How I create my blog posts

I started blogging so that Sharon and Lynn would know what was going on in our lives while they were away on their mission.  I quickly found that it not only kept them up to date, it also kept relatives near and far informed.  Dode laughs that it keeps him updated as well.  Writing has always come easy to me.  But, I have a secret!

Dode!

Here he is reviewing one of my blog posts

When I finish writing a blog post, I ask Dode to read it.  His most frequent comment is, "You've done a good job of giving an outline of what you've done, but there's no Stephanie in it."  In other words, I've written a list of "did this, then did that" but left out how I felt about it or why we did it.  I go back to the post and try to add my "voice".  He's got an eye for any time I suffer from the "curse of knowledge".  (A concept we learned in the book Made to Stick which basically means when we know something, it's hard to imagine not knowing it.  It can be difficult to remember to give enough details so that what I'm writing about makes sense to someone who wasn't there to see it.)  Although he's right there beside me living most of what I write about, he's got an excellent ability to recognize when I haven't given enough details to allow what I'm writing to make sense to the reader. He also helps point out awkward sentences where I've used too many pronouns or when I've told the story out of order. 

He'll often tell me, "Right there something isn't right, but I'm not sure what".  Then, I'm left to figure out what to change and how to change it.  I go back, change some things and he'll say, "Yes, that's exactly what I meant but didn't know how to explain."  It's ironic how good he is at being an editor because as a writer, he struggles terribly.  While words just flow from my fingers, it takes him a half hour to write a three sentence email.   He finds it intimidating to comment on my writing because he says there's no way he could do it, yet there he is picking my work apart.

When I first started having Dode read what I wrote, I wasn't very good at accepting his suggestions.  Because I've always been a "good" writer, I'm used to receiving pats on the back when I ask other people to read my stuff.  I wasn't accustomed to criticism.  I took it very personally.  But, when I could put my pride aside, I recognized that his comments really helped.  So, for a while it was like pulling off a bandage to ask him to read my writing.  I wanted it done, liked the results, but hated the process.   Loving husband that he was, he kept doing it when I asked, although he'd try to put me off with, "Are you really sure you want that?"   He was willing to help even though he knew I'd spend a few hours afterwards less than pleased with him.  I've gotten much better, at least I think I have!  You'll have to ask Dode if that's the truth!

It's ironic because I know what he's going to comment on before I even have him read it.  I really try to anticipate all the things he's going to "ding" me on and fix them before I have him read it.  But, it's rare that he says, "I wouldn't change a thing".  And while there are times when I decide that I like something just the way it is, most of the time, his comments help me change things for the better.  There are also times when I add something just because Dode thinks I should and it's really not that important to me.  But, I'm telling his story too so he should have some input!  We usually go through the review process a few times before a post is ready to go.   His help allows me to be a much better writer than I would be alone.

And, even this post has benefited from my valuable editor's advice.  You should all be glad Dode is here helping in the background.  We're a great team.