flying on instinct

This weekend while Jim and I were working in the yard, I realized that there were a couple of Carolina Wrens flying busily in and out of the garage.  I then remembered that a pair had tried a couple of years ago to build a nest in the lower corner of a piece of sculptural artwork we have hanging in the garage.  Yes, we have artwork hanging in the garage.  Jim keeps a very tidy garage and it looks good in there.

a piece titled "hey pops" by my friend Evan Everhart;

the birds wanted to nest in the lower left corner...

twice

So what does this have to do with editing?  It has to do with instinct.  Carolina Wrens have an instinct that tells them to find safe nesting places inside of structures.  I think many writers have an instinct to find safe hiding places inside structures.  Familiar structures, comfortable words, easy phrases that repeat time and again in their writing.  That is where a little fearless editing comes in handy.  It's fine to begin writing inside your safe and comfortable places to get a piece started, but when it's time to start editing your work, it's time to shine a little light on those habits.  I suggest starting a list of words and phrases, and even sentence structures, that may show up too often.

So, two of my writing foibles are starting too many sentences with "So", and perhaps using "perhaps" too often. Oh. And I simply must excise "simply" about 75 percent of the time I use it.  And what's up with my annoying habit of starting so many sentences with conjunctions?  Making a written list, even if you toss it in a drawer afterwords, should have the effect of making a little bell go off in your head every time you head into too familiar compositional territory.  That gives you more control over your writing habits.  Even if your decision is to keep the trope, it's still a conscious choice.

I know that repetition is one of many tools available to a writer. The effect of repetition can make for mesmerizing prose or poetry when it is used with precision. Take a look at Poe's poem The Raven.  He ends each stanza with "more" but manipulates each line by using it sometimes as "nothing more", "evermore", "Nevermore", and "Never-nevermore". His manipulation of each line makes the ending "more" all the...well...more powerful than if he had artlessly ended each stanza with "Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore'".  A valuable lesson to fledgling songwriters.

That last sentence is another habit of mine.  Writing thoughts or statements in incomplete sentences.  I'm aware of it, have been doing it for years, and it is part of my style that I am not going to change.  The key difference I see between developing a style and hiding under the familiar is first developing the ability to recognize that there is a difference.  Then the bird said nothing more.