[Previous entry: "Susie Homemaker"] [Next entry: "Ooops"]
11/30/2005: "Crazy? Yep"
Revisions, when one can focus on the actual words and not the idea that one has to revise, can be amazing. The whole landscape of revision is a rocky one for me. Some part of me knows that revision is king. That to write is to re-write, and that every book can be made better with a clearer eye. There is also, however, this crazy notion that I picked up somewhere in my psyche that if I was truly a good writer I wouldn't have to revise.
Yes, I know this is nuts, but there you have it. I have to get over my ego to get to the place where I can revise well. Not with anger and resentment (which I experience pretty much every single time I need to revise-which is every book) but with excitement and enthusiasm.
I know there are a lot of writers who go directly to the e & e part. I'm trying to get there, but it's not easy for me. I think, and this is just a theory, that this whole problem stems from my school days when I thought I was only smart when I didn't have to study to get an A. Insane. Go figure.
Despite this reluctance about revision, once I'm doing it, I really like doing it. It's exciting to find a better way, a neater solution, and cleaner choice. Another of my idiosyncrasies is that when I'm revising, I want to be fully immersed. No phone calls, no stopping for meals. I even resent bathroom breaks. Of course, that's not practical, so I should lower my expectations of privacy, but then as we saw earlier, I'm not sane when it comes to writing.
It would do this soul a lot of good to hear that others have their issues with the process.
