Editing and Honing the Universal in Your Story
I knew early on in my life I wanted to be a writer. Actually, I wanted to be a reader. I loved reading. But at that time, I didn't think you could get paid for that. So, I switch my dream career from reader to writer.
I wrote a lot during those times but never finished anything because there was something else a writer needs to do: edit.
Editing has always proved elusive to me. I spilled words onto the paper. What else is there to do? Well, it depends on your kind of writing. But sometimes, after writing, there is still a lot to do, and sometimes, there is a little.
Public speaking and speech competitions weren't part of this debilitating, limiting self-belief because of its spontaneous nature. I could tell a story. I could write a story. I just couldn't face the paper to edit and finish it.
It wasn't until my late 20s that I got serious about editing. And it wasn't until my late thirties that I started sharing stories with people.
Over the years, I have developed a few guiding principles for my editing.
Theme, Perennials, Brightspots, Points of Entry.
The themes of the stories are universal, where the details vary. That's good because the universality of the themes allows others to engage with you. Different writers call this different thing.
In "Perennial Seller," Ryan Holiday calls it a perennial. In "Long Story Short," Margot Leitman calls it a point of entry. I like to call them brightspots; I'm not sure why. Maybe when I came up with this name, I thought of it as a bright takeaway or lesson.
Some people recommend spelling it out so the audience knows what the story is about. I don't agree with this but the preference is yours. I'm not a fan of expository details unless they add to the tension and value arch. Taking a minute away from the story itself seems unnecessary.
Instead, once I know what the theme is, I'll go back into my essay and highlight that without spelling it out for the reader or listener.
If I do a good job at it, then it wouldn't be necessary. Also, even if you spell out what the story is about, it doesn't mean that the receiver of the message will interpret it that way. Such is art and communication.
Transitions
Transitions should be quick but meaningful. If you spend too little time on them, your anecdotes will seem unrelated; if you spend too much time on them, your transitions should be anecdotes.
Spend some time finding the connection between the two points in your story. An abrupt interruption might disrupt the flow of the piece. You might be going for that. But choose intentionally if that's what you want to do.
Fine-Tuning for Emotion, Tone, and Voice
Ask yourself, "What am I trying to say? How do I want to feel about it?"
Maybe it's a painful story to tell, but you want to make it funny. Editing helps with this. Or the reverse, maybe a story that you want to come across as solemn and nostalgic is coming out unintentionally funny. Editing helps with that.
Other things come into play here. Are you performing at an open mic or a story slam? Are you publishing with a local newspaper or a national magazine? Think of the venue or channel of your story, then adjust to that. An open mic is not the best place to tell a more dramatic tale, and a story slam is not the place to regale an audience with five to six minutes of dick jokes.
Arc
What is this story ultimately about for you? Why is this story important for you to tell? How would you describe yourself at the beginning of the story, and who would you become by the end?
Parting Thoughts
This is all a lot. For one second, forget about it all. Writing your story is the most important thing. And once your story is written down, read the whole thing and ask yourself, "What is this story about?"
If you only have time to do one thing, do that. Ask yourself, "What is this about?" And with your answer, go back with your chisel and hammer and chip away at your "David."
I had a last-minute personal emergency and I won't be hosting tonight's free memoir writing workshop. I will be back at it next week.
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