This was too good not to share -- and appropriately themed for Lent! Janice Gable Bashman & Kathryn Craft, on the Writers Digest web site, analyze the
Seven Deadly Sins of Self-Editing, describing not only the "sin" but also prescribing the salutary "penance" to overcome it.
They seem to understand not only writers but human nature, saying:
We’re most likely to sin when we’re at our most vulnerable—and for
creative writers, there may be no more vulnerable time than the delicate
(and often excruciating) process of editing our own work. Sidestep
these too-common traps, and keep your story’s soul pure.
What are your besetting sins as you seek feedback and revise? Perhaps you tend toward
sloth:
The lazy scribe is one who’s failed to develop and utilize all her
natural talents. To draft a story—and then stop there—is to ignore the
very nature of literature, which constructs meaning through the deft
layering of craft elements. If you find yourself bucking that notion,
you may be guilty of sloth.
If you hate having your work critiqued, you may fall into the sin of
wrath:
The editing process can inspire uncontrolled feelings of rage in a
writer. It’s difficult to discover or to hear from a trusted reader that
you might not yet have fully developed your work—but it’s also an
important step in growing your organic talent.
Read the article to learn what "penances" the authors prescribe for these and the other 7 deadly sins of self-editing.
