Revision
Those Bloody Loopholes!. Honorable Mention in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Often writers close loopholes in stories, leaving the reader clear about the message they intend for the readers to glean from the piece. In one of the early pieces, I accidentally left a bunch of dark details ambiguous. People who read it shared their different interpretations of the story which I found enjoyable. I discovered that not fixing loopholes allowed people to explore for themselves a meaning that was potentially deeper than I had intended it to be.
By Lisa Pulliam11 months ago in Critique
Fast and Dirty Editing - Pre-Prepared, Pre-Packaged Pleasure
So I thought as a last entry for the Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge, I'd partake in what I am calling "Fast and Dirty Editing". What do I mean by "Fast and Dirty Editing"? Well, rather than drill down into the dos and don'ts of writing poetry, or worry about the format (aside from any formatting rules that need to be applied) I am going to take an existing piece I wrote for the Tautogram challenge, but published it too late to be accpeted for the challenge, from a couple of years ago. I am then going to decimate it, without labouring over it too much, and go through the changes as I make them in this critique.
By Paul Stewart11 months ago in Critique
Experimentally Lost. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Sometimes, I think it's great to challenge convention. However, sometimes being TOO experimental can fall flat. The picture from the header is taken from a story I wrote called "Noted (First Draft)." Contrary to the piece's title, the story was completely finished. But it was a story told through a play on using Microsoft Word's editing software (Track Changes). The comments on the side were meant to add an extra layer to the story through having "notes" on the action - so, the notes added for the reader a glimpse into the author's (my) thought processes on the story itself. It was a commentary on a commentary, so to speak.
By Alison McBain11 months ago in Critique
Not The Editor I Wish To Be . Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge. Top Story - April 2025. Content Warning.
I am by no means a professional editor. All I can do is alter what I’ve written until my eyes see it has something which isn’t a disaster. So, what I do now, don’t just take it with a grain of salt – take it with the whole damn salt farm!
By Euan Brennan11 months ago in Critique
Getting Legless With Drunk Aliens - Editing A Winning Poem
For this entry into the Self-Editing Epiphany, I wanted to do something a little strange. It’s easy, in some ways, to look back at pieces we know were flawed because they didn’t get well received or didn’t place in a challenge or competition. But what about those pieces that did have success—ones that not only placed in a challenge but came first place? Could any editing, especially with time passed and experience gained since the piece was published, improve upon a winning poem?
By Paul Stewart11 months ago in Critique
Filtering Free Verse Poems Through Form. Runner-Up in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
Mainly writing in free verse, can make you think you are so much more free than writing in strict forms. But I have found that when under constraints of rhymes and rhythm, magic can happen. Imagery you would never have come up with yourself, lyrical music that makes reading a pleasure and a challenge to cut out the excess to find the true meaning you want to say.
By Dark Constellations11 months ago in Critique
🏛️ The Convention of States: A Legal Path to Reclaim Constitutional Balance
Introduction: Imagine if the states had the constitutional power to propose reforms that could restrain federal overreach, mandate fiscal responsibility, and return authority back to local governments. Sounds like political fiction, right? But it's not — it's Article V of the U.S. Constitution, and it's gaining traction through the Convention of States movement.
By Karl Jackson11 months ago in Critique
My Editing Voices. Honorable Mention in Self-Editing Epiphany Challenge.
—So the prompt says: Tell us your story and explain why you deserve a hygge-desk the most. —First of all, reintroduce me to hygge, I remember the Norwegian expression “Hyggelig å møte deg” sort of the equivalent to “Nice to meet you”, but hyggelig is deeper ?
By Laura Rodben11 months ago in Critique
