Reviving Your Writing: Transforming the Awful into Art
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Understanding the Possibility of Improvement
It's entirely feasible to enhance nearly any written work from your past.
In 2019, I was convinced I had a fantastic idea: publishing a poetry book on Amazon KDP. With no established audience, no knowledge of search engine optimization, and minimal research beyond the upload process, I dove in. My poetic muse? The amusing blunders of Google Translate showcased on YouTube.
I ended up publishing three rather terrible collections. In two, I created nonsensical poems and ran them through Google Translate until they became even more absurd. The third collection involved taking snippets from public domain poems and translating them, which turned out to be equally misguided. While Google Translate fails can be humorous, they do not translate well into poetry.
Reflecting on My Past Work
Recently, I revisited some of these cringe-worthy poems while comparing them to my current writing. I felt a wave of embarrassment; these pieces were, at best, mundane, and at worst, utterly atrocious. They lacked the entertainment value I had hoped for. Do I regret their creation? Not at all. I enjoyed the process, and it gives me a good chuckle to recall how brilliant I thought my idea was.
Can We Revise Our Poor Writing?
This question has occupied my thoughts lately. While I believe we can enhance our writing skills, can we also revise truly dreadful pieces? The straightforward answer is yes. However, can we achieve this without entirely rewriting the original work? I’m determined to find out. To do this, I will select a poem that possesses some semblance of a message and can be somewhat understood.
The Poem I Chose
A plethora of pens
Dancing on a desk
The pens grow sorrowful
They begin to weep
No pens today
Too many collars
They waltz over to the desk
You attempt to offer them coins
They transform into feathers
The feathers cried and concealed themselves
Not a feather in sight
I've picked a poem from my collection that, while not great, has a somewhat coherent narrative. It’s certainly flawed, but I believe we can refine it. I will preserve as much of the original as possible while still enhancing its quality.
Reimagining the Original
I own a vast array of pens
They dance across my desk as I write
A wave of sadness envelops them one day
They shed their inky tears
For I didn’t need their assistance
Too much work, with little time to write
They twirled before my gaze
Desperate for my attention
I contemplated as I observed
Perhaps writing could bring me fortune
As I slowly reached for them
Feathers had taken their place
Sadness permeated the room as they drifted away
Like those feathers, my hopes seemed distant
I consider this a success. While it may not be perfect, it reads much more smoothly and conveys a clearer message. I believe we can improve about 90% of our poor writing without discarding our original drafts. The only exceptions would be if the work contains factual inaccuracies or is utterly nonsensical to the reader. If you can't even grasp what you intended to convey, it might be wiser to start anew.
Exploring Writing Resources
The first video titled "How to Fix Bad Writing" offers valuable strategies for improving your writing skills. It discusses common pitfalls and how to overcome them, making it a great resource for anyone looking to refine their craft.
The second video, "Can I Fix My Handwriting in 30 Days?" explores practical tips and exercises to enhance your handwriting. It’s perfect for those wanting to improve their penmanship along with their writing skills.