Monday, November 26, 2007

Revision Festivities

In honor of the holiday season, I'm devoting this month to a festival of revision. Unlike some, and quite like many others, I'm more interested in writing something new than revising something old. Still, even though I don't say, "Yay, it's time to revise!" I can't escape the fact that going back to what you've written and making it better is what makes the difference between somebody who writes and someone who is a writer.

My plan for this month is to revisit, edit, and revise my potential thesis stories. I'm not sure if I'll get to all of them, but that's what I'm shooting for.

First up: Strong Heart. I need to make a significant change to that one, as well as do some tweaking on POV. So, I'm getting rid of the car accident, giving Chloe a chronic illness instead, and making everything take place in Mathilde's POV. Then it should be perfect.

"Yeah, right," you say. "Perfect. Uh huh."

Hey, I'm psyching myself up here, I don't need your lip.

Now, while I'm digging into thesis stories, I'm challenging you to take another look at your own work. Pick something, roll up your sleeves, and get to revising. Now's the time to take that stack of critiques you got back in June and put them to work. Let the festivities begin!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I don't like chronic illness stories. They tend to have such clicheness to them.

I liked the car-crash better. Suddenness and unexpectedness and connection to bloodloss and terribly stark, black and white, live or dieness. Got crushed, but here's the magical element keeping you ticking.

But whatevs. Me and the voices in my head have faith in you. Except Voice Jimmy, who considers that chronic illnesses don't go with oranges. Voice Jimmy is the source of my non-sequiters and similar things.

Ali said...

Here I am, trying to work myself up to tackling edits, and already I'm doin' it wrong. Thanks, Whit. You're such a help :)

Jenny Maloney said...

Don't listen to Whit (he's my protoge, I have veto power until he's cut loose on his own). As soon as you said chronic illness and M's POV I was with you. Good call.

Minion GIR said...

Would I EVER give you lip? Well, okay, I would, but I agree with the ideas. And the revisions in December idea. Want to do major revisions in December.

Unknown said...

You know...goal is an anagram of "Olga". Coincidence? Yeah, probably.