How many times do I tweak things then change it been to the original and back and forth I go! Or submit things which at the time I've polished as much as I can but when I read it again a month later there is more I want to change! This post really spoke to me - thank you!
Welcome to the club! Every time we wince at something we've written before, it means we're growing! Otherwise we might not even notice. So that's a good thing.
Oh, I feel this. My fall break project is to finally go through all of the old blog pieces/essays that I want to include in a self-published collection. I know that many of those pieces will need serious revision, and I'm ok with that. I am a different person and a better writer than when I started that blog over seven years ago. I want to see how I've grown.
I've been doing the same thing, and it's interesting, to say the least. I can't believe how awkwardly written some of those pieces are, but I've found a few that seem beyond what I could have written. I hardly believe I wrote them! (They're the ones that keep me going.)
My favorite thing to do is write something in the evening, then go to bed and see if it still makes sense in the morning. I almost always end up tweaking the copy.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with what I think is a full-blown thought. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't, but I have to get up and write it down!
Rewrites!! Always, always, always, and defnitely more than one. Rewrites of entire chapters sometimes. Certainly sections of chapters. I cannot understand how anyone could write a book in a few weeks. Really? I like rewrites. I like rearranging words/sentences/phrases so they read better. I like replacing one word with another which seems clearer. I like eliminating extraneous words/phrases. Maybe this is what the craft of writing is all about?
Rewrites in a novel are, for me, way more intimidating than in an essay. The idea of throwing out an entire chapter or reworking the thoughts or actions of characters, etc., is exhausting. It may be why I never finished any of my novels!
Writing a novel is definitely a journey, and at my age, everytime I start one I wonder if I'll finish it...but that doesn't deter me from beginning the journey! Mine always require a great deal of research, which I love, but which also sometimes prompts rethinking and rewriting. But I love the process, so I''ll continue as long as my mind, eyes, and fingers hold up.
Love this! We need to talk....
Any time!
How many times do I tweak things then change it been to the original and back and forth I go! Or submit things which at the time I've polished as much as I can but when I read it again a month later there is more I want to change! This post really spoke to me - thank you!
Welcome to the club! Every time we wince at something we've written before, it means we're growing! Otherwise we might not even notice. So that's a good thing.
Oh, I feel this. My fall break project is to finally go through all of the old blog pieces/essays that I want to include in a self-published collection. I know that many of those pieces will need serious revision, and I'm ok with that. I am a different person and a better writer than when I started that blog over seven years ago. I want to see how I've grown.
I've been doing the same thing, and it's interesting, to say the least. I can't believe how awkwardly written some of those pieces are, but I've found a few that seem beyond what I could have written. I hardly believe I wrote them! (They're the ones that keep me going.)
Hopefully I find that inspiration in another month during my fall break :-)
Go for it!
My favorite thing to do is write something in the evening, then go to bed and see if it still makes sense in the morning. I almost always end up tweaking the copy.
Love this too. Your brain does the editing/revising for you while you're asleep.
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with what I think is a full-blown thought. Sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't, but I have to get up and write it down!
Rewrites!! Always, always, always, and defnitely more than one. Rewrites of entire chapters sometimes. Certainly sections of chapters. I cannot understand how anyone could write a book in a few weeks. Really? I like rewrites. I like rearranging words/sentences/phrases so they read better. I like replacing one word with another which seems clearer. I like eliminating extraneous words/phrases. Maybe this is what the craft of writing is all about?
Rewrites in a novel are, for me, way more intimidating than in an essay. The idea of throwing out an entire chapter or reworking the thoughts or actions of characters, etc., is exhausting. It may be why I never finished any of my novels!
Writing a novel is definitely a journey, and at my age, everytime I start one I wonder if I'll finish it...but that doesn't deter me from beginning the journey! Mine always require a great deal of research, which I love, but which also sometimes prompts rethinking and rewriting. But I love the process, so I''ll continue as long as my mind, eyes, and fingers hold up.
It's interesting to read articles I wrote at the beginning of my Substack journey and realize how much I have grown over the months.
Love when that happens!