Editing Our Thoughts as Carefully as Our Words by Emily Conrad

I have a critique partner who rightly gets after me for using “weasel words.”

As she reviewed my latest manuscript, she drew my attention again and again to words like was and it. Reminded to choose my words more carefully, I noticed others she didn’t point out as often—that, just, finally, and now.

Realizing I’d let my attention to varied, vibrant language slip, I used the search function to highlight every one of those six words in the entire manuscript, then reviewed every. Single. Instance. Of each of them.

Some, I left. Many, I rewrote.

The task took considerable time, but the manuscript shines for the effort. (To get a feel for the impact, consider whether that sentence would carry the same punch if I’d written: It was time-consuming, but the manuscript shines because I did it. Now multiply that by an entire novel.)

After I tamed the weasels in my work-in-progress, however, I noticed another kind of weasel posing an even bigger threat to my writing.

Weasel thoughts.

You know the ones:

God isn’t using me.

I’m all on my own.

My manuscripts will never be accepted by an agent or editor.

I could never write like she does.

And on and on.

These negative thoughts, like words we so easily overuse, creep in when we’re not vigilant.

If we let the issue go unaddressed, those weasels grow bigger and multiply, fed by each rejection, setback, and disappointment. Soon, they run as rampant in our minds as weasel words can in our manuscripts.

The more we think them, the more we believe them. The more we believe them, the less we’ll write.

So, as we strive to improve in our writing craft, let’s also carefully manage our thoughts.

The trick with editing a manuscript for weasel words is not simply to delete every sentence containing one but, rather, to reword the line for the strongest impact.

With weasel thoughts, instead of rewording to convey the same meaning, we need to replace the negative with a faith-filled positive.

God isn’t using me becomes God has good purposes for me. (Jeremiah 29:11, Ephesians 2:10)

I’m all on my own becomes The Lord goes with me. (Matthew 28:20, Joshua 1:9)

My manuscripts will never get accepted by an agent or editor becomes God will open the right doors for me at the right time. (Psalm 138:8, 1 Peter 5:6)

I could never write like she does becomes I have been gifted in a unique way for a unique purpose. (1 Corinthians 12:12-14)

Weasel words will overrun our writing. Weasel thoughts will prevent us from writing in the first place. Both can prove to be challenging opponents, but you're not in this journey alone.

Friends, both inside and outside the writing world, can help pinpoint weasel thoughts and might be able to point you to Scripture that can combat the problem.

And, of course, prayer should be an important part of the editing process--whether we're talking weasel words or thoughts. God is concerned with every aspect of our lives, and invites us to bring our cares to Him.

Weasels are no match for the One who can do all things.

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P.S. Want some help finding the weasel words in your manuscript? Kregel editor Janyre Tromp created a list of 75 words to look out for in your work. As she wisely warns us, the key isn’t to delete them all, but to ensure that each instance is necessary. You can snag a copy (and benefit from the wisdom of two professional editors in other areas, too) by joining the Facebook group Editing Insiders with Janyre and Sarah. Once you’re in, search the group’s posts with the word “download” to find the link.

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Weasel words will overrun our writing. Weasel thoughts will prevent us from writing in the first place. @emilyrconrad shares thoughts on #editing out both as a #Christianwriter #seriouslywrite

Weasel thoughts. The more we think them, the more we believe them. The more we believe them, the less we’ll write. @emilyrconrad #writing #christianfiction #seriouslywrite

Negative thoughts, like words we so easily overuse, creep in when we’re not vigilant. @emilyrconrad #seriouslywrite #writetip #writing

Photo credits
Fountain pen writing photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

Pen with ink dot photo by Nicolas Thomas on Unsplash

Love fountain pen photo by John Jennings on Unsplash

Graphics created on Canva.com

Emily Conrad writes Christian romance and a blog to encourage women of faith. Her debut novel, Justice, released from Pelican Book Group in 2018. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and two rescue dogs. She loves Jesus and enjoys road trips to the mountains, crafting stories, and drinking coffee. (It’s no coincidence Justice is set mostly in a coffee shop!) She offers free short stories on her website and loves to connect with readers on social media.

www.emilyconradauthor.com
Facebook.com/emilyconradauthor
Instagram.com/emilyrconrad
Twitter.com/emilyrconrad

JUSTICE

The love of a lifetime, a quest for justice, and redemption that can only be found by faith.

Jake thought he was meant to marry Brooklyn, but now she's pregnant, and he had nothing to do with it.

Brooklyn can’t bring herself to name the father as she wrestles with questions about what her pregnancy means and how it will affect her relationship with Jake.

If Harold Keen, the man who owns the bookstore across from Jake's coffee shop, has anything to do with it, the baby will ruin them both.

Can Jake and Brooklyn overcome the obstacles thrown in their path, and finally find the truth in God's love and in each other?


