Sometimes, when Iām deep in the Revision Cave, I run into walls that make me lose perspective. I focus so hard on the challenges presented by an edit, that I lose sight of what revision truly is: opportunity. The push that makes us look harder at something, until we scratch away the surface and reveal a character for who they really are. The nudge that compels us to make the hard cuts so other scenes shine brighter, and the pacing of the whole book improves.
When I was in third grade, an author spoke to us fledgling writers at a Young Authors Conference. He said, āwriting is re-writing.ā I honestly had no idea what he meant at the time. Fast forward many years, and many books later, and I believed that I had gained a good understanding of that old adage.
But if editing my debut novel has taught me anything, itās that I had NO IDEA how deeply Iād need to explore the depths of my creative abilities to revise again and again and again.
Sometimes, your editor (or agent or critique partner) may like your writing, but they push you to develop something āmore.ā That is when you either bang your head against the wall, or you persevere, dig deep . . . and occasionally discover moments, or scenes, or elements that you didnāt know you had in you. The more that can take your story from good to great.
A little over a year until FLASHFALL releases, and itās really coming together during these final rounds of edits. Itās a book I will be proud to see on the shelf. But itās not the same book my agent sold last fall. Itās been shaped and stretched into a story more richly layered, visceral, and compelling than I realized it could be from the āearly daysā. The bones were there, but now parts of it feel three-dimensional and āaliveā in ways it didnāt before. That is the beauty of revision.
Writing is re-writing. And re-discovering. And re-imagining.
Embrace the act of revision as an opportunity to re-envision a scene, character, or plot point. Then, once youāve re-envisioned, have the courage to write something new. Sometimes we hold on so tightly to what weāve written, that we donāt allow for the possibility of what something can be.
For more about this, including some of the best creative advice I ever received, check out my post on Publishing Hub, Donāt Be Afraid To Break It.
And, if youāre curious about my process, hereās a peek . . .