“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop”. ~ Lewis Carroll
When you’re writing, or editing a piece of writing: how do you know when to stop?
“Begin at the beginning,” the King said, very gravely, “and go on till you come to the end: then stop”. ~ Lewis Carroll
When you’re writing, or editing a piece of writing: how do you know when to stop?
A personal motto of mine used to be “know when to stop”. Acknowledging there’s a time to stop, no matter what the situation, can be enough to give you the confidence to find a natural cut-off point.
Once my editing turns to nitpicking, I know it’s time to stop. I’ll never get to perfect and, by that point, I’m happy that enough time’s been invested in the piece already.
.-= Martin - TheUniversityBlog´s last blog ..Who are you trying to impress? Cast aside the critics! =-.
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Hi Joanna, I followed a link here from another blog - and am very glad I did! Interestingly your surname is the same as my family name….
I find it very difficult to know when to stop tinkering with my writing. But then I recognise the immense satisfaction of coming to the end of it. Good subject, thanks for sharing.
Enjoy the journey.
Mandy
.-= Mandy Allen´s last blog ..Helping out where we can =-.
Do I know when to stop? Sure. When I run out of time
And for blog posts, even when the publish button has been pushed, I know that there will always be a tomorrow.
.-= Catherine´s last blog ..Thai Language Thai Culture: A Rose (??????) by Any Other Name =-.
I’m with Catherine: I stop when I run out of time.
Hehe.
As for blog posts, I stop when my brain says enough. Which is not often enough.
The eternal question isn’t it? When a painting needs no other mark. Hands off is as challenging as hands on. And that takes practice. Very present, engaged practice. And intent, very intimate knowledge of intent.
.-= Janice Cartier´s last blog ..The Least The Little =-.
I know when to stop when I’ve finished saying what I have to say. That sounds simplistic, but it is what it is.
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..The Business Of Blogging =-.
Lol, Joanna. I like how you made your point with this post. How do I know when to stop? That is an excellent question for which I don’t have one answer. It depends on the piece; whether it’s at a point where leaving the reader will encourage them to continue with their own conclusions, or closing it yourself. But again… um… how do I know when to close it? Seems I’ve come full circle. “I don’t know,” is my best answer. “I know when I don’t know?”
.-= Davina´s last blog ..I Know You Interest Me =-.
Whenever possible, I like to begin at the end. For me, the question then becomes: Where do I start?
.-= Brad Shorr´s last blog ..Simple Sentences – How to Eliminate Semicolons, Part 2 =-.
Joanna, any writer who is strongly passionate about their work faces this question, and there are as many answers as writers.
For me, there is an almost audible in my head when I have written the last line. That’s not the end, but it does signal the shift to editor from creator. Very rarely, I will add more past the original end, but most often I simply tune what is already there, and let it go.
.-= Rick Hamrick´s last blog ..Colorado =-.
Martin thanks for making the connection between stopping and confidence - I should have thought of that! Good point about nitpicking - I agree that’s probably one of the signals that we’ve shifted over from constructive editing to tinkering for the sake of it
Mandy glad you found us - thanks for saying hi! It’s an interesting question - lots of layers wrapped up in how we know. I think sometimes we do know it’s time to stop but keep going for other reasons (stopping might mean getting it out there, or doing something else we’ve been putting off)
Cat time is a good indicator that it’s time to stop
And yes, with blog posts, always another day…
Naoko you’re obviously just too good at getting into the flow
Janice good point… “hands off is as challenging as hands on”. I love the way you bring it back to practice and intent. I always feel better when I remember it’s practice I’m engaged in…
Mitch I know what you mean… the link back to intention… but still I wonder - how do you know when you’ve got to that point?
Davina it’s intriguing isn’t it? I think for me it happens beyond my conscious understanding, almost intuitive, or felt in the gut, which is why it’s hard to answer the question. It’s something I’d like to understand better though to help build the practice and confidence of those for whom it doesn’t necessarily come so naturally.
Brad you would obviously have been very happy in Alice in Wonderland
Rick I think perhaps I’m hearing something too - but too fast to be consciously aware of it. I think you have a word missing in your response and it’s tantalising me - an almost audible….???
This will sounds weird, but it’s kind of like a Mozart thing. When I start writing, I know exactly what I want to write and how I want to write it. I actually hear the words in my mind, which sometimes isn’t good because my mind moves faster than my fingers. When I get to the conclusion, I just know it. No way to really explain it otherwise.
.-= Mitch´s last blog ..Three Weeks Of Working Out; Progress? =-.
I just plain have to work on my editing skills….I usually like how things come out the first time, then I just correct mistakes and typos….I am just now working on practicing writing longer pieces…
I edit my journal writing with colored pens, and I do throw my journals away quite often - I do not wish to burden my children with my minds somersaults and leaps.
Blog posts have a time limit.
.-= Patricia´s last blog ..35 Million =-.
Mitch thanks for sharing that insight into the way the words emerge… so interesting to me. I often hear the words in my mind too, and they do come out as a torrent, leaving us almost running to keep up. We can stop when they stop…
Patricia the whole interaction between writing and editing is fascinating… I’m interested that you throw your journals away - I keep mine ‘just in case’ there’s a thought or a phrase I need to refind… but maybe I’d get more clarity from letting them go. (From knowing when to stop?
)
A very great man once said to me - acquiring is the start of the process of living, but it is the shortest duration. Letting Go is the greatest accomplishment and the greatest part of our journey.
If you are meant to re find or refine something it will come to you and then you will be ready to let it go?
.-= Patricia´s last blog ..The Love Ceiling ~a novel by Jean Davies Okimoto =-.
I stop when I get bored, usually.
Michael I guess that works for many of us - esp if your boredom threshold is less than that of your reader