Sometimes I discover and rediscover basic truths that anyone who writes already knows. One of them is the power of revision. The other day I finished a great chapter which I wrote in a flurry of inspiration. The next day I went back and wondered what I’d been thinking, writing that drivel. Not the content, that was fine. No, the skill with which I’d crafted it–it was horrible. Lots of “that” and and words words doubled or overused and all the things that make you roll your eyes when reading amateur writing. It’s enough to lead you to despair. Where I’m going with this is that I went back and rewrote it a little here and there and watched it shape up nicely. Still not great, nothing close to perfect–but closer. Good enough to let me move on to the next chapter, then the next and so on.
Ok, going back to the grind . . .
John L. Monk 