I feel like my writing has sort of tapered off. The quality isn't there like it used to be. Does anyone else get that feeling?
Is it a case of the writer necrotic brain explosion?
It's hard to tell.
I've been writing a lot of first drafts.
A lot.
But I haven't revised anything in a while.
Revision is where the book really starts to shine. It's like finding a rock in the mud and washing away the grim until you find something that's not quite a diamond but not nearly as muddy and gross as it was a few minutes ago.
Revision is a LONG process for me. I normally put MONTHS between myself and the first draft. Sometime even years.
I like to stay as objective as possible. I like to look at my writing as if a stranger wrote it, that way I can kill my babies.
But obviously I'm not good at it. No System At All took 16 drafts. YIKES.
In an effort to be slightly more effective I'm taking a writing course on revision. It's a whole new experaince for me. The last writing course I took was novel writing for adults. It was a community college course, which was fine, but I could have used a higher level course.
This is at a writing center. It's for serious writers. Writers who one day will be authors.
I'll let you know how it goes.
In other news I'm getting close to my two year blog birthday. I'd like to push my followers to 200.
The down side is since I can only access blogs through google reader, I can't comment on anyone else's blog. Which makes me feel like I'm cheating on you. Sorry.
But a big contest is coming....
I can feel it.
It's going to be awesome.
i haven't been writing much at all lately. but i have stories in my brain all the time. i keep saying i'm going to have to make a writing schedule, because i know as soon as i make the commitment it'll all start flowing again!
ReplyDeletelooking forward to the contest! good luck on reaching 200! i'm almost there myself :)
Good luck with your revision class--can't wait to hear how it goes. I'm on a writing hiatus right now, but I'll start up again in November for NaNo. My brain needed a break because I've been swimming in revisions. :)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to hear about the revision class. I think we have to go through stages where we're really thrumming with writing, and periods where it tapers off. Like Pam says, the brain needs a break. :0)
ReplyDeleteYou can do it Erinn. I am just the opposite of you. I write my first draft and revise as many times as it takes to get it right. My first ms had over fifty revisions and I still have another major one coming up
ReplyDeleteThe second novel was much easier with only ten revisions. It's strong enough to query, but I still have to CP's comments I am waiting for, so I might have one more on this novel.
I would LOVE to write something new, but I have to finish the others before I can do that.
Congrats on two years. My one year is next month.
Let me know how the revision class goes.
ReplyDeleteI feel like we, as writers, go through stages. Sometimes we're good and sometimes we're very very bad. But the point is to write through it [which I think you've told me before ;-)] and then revise. So what if it takes 17 revisions to reach perfection? It takes at least that many tries to make a perfect pancake. At least. :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you share what you learn in your revision class! I'm revising now and will take all the advice I can get. :)
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