Editing is Like Dusting

The semester is coming to a close. To a writing major this means one thing: editing.

I like editing. It is the difference between vacuuming the whole living room and dusting the knickknacks. Vacuuming is important, but it is big, sometimes overwhelming. Dusting gives me time to look at each individual item, to think about where they came from, who gave them to me and why I keep them around even though they require dusting. It's nostalgic and sentimental.

Today I dust. I refine my words. Remember why I chose them, throw out the ones that are no longer important. Slaughter a few of my literary babies. It is probably the hardest part of writing, but I truly do enjoy it. It feels good. Like cleaning house.

And yes, I use these. I have found more than once that the word I want is on the same page as the one I think I want and a digital dictionary just doesn't allow that kind of serendipity.