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!
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.
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.
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?
Love this! We need to talk....
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!
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.
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.
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?
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.