I have been having a Renaissance of sorts lately in my writing world. I’m having a blast with my blog, fine tuning a few older poems and short stories, but most of all, editing my latest novel. I think it will be a blast-off-the-planet sort of book once it’s published, throwing together a little sci-fi, a little romance, a little murder, a little sex — you know — your run-of-the-mill blockbuster.
Of course, I’m only on my first edit.
I wrote the story back in 2010. Unfortunately, a lot of interruptions, distractions, illnesses, and depressions got in the way between then and now. But I always knew I’d come back to it some day, fresh and ready to do business. And boy, does this novel need some business.
I’ve decided to break my full-length dissertation into chapters, using quotations to introduce each chapter. A heady idea, seeing that I need to edit the book at the same time. So the Great Revival of Art and Writing movement (a.k.a.Renaissance) has started in earnest. And I’m having a great time.
So the question for you is: Do you ever revamp something you’ve created? Keep the basics but rearrange the frills? Did it make it better? Or just mess it up more? It doesn’t have to be writing — it can be designing jewelry or designing a quilt or changing the emphasis in a poem.
Most things I write I keep the same. Maybe a tweak here, a sentence there. I do a lot of clean up — I do have a bad habit of over-using certain words or phrases. But for the most part structure remains structure. So this is a new thing for me.
Let me know if it worked for you.
Where can one reads these short stories?
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Hi John!
Most are still on my computer, but you can find a published short at Paper Tape (http://wp.me/p3Vc90-3R) called “We Speak As One.” I am working on a website that will be about ME, including Humoring the Goddess AND some personal papers I’ve written. Thanks for stopping by!
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All the time. My business plan. Stories, well actually my life has been re-written more than a few times. Go for it !
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Thanks, Cal! I look at the mess Im starting to make and hope I can keep my pretzel brain on task!
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For the first time ever I think I am enjoying the revamping more than the original writing. This is for a long form piece, and I think that is the difference. I never wrote long form before this past year (when I started an MFA program) and there is something about the commitment and dedication required for long form that opens me up to the pleasures of revamps.
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I had to do some major plot restructuring for my first book. It was painful at the time, but it was well worth it in the long run.
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Thats what Im thinking too.
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