What the Eye Doesn’t See by Sheelagh Aston
on the wall. Two planks of wood fixed together. No inscription or fancy carving. Plain and simple.
On closer inspection,
you may notice that the wood is worn in places and has hair-line cracks. Despite
the new coat of varnish, the grain is deep and varied. This is old wood that
has aged over time thanks to weathering, oxidation and moisture. Yet it is only
now that people can see these two pieces of wood despite the fact that they
have been in the same building as the wall they hang on for nearly 100 years.
Only now are they visible for everyone to see.
The cross was
made from two floorboards removed from a local church where I live. The church
has stood on the corner of the main street since 1832. It was closed in
September 2024 until it was bought by a Christian Fellowship and reopened
earlier this month. A local carpenter made the cross.
When someone
reads our writing in a magazine, online, or in a book, they are reading the crafted
and polished version. We as the writer know where the cuts, changes, and
insertions have been made through the revisions and edits. None of which is
visible to the reader. Only the finished product is visible.
As I heard the
story of the cross and how it was made, I wondered how many people had walked
over the floorboards used without seeing them? Editing and revising may seem a chore,
but I believe it is as important as the first draft, which brings into existence
the idea that has occupied your mind for months, perhaps years. Like the carpenter,
we take the raw material and hone it into something that another can immerse
themselves in, possibly learn something new and recognise as part of their
world.
So do not despair
when you get the MS back riddled with comments and red type. Use them as tools
to craft your work and give it a new phase in its journey into the hands of
someone who will read it one day.
Sheelagh is
a freelance writer who writes women’s fiction and family sagas. Her latest
novel, In-Between Girl, published by Resolute Books is the first in The
Birchwood Inheritance Series. Book 2, The Lost Daughter will be published later
this summer. You can find out more about Sheelagh and her writing at www.sheelaghaston.com
Comments
Post a Comment