The final composition of athletic teams is often determined by tryouts. Would-be team members have the opportunity to make the team by showing what they can do.
In baseball, both veterans and rookies show up at spring training camps to demonstrate their skills. The veterans want to prove that they "still have it," and the rookies try to prove their potential for taking the veterans' positions on the team. And they all hope they can "make the cut" because not everyone will. (The World Series is hardly past, and here I am longing for Opening Day already!)
In writing, it's much the same. Instead of making a team, however, writers are trying to impress a publisher (book or periodical) with their skills by submitting what they hope is a salable manuscript. They want to "make the cut" with the editors and win that publishing contract over the countless other writers who are doing the same. Accomplishing that goal, however, requires a lot of cutting.
In today's post, I present five words that represent steps toward "making the cut," and each originates in the root -cis, "to cut."
DECISION: the act of deciding, making up one's mind; determination; firmness of mind.
This step involves making up your mind that you will do what it takes to get publi9shed. You demonstrate determination and firmness of mind by doing it. The first step toward making the cut is to decide that you will. You cut out everything else and become laser focused on that one goal.
PRECISION: the act of cutting off; exactness; accuracy; strictly conforming to usage.
As you write, you shoot for exactness, precision, and accuracy in word choice and conformity to usage, both in grammar and to the publisher's specific style requirements.
CONCISION: cutting to the point; terseness; succinctness.
Writing with precision necessitates cutting out all unnecessary verbiage. You must make every word count by carrying its weight in communicating ideas.
EXCISION: the act of cutting out; to remove, as a tumor (something harmful or unwanted).
This is self-editing at the most basic level. The more of this you do, the less cutting your editor will have to do, therefore increasing your chances of making the cut. Excision is the removal of everything that is harmful, unnecessary, or distracting in your writing, even as a surgeon cuts out a tumor, working assiduously to remove the smallest cancerous cell.
RECISION: the act of ending something previously planned or agreed to; cancellation, repeal, revocation.
Finally, you must take your hands off your perceived masterpiece, stop tinkering with it, and submit it. It might mean leaving out those ideas you think of at the last minute, cancelling the urge to edit "just one more time," and surrendering your role as Tweaker in Chief.
This is the point at which you must repeat Step 1--Decision. You must determine to let go and submit your darling to its fate. Sink or swim. Nothing unsubmitted ever gets published--unless its posthumously.
And this decision should lead to the next decision--to get started immediately on your next project. Writing. Cutting. Submitting.
Like the baseball players in spring training, you might not get a hit every time. But if you follow these "cutting edge" principles, you're sure to "make the cut" eventually. And one hit will lead to others.
Just do your part to make the cut! Success in that is spelled determination, perspiration, perseverance. And if you don't get a hit the first time, keep trying.
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