Editing. A dirty word. A panicky-word. A dreadful word.

An often procrastinated responsibility. Filled with new mistakes.

Crammed with insecurity. Sometimes more red than black.

A comedy of errors. Riddled with indecisiveness.

“Why do I bother?” “What difference will a comma make?” “Why didn’t I pay attention in eighth grade language arts?”

Kills the flow. Screws the vibe. Devolves the creative energy.

Soul-sucking. Anger-building. Anxiety-establishing.

“Semicolons?” “What? No exclamation marks?” “I think double punctuation marks are okay!!!”

Typos. Word choice. Juxtaposition.

Boring. Tedious. Frustrating.

A necessary task.

Editing.


Image: Thomas Jefferson, June 1776, Rough Draft of the Declaration of Independence
source: Library of Congress