing and taking the ‘easy’ way out and not being real, in the moment, with life. And the agriculture life doesn’t sit still either, the farmer or the plants. I decided that a week off from blogging was in order and to be intentional (for the moment at least) about my other writing.

Rewrites are hard, scrapping some of my favorite or most-attached-to moments. Sometimes the muse, or creativity, takes a leave of absence. And the process goes something like this:

With creativity out for coffee and back who knows when, the back-to-the-drawing-board moments get real; usually with complete minutes of time with… nothing. How to jump start that creativity? Maybe jumper cables? Hmm. Maybe a little too electrifying for my taste. Coffee just makes the floor tap, I mean, my feet tap on the floor. Chocolate is a distraction unfortunately. The crackling wrappers and the plain, absolute goodness of great chocolate, you see how it’s a distraction; especially when the bag is mysteriously empty. Silence is golden but sometimes suffocating. And it begins to echo in your mind, definitely drowning out any possible creative thought. The radio lures you into singing along (in this case, Christmas carols or songs). Print-out copies are a blessing. You can scratch out lines, write ideas, and scribble arrows to move sentences (or whole paragraphs!).

Turns out just me looking at my own work wasn’t enough. The whole sentimentality thing is a strong force; plus, who doesn’t think their story is awesome? (Just maybe not in the original, original version.) My critique group is awesome! I’ve learned to better switch between artist/creator and the rewrite/editor mode. Critique groups are the mirror of truth. Many a fun word like ‘rakish’ has died one tap of the delete button at a time, sadly. However, their comments only help me shape it into the story that I’d envisioned in creativity’s spark. Paring words down like peeling an apple is truly an art; much like peeling an apple with one long, curly peel. Too easily do I get caught up in the miniscule details and drawing back to look at the story from the outside is the challenge.

So rewrites, while difficult at times and a crazy, rollercoaster ride of fun and inspiration at others; are positive change. Unless it ends up being one of those rare moments of deleeeeeeeeete; everything gone and a blank page staring back at me. Ah well. Clearly that spark of creativity was weak.

May your week be sunny, the candy canes sweet and the eggnog rich.