Podcast: Editing Your Writing
In this episode, Callie Feyen joins us to discuss the difference between feedback and editing, why editing your own writing is important, and how to find someone to edit your stuff, too.
Callie is a regular contributor to Coffee + Crumbs and T.S. Poetry Press, holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Seattle Pacific University, and blogs at calliefeyen.com. Her first book, The Teacher Diaries: Romeo & Juliet, came out earlier this year, and she’s already handed in a manuscript for her second book. She’s a former middle-school English teacher and is currently the At-Risk Literary Specialist for the Ypsilanti Public School System in Michigan. Needless to say, she knows her way around a stack of stories, and when she talks about writing, we listen.
Want more resources on editing your writing specifically for Coffee + Crumbs? Listen to this episode with Jenn Batchelor all about submission do’s and don’ts.
Callie’s essay about her mom’s friend took over a year to write.
Callie recommends we all read Lauren Winner, Luci Shaw’s Breath for the Bones, and A Syllable of Water.
Need some spiritual writing inspiration? Katie Blackburn and April Hoss are the team captains of spiritual writing at C+C.
Callie asks for writing help from Laura Barkat. We interviewed Laura earlier this year, and you can listen to her writing advice here.
Near Bethesda, Maryland? The Writer’s Center comes highly recommended.
Not near Bethesda? You can work with Callie through her DIY Writing Intensive available in the Creative Marketplace. Remember: Exhale members get a 10% discount!
Need a book to walk you through? Callie likes Tell It Slant for the exercises and examples. She’s recommended it a few times.
Callie’s prompt for you is to ask yourself two questions:
1. Where is the heart of this essay?
2. What does this essay want to be?
Usually, when she’s frustrated with a piece, Callie walks away for awhile, and when she returns, she asks herself those two questions to help her revise.
Submission idea:
Callie had a submission idea for us all, too! She recommends looking into writing for Relief Journal, a yearly print journal with an additional online presence that focuses on faith and imagination. They feature fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, graphic narrative, and reviews. You can find all the details at reliefjournal.com/web-submit/ or https://www.reliefjournal.com/print-submit/.
Our quote we shared with you:
“Writing without revising is the literary equivalent of waltzing gaily out of the house in your underwear.” ― Patricia Fuller
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