The Absence Of Red...

I've heard that some school teachers either choose not to use a red pen, or have been told not to use a red pen to correct their pupil's work. Perhaps this is an urban legend--perhaps not. I'm sure someone out there knows the truth. True or not, I thought, when I first heard of this happening, "Come on! Kids need some red ink in their lives. It will make them stronger."

That sentiment may be true, but it's still a little tough when you see all that red. Case in point, I've been working on the revisions for my short story and I've received some invaluable feedback from my ever-patient editor. She is truly wise. The first couple of revisions had so much red on the right side of the document identifying changes that needed to be made, it was a little daunting. I don't dislike the red, but, like blood (as described in some works of both fictions and non-fiction...), even a little bit can seem like a lot.

Today I received the latest revision and I expected the red. I'm pleased to say, much of the red was gone, or as the Danes say, " rejst bort." I wrote earlier that the red doesn't bother me, but the absence of red sure made my day. I'm not done with the revisions. Hopefully soon I will be. There will be a time soon where red will no longer be an option.