Great. Now that song is stuck in my head.
ANYWAY...It's me. I'm back and ever so glad to be here again!
Moving across country is so disruptive and stifling to the creative flow and forces a disconnect from the writing process and larger literary community. I have missed you all so very much!
So, what's currently on my mind? Other than the inimitable Eminem and the aforementioned earworm? REVISIONS.
I've been walking past my desk for several months now, refusing to look at the nearly raw 322 pages of my WIP perched on the corner in fear I would be trapped in an undertow of guilt for having set it aside for so long. On Friday of last week, I finally faced the pulpy demon with its inky, scribbly wounds and began Round 2 of revisions. Ah ha...you thought this was the first time 'round didn't you? Nope.
And maybe that delay also contributed to my reluctance to revise. Maybe I was using the move as an excuse for not revisiting my story? See, this round involves tightening the threads which hold the story together - without breaking them. It is also about pulling out, removing, the ones which add nothing but fool's glitter to the narrative. It is tedious yet satisfying work which makes me feel simultaneously like both a genius and an idiot. I alternate between happily exclaiming "Ooh that's good! Did I write that?" and muttering "What kind of bullsh*t is this? It makes no sense!"
The point is this. I wrote the book, I believe in the story, and it is my responsibility to pour my best craft into its creation. It is not in the story's best interest for me to rush the process or to shrug my shoulders and say "Eh. It's good enough." I am the only person in the world who can tell this specific story. Read that again. I am the only person in the world who can tell THIS specific story.
Slogging through revisions, no matter how many rounds it takes in order to exhaust my abilities, is the highest form of service and respect which can be paid to my art and craft. Your stories deserve the same. They're depending on you. You are their only hope.
And so, the next time you are tempted to meh your writing, remember...your craft deserves your respect because if you don't respect it, who else will?