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Look Up! by Elizabeth Musser

Often when I see a musical, one song will resonate with me so that it replays itself ad nauseum in my brain for days and weeks and months afterwards. Such was the case when I watched the wonderful film Mary Poppins Returns back in February. Here we are many months later, and I’m still singing, “Count your blessings; you’re a lucky guy for you’re underneath the lovely London sky.”

But I don’t mind.

Everything about the lyrics in this song makes me smile. First of all, the London sky doesn’t exactly have the reputation of being that welcoming for much of the year. But can’t a gray sky be lovely? It’s all about perspective as the song goes on to tell us.

When we write, we are giving our readers a certain perspective and hoping that they’ll catch on. Part of that perspective for us as Christian authors is to infuse our stories with hope.

The song from the film continues, “There’s a different point of view awaiting you if you would just look up.”

I want to give encouragement to my readers, but sometimes I sense the Lord simply wants my readers to be an encouragement to me. He whispers to me on those days when I’m feeling distracted or uninspired or discouraged, “Count your blessings and look up!”

As writers, we need to do this throughout each day so that our imaginations which are often creating conflict and angst don’t hijack the joy of the present. It’s a juggling act, isn’t it?

Usually I’m not underneath the London sky, but the Lyon, France sky where my husband and I serve as pastoral care missionaries. But we’re back in the States for the launch of my new novel, When I Close My Eyes. Yesterday, under my north Georgia sky, I watched my grandchildren frolicking right outside the window of my office, making it very hard for me to concentrate on writing and delighting me with the simple experience of being together on the same continent. So I looked up from my manuscript, waved to them, and hummed that tune in my head.

This morning, I drove up on Lookout Mountain underneath an autumn-blue sky to speak to a book club. In my talk, I addressed the major themes in the novel: depression, hypocrisy and grace, sharing from my own experience with depression. I was blessed and encouraged by the honest conversation that followed as these women responded to both the story in my book and my personal story. I sensed the Lord saying, “I don’t waste anything in your life. I’m using your story to impart hope. Look up!”

A few days ago, I was talking on the phone with my father in Atlanta. He told me that his new next-door-neighbor had just discovered that I was an author and that she’d read and greatly enjoyed some of my novels and couldn’t wait to meet me. Look up! That was a fun and unexpected blessing for my father, this woman, and me.

A few months ago at our little church in France, my husband, Paul, met a young Dutch woman named Judith who was visiting her sister in Lyon where her sister and husband attend our church. Paul mentioned to Judith that we had traveled to The Netherlands often because my novels are published there. Then Paul introduced me to Judith, and I explained that I write Christian fiction. Her eyes got wide when she asked me my name and I replied, “Elizabeth Musser.”

“I’ve read your books and love them!” she said. “And I just bought another of your novels to give to my mother for Mother’s Day.”

We chatted for a while, both of us certainly blessed by that serendipitous encounter. Later that week, I mailed a few signed book plates to Judith to put in those books.

So often we can’t see the impact of our words on others. “Is what I’m doing really making a difference, Lord,” we may ask. Then He pulls back the veil, ever so briefly, and gives us a peek at the lovely sky, reminding us that there’s a different point of view awaiting us if we will just look up. He intertwines lives at the right time so that indeed we’ll be blessed.

My sky today keeps changing from sunny and blue to moody and gray to frivolous with puffy white clouds. I think it is going to rain soon. But I’ll keep looking up. Won’t you, too?

As writers, we need to count our blessings throughout each day so that our imaginations which are often creating conflict and angst don’t hijack the joy of the present. via @EMusserAuthor #SeriouslyWrite #amwriting

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ELIZABETH MUSSER writes ‘entertainment with a soul’ from her writing chalet—tool shed—outside Lyon, France. Her new novel, When I Close My Eyes, was released on November 5 of 2019. For over thirty years, Elizabeth and her husband, Paul, have been involved in missions’ work in Europe with One Collective, formerly International Teams. The Mussers have two sons, a daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. Find more about Elizabeth’s novels at www.elizabethmusser.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog.

When I Close My Eyes

Could she ever share the secret of The Awful Year?

There is one story that novelist Josephine Bourdillon shirked from writing. And now she may never have a chance. Trapped in her memories, she lies in a coma.

The man who put her there is just as paralyzed. Former soldier Henry Hughes failed to complete the kill. What’s more, he never received the full payment—funds that would ensure surgery for his son.

As detectives investigate disturbing fan letters, a young but not-so-naive Paige Bourdillon turns to her mother’s tormented past for answers. Could The Awful Year be worse than the one they’re living now?

Set against the flaming hills of North Carolina and the peaceful shores of the Mediterranean Sea, When I Close My Eyes tells the story of two families struggling with dysfunction and finding that love is stronger than death.