English Class; I should have studied

Any author that says, "I love the editing process" is not entirely lying to you. While the edits to my first novel, 'Divine Turmoil' went rather smoothly, there were things I just couldn't grasp. I soon found myself reliving my High School English classes. I could hear Mrs. White raising her voice at me saying I didn't study enough and that English is the end all, be all, of the writing world.

Now back in high school I didn't know I was going to be a writer, so why did I care what a sentence clause was? Let me tell you, I care now. I had to listen to a 6 minute pod cast on what the heck they were. Not to mention I had to ask my my Middle School student what an adverb was. How embarrassing is that?

When I first started to edit, my heart would thump uncontrollably and I had to take frequent breaks because one child was beating on the other. Towards the end I just let them go at. Survival of the fittest my mother used to say!

Anyway these are something I learned and/or remembered from English class:

-5 descriptive nouns in row weakens a sentence.

-If someone 'Chuckled' in your book or short story, you missed an opportunity for character development.

-'to decide', 'he thought', & 'she thought' can be rewritten to show the action.

-New England has a different way of speaking. While I always believed 'Wicked' was our only slang word, you'll be amazed at how many we actually have!

-Telling a story and showing a story are two very different things.

-Don't fret. Sometimes you have to change a character's name to help enhance the story.

-Ask for help! Sometimes you can't get on paper what you see happening in your head.

-Don't, I mean, DON'T, take the comments as personal failures! As in English class, you must be graded to learn where your weak spots are. Only then can you learn from them and move on.

I hope Mrs. White is now enjoying retirement. She deserves it for the years she's taught student after student the ways of the English language. I believe she would be proud of me. I'm no longer the dyslexic slacker. With her help and patients I learned how to overcome my set backs and entertain people with my sometimes misspelled articles.

So, while I enjoyed the editing process of my novel, I have to say it scared me to death, it tested my desire to be a writer, and showed me that I really need to take an English course. I wonder if Mrs. White is still tutoring?