Revision: A Graveyard

When I was younger, my parents insisted I deposit a portion of any money I received into my savings account. I protested, because as far as I knew, nothing came out of savings.

One of the biggest killjoys for writing is revision. Does anyone like revision? If so, I’d like to meet them. The first draft is exciting – it’s where your ideas spill out on paper. They come out with force and vigor. It’s uniquely satisfying. But revision – what is that? You comb through your ideas with the sole purpose of finding mistakes. Spelling errors, grammar errors, and oh, do I refer to my main character by three entirely different names? Oops.

I’ve watched Stan revise one of his stories twice since I’ve known him. But when that boy revises, he makes so many changes that the result is an entire re-write. It’s admirable and yet, horrifying. While his ideas have improved tenfold each time, it scares me away from the revision process, much the way watching Kujo might frighten a child away from dogs.

So, I drag my feet writing the story, because if I’m writing, I never have to revise! I toyed with the idea of simply getting it perfect the first time around – but NaNoWriMo doesn’t exactly lend itself to that. Thankfully, a couple very good examples of the necessity of revision came across my radar somewhat recently. They are called the Twilight series, otherwise known as “OH EDWARD!”

Stephanie Meyer knows how to write a story that is addictive. You’re interested enough in the characters (except for the main one) and the story has a fun quality to it that is engrossing. However, as the series progresses, you can almost see tight deadlines written on the page numbers. Either that, or you see her leash fraying with each dollar that rolls in. The last two books, spanning a total of 1408 pages, contain a story that could EASILY be re-told in less than half of that, when you cut out the extraneous dialogue and indulgent passages. As far as I’ve read, there are no two books that make a better case for revision. Trust me, if you have fear of revising, I strongly recommend picking these up.

Writing is more than just brainstorming and getting the ideas down. Without revision, you might have a diamond, but if it’s encased in stone, who’ll notice?

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Miniscule tweak

We now have Gravatars on our posts! Small enhancement, yes, but I think it’s pretty neat. Now you guys need to pressure Sarah to get a Gravatar, kind of like you did to me!

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I'm not Stan

So, I’m starting to realize that this website is actually mine. Stan has been insisting so for the past month, but I keep saying that it’s his…or ours, if I have to compromise.

See, Stan and I had a conversation a while back – long story short, he wants to play more music. It’s not a decision that came sporadically. He was more musician than writer when we first started talking. The more his friends grew up, had babies, and stopped playing music, the more I think he assumed he had to, as well. He loves writing, but not in the same way. I told him that I would hold the site as a seat warmer, so that he might have a reader or two when he decided to write again.

But I don’t think he’s going to pick up the site again any time soon. He told me that he might post periodically, which I think he still will. He still comments. But this change has been a good one for him. I’m proud – it’s nice seeing him do something he loves.

That leaves me with this place. I still feel like the awkward guest poster. Still haven’t figured out exactly what I’m doing here. I like the M-W-F schedule. Not sure about the content. I love Elen Grey’s blog, but I already have a personal blog. I’m barely interesting enough to update that one, let alone two! I don’t have the technical knowledge of my predecessor. I don’t work full time while balancing kids, like Krista. And I certainly can’t write poetry. I’m just a girl who loves to read and write, and periodically even has some good ideas. But I guess you have to start somewhere.

So thanks for bearing with me through the behind-the-scenes transition that’s been going on. I appreciate your continued visits and comments, even though I’m not Stan(manx). We’ll get this figured out.

But now, I really need to go get groceries…and shower. My challenge for you, dear readership, is to go do something you’ve been procrastinating on.
Take care!

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