WRITING BY HAND

By Sandra Schmid

There’s a current trend to get rid of stuff. We walk through our house, picking up each thing, asking if we love it. If not, Goodwill gets it. 

I’m trying the same technique on my manuscript. Chapters are dropped that don’t move the story. Excess words, slashed. Till eventually, I can hold something I love. 

The question arises, how do I know when I love my writing?

I’ve been writing the same story for twenty years. Drafts have accumulated. I’m a hoarder of words.

  

To rediscover my love, my hand and eyes becomes the gauge for whether the words stay or get thrown away. If copying a paragraph by hand feels torturous to my arthritic fingers, it’s probably ready for Goodwill. On the other hand, if the pen floats effortlessly across the page, I’m reconnecting with the heart and soul of my story. Those are the words worth keeping. 

When my eyes speed across the page, skimming to get through, I’m bored. My reader will be too. But when my eyes slow down to take a long, sensuous look, I start copying. 

Unlike the current trend to throw everything away, I advise keeping copies of our waste. Sometimes, old words trigger the best parts of our book. 

Reconnect with an old manuscript stashed away in a suitcase. Romance it. Feel it with your hand, your eyes, your heart and soul. Write until you love it.