I thought writing my story was hard. Fun, but hard. Now it's time to edit. This is hard and I'm not sure it's fun. I haven't decided yet. It's a little masochistic because you take what you love, what poured out from you and then you look at it and call your own baby ugly.
I know that with a little bit of work, the story could really be great. It's just hard to admit to yourself that it wasn't great to begin with. I recently read on a blog (I think) about how every line in Streetcar Named Desire was exactly what was needed. No extra words, no superfluous thoughts. Everything written was meant and vital to telling the story. I want my story to be that same way. Now, I'm not writing a classic like Streetcar, but I want to make sure that every line is important and says just what it should.
But I've also read blogs and articles that say not to edit your 'voice' out of the story. I'm concerned that if I adjust it too much, it won't be the same story.
Do you ever have these concerns? What is your process for editing your stories?
Monday, February 13, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Withdrawals
It's only February 2nd and I'm already having reading withdrawals. When I told my sons that I was giving up reading for the month, they were shocked. They are voracious readers too and they couldn't believe that I was going to give it up. I explained that I wanted to work more on my writing and that I was spending too much time reading. They still thought I was crazy but immediately said, "Yeah, write something else because The Friend Factory was awesome." (Hey, you gotta take your compliments where you can get them!)
Do you know how many hours are in a Saturday if you're not reading? Me neither, but I bet it's a lot!
I know I'm going to make a couple loaves of banana bread (sans nuts). I bet our house becomes very clean. And the laundry gets done. And then....what? There will be hours and hours of Saturday left. Perhaps a workout or a nap or both. My husband will laugh at that last line, workout - indeed!
My experiment is for me to work on carving time out to focus on creativity, idea generation, and writing. I am going to try to teach myself to think about my characters, the plot, the setting, the conflict and action while doing my chores. If that doesn't work, I'm going to sit my butt at the computer and stare off into space and not let myself get 'busy' with other things. This is my 'thing', one of my chores, that I need to schedule into my life. I need to learn that it's okay to just let go and think (about anything).
Of course, after Saturday comes Sunday and there's just as many hours there too.
I think this might be fun! Wish me luck...
Do you know how many hours are in a Saturday if you're not reading? Me neither, but I bet it's a lot!
I know I'm going to make a couple loaves of banana bread (sans nuts). I bet our house becomes very clean. And the laundry gets done. And then....what? There will be hours and hours of Saturday left. Perhaps a workout or a nap or both. My husband will laugh at that last line, workout - indeed!
My experiment is for me to work on carving time out to focus on creativity, idea generation, and writing. I am going to try to teach myself to think about my characters, the plot, the setting, the conflict and action while doing my chores. If that doesn't work, I'm going to sit my butt at the computer and stare off into space and not let myself get 'busy' with other things. This is my 'thing', one of my chores, that I need to schedule into my life. I need to learn that it's okay to just let go and think (about anything).
Of course, after Saturday comes Sunday and there's just as many hours there too.
I think this might be fun! Wish me luck...
