 Writing is a process and we all have our favorite parts of it. For me, the most exciting part is the idea phase. I love coming up with an idea and building on it. I could get lost in the initial draft of a book. Time flies and so does my pencil. I don't want anything to interrupt my flow.
Revision is the stage that I tend to decide the closets in the house need reorganized or I need to change the sheets on all of the beds. I find any excuse to not sit down to work on my story because it takes a lot of focus. You have to look at something that was so joyful to create and operate on it. Many times, parts you love need cut out. Sometimes you know there is a place that needs reworded, but can't come up with a single original idea. Then the doubt creeps in. "Why was I thinking this would be a good story? I stink at this. Why am I spending hours figuring out names for a talking Vulture?" The good news is, just like most things in life, if you put the effort in, it's always worth it. The finished product is so much better when you go back through and look at everything from a new angle. For example, in my book, Nicken Chuggets, I needed a better way to say the cook didn't understand what Cooper was saying. It took me several hours to come up with, "Mr. Mack was as confused as a chameleon in a bucket of crayons." Several hours. For one sentence. But, it was worth the time because it is more playful and creative as a simile than a direct statement. I'm starting the revision phase of a middle grade novel I'm working on. You think it's an undertaking reworking a 600 word picture book, try revisiting every scene of a novel! Ugh! That could be why I noticed that I hadn't written a blog for a few months and it was a good day to teach my daughter how to use the sewing machine she got for Christmas. :) Ok, I guess I better get back to work. Best wishes to all of you on your revisions in the new year!
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