BS"D

EXHALE

The next word I was to write was "Shotrey". I looked, I pronounced, then touched my quill to the qlaf to make the first stroke. I made a mark. I peered at it. It's in the wrong place. I scanned the entire line in my tiqun to see how many letters I would have to fit comfortably - beautifully - into this line. It was iffy. That first mark I made for the Shin was too far away & would cause too broad a space between this word & the first, & use up more of the precious little space I had for the other words. I put my quill back in its qeset & stopped writing. I would have to let this mark dry before I took it out. At least it's only a mark. It isn't "something", however focused my kavanah was just now, so I can just erase it (carefully). Had I made an entire letter, I would have had to erase all of it, further disturbing the surface of the qlaf. We aren't allowed to form the otiyot (letters) by scraping or erasing, only by adding ink, building each individual form. Like an embryo growing into its intended Self.