The Power of Revision

“That’s the magic of revisions—every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.”

Kelly Barnhill

I finished writing my first book-length manuscript this year. From start to finish, I’ve worked on this project for nearly two years. That includes the planning, outlining, researching, procrastinating, building the necessary skills to sit down and face the blank page, write the rough draft on my 1960s Alda Tippa typewriter, take almost a month’s long break before transferring said rough draft (i.e. writing the second draft) onto my MacBook, asking a mentor to read it and give me feedback, wait for said feedback, and doing the final edits.

But…I finished it, and I learned so much from the process.

My biggest takeaway is the necessity of doing revisions. As a younger writer I used to dread the process. I was of the mindset that proofreading should be left up to editors. I said as much to my English teacher my senior year of high school when she brought back my rough draft of my take on “Dante’s Inferno”. She wasn’t buying it, and slapped me on the arm with my draft. “If you’re going to be a successful writer, Aaron,” she said, “you’ll have to learn to proofread and edit your work.” Other than encouraging me to take up writing as a profession, it was the best piece of advice I she could have given me—and it was only after working as a sportswriter did I truly understand the importance of what she said.

Revision is its own art and craft. I find it much easier to get words on a paper (even on days in which I struggle). But to revise those sentences, to trim or, at times, cut out completely, some ideas is much harder. Writers often hear the phrase “Murder your darlings”, a phrase coined by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch but made famous by William Faulkner. It means being willing to make the hard cuts in your work when they are needed.

I think revising is scary for many writers because we have spent time developing a concept and when it doesn’t jive with the rest of the work we fear we may never get it back. Or, we fear that what we replace it with will not be as strong as what we had there originally. The true talent of a writer, I believe, lies in having the courage to overcome that fear, make the cuts, and trust their instincts as they go along—either in knowing what to replace the excised content or to have confidence to change anything at all. And while it is scary to clip and snip, when done right, something great comes out of the destruction.

This doesn’t apply only to writing. Life requires constant revision. That was something else I learned as I did this project. I had to change many things about my daily routine and about what kind of writer I was choosing to be. My book aims to inspire others, but it had to inspire me first. I turned back to reading every day—fiction, short stories, essays, nonfiction—but the most important reading was my scriptures. Reading scripture consistently, especially the Book of Mormon, allowed me to tune in more with my thoughts, writing instincts, and the Holy Ghost. As a member of The Church of Jesus of Christ of Latter-day Saints we believe that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It is a companion to the Bible. It is God’s word given to the early inhabitants of the Americas. Because it is another testament of Christ, more of His teachings, there is a power that comes from it and from studying the Bible.

I drew upon that power, and it made me want to make other revisions in my life. I hold a leadership position in our unit of the church. I assist our branch president (the LDS version of a pastor or minister), and I wanted to do my job better. I wanted to make sure the counsel that I imparted—and still do, as I’m still in that calling as of this writing—came from divinity and not just from my own understanding.

Another revision I made was in my own home. I learned to be more patient as father and more caring as a husband. I learned to give of myself more. Even though I had always been giving, there was more I could do, and I’m glad I learned to recognize that as it has drawn me closer to my wife and children.

One of the last things I started to cut out were bad habits, both spiritual and physical. My health had been in decline since my dad’s death. I turned to food to cope with the grief and my weight ballooned to the heaviest I have ever been. I decided that if I didn’t want have my own untimely death I needed to make a change. I cut out soda pop for 12 weeks (three months), and I made sure to not eat so late at night. I also challenged myself to walk more. I did this by parking further away from the door at Walmart or the grocery store. I made sure to take breaks during work to stretch and let my blood flow for a minute seeing as I sit for long hours on end. By the end of August I had dropped 40 pounds and brought myself back from the brink of becoming a diabetic. I still have a long way to go on this front, but the start I’ve made and the achievements that have come from it show me that this was a good cut to make.

On the spiritual side I started to pay attention more to the content I watch, read, or listen. The rule for me is this: if I can’t watch it without my kids in the same room then I shouldn’t be watching it at all. This has been challenging. Especially in October. Anyone that knows me well knows that I love John Carpenter’s “Halloween”. I love the music, the atmosphere, and Jaime Lee Curtis is still a babe. I’ve seen the first “re-quels” done by Danny McBride and David Gordon Greene. They were OK, enough to get me wanting to see the third installment, “Halloween Ends”, that came out this year. It was hard not going to see that movie in the theater. It was even harder to not reactivate my Peacock account and stream it on my computer. However, I held on to my rule. It was/is my new standard, and what good is a standard if you don’t use it? I’ve noticed a change come about by doing this. I feel more in-tune with myself creatively, spiritually and mentally. It has become easier to turn away from that type of content, and the longer I do this the easier it will get, another good thing that’s grown from a tough cut.

I’m grateful for revisions. When done right they produce something great and wonderful. We will make many revisions throughout our lives, and that is something that makes life beautiful and worth living. We can always rise if we are willing to make the necessary cuts.