Revising

Almost three months have elapsed since my previous post. Those months have been very challenging personally; however, although my head is not yet above water, I am at least bobbing to the surface to draw breath.

Today, I opened the box containing my hard-copy manuscript of the book on revision and edited the first two chapters.

I can remember a time when I would have sneered at such a puny effort. How unprofessional! I would have thought. Slacker! Just get on with it.

Well, today I did get on with it. And it felt good.

My determination to bring this book project to completion and publication remains as strong as ever.

My determination to resume this blog and to post regularly after a far-too-long hiatus remains as strong as ever.

For those of you who began following this year, expecting to receive regular writing tips, I apologize.

For those of you who have followed for several years, expecting to receive regular writing tips, I thank you for your loyalty.

I am being hit with some life lessons this year. I am trying to pay attention and learn whatever they’re attempting to teach me.

The positive aspect of this hiatus is that a book idea that I’ve struggled with for over a year, trying hard to fit the market and coming inexplicably short every time, has benefited. Finally, I’m seeing how to make it better. And I’m embarrassed to admit with that project I erred by not following one of my long-held rules: with any page or paragraph or line of dialogue or scene or passage that doesn’t work, try once or twice to fix it and if those attempts fail, throw it out.

I made the supreme mistake of being so determined to make it work that I blinded and deafened myself to my own story sense. I erred more by trying to listen to others rather than myself.

So I’m revising my approach. I’m revising my idea. I’m revising this book on revision. We’ll see how all this goes. Slowly, taking little steps, because Life is being rough–not just on me but on most of us–and yet we don’t and won’t stop.