Rewriting
March 8, 1998
1:54 p.m.
 I just finished the fourth draft of the gangster thing. Or is it the fifth? Hard to say. Regular readers will notice that I've really struggled over this story for some time. I've recently had two people look at it in two different forms. Comments that each made overlapped in a strange fashion, resulting in the latest draft, a half-story rewrite that I think is, again, an improvement. Both of you know who you are, and I thank you greatly! Actually, looking back at my folder, I'm surprised to find it's the seventh draft that I actually printed--which means there was a lot more in reality (whatever reality is). Geeze. Time flies whe you're having fun. Seriously. It has been fun. Yes, there's a little pressure on this story since this one has a deadline. And maybe even a little more since it's going to an award-winning big name guy like Mike (who wants to fall flat on their face now, eh?) But each draft has been better than the last, and, to be honest, I really enjoy seeing how a story morphs over time. I think it's interesting to see the ideas I thought were so great at first turn to clay, and notice how new ideas slide into just the right place. I think seeing something as simple as a passage that used to take 200 words get cut to three sentences with much greater impact is a powerful lesson in the art/craft of the process. Rewriting captures the essence of writing. It's the grace of the process, the coarse feeling of progress. It's learning the story, kneeding it in your palms and letting it run over your fingertips. Yeah, sometimes it seems to go on forever, and sometimes you think you'll never get out of the forest. But aren't the trees beautiful?  Daily Persistence is © Ron Collins |
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"One door closes, another one opens wide. It's hard to believe all these locked doors I've tried." Carrie Newcomer |
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