Start Where You Are | Edit | Sara Biren

 

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” - Arthur Ashe

The editing process has always been my favorite part of writing—to take the rough stone and polish it. For me, first drafts are a dumping ground, a way to get all my thoughts out on paper and hope there’s something worthwhile in the pages. Editing is where the true heart of the story emerges.

Sometimes, life needs a bit of editing as well.

A couple of years back, I selected edit as my one word for the year. Here’s what I wrote about it:

Life, like the first draft of a novel, can be messy and wayward and lack depth or meaning. The long, sometimes arduous editing process will hopefully result in a polished piece that rings true and resonates.

Right now, things seem a bit off-kilter and overwhelming for me. The good news is that I can edit my story, my perspective, my words, the things I say to myself and those around me. I can take what’s imbalanced and gently set it back to rights.

The pieces of my story, who I am, what I can accomplish are all here. I am empowered to EDIT, to rearrange and improve, to choose what to delete and what to flesh out across all facets of my life.

Edits aren’t always easy. Edits require the thoughtful and observant eye of those you’ve trusted to help along the way. Some edits are a breeze and some are grueling. But as with any project, as Anne Lamott tells us, I’ve got to take these edits bird by bird.

I’m still working on edits. That year—2021—didn’t go quite as planned. I made some changes, yes, but it wasn’t until July of 2022 that I really started to get it together and make positive edits.

As a career novelist—a title I’ve recently embraced—I’ve realized that I’ve still got work to do: edits to my lifestyle, my process, my workday. In the spring, I resigned from my part-time job (as an editor, it so happens) but since then, I’ve struggled with my schedule, priorities, and goals. I’ve spent some time in the last couple of weeks really digging in and making some “developmental edits” to how I approach my job as an author; what I’ve been doing isn’t working, exactly like a muddy plot point or flat dialogue or unclear character motivation. And I asked for help from a professional writing coach, someone who helped me recognize what’s holding me back and gave me ideas for revision.

At times like this—whether I’m overhauling a manuscript or my priorities or my writing routine—I remember the wise words of tennis professional Arthur Ashe: “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”

And then, I edit.