Revisions

I've spent my summer revising my current work-in-progress. Whew! It's a lot of work and it's still not done. But it's coming along--almost done, I think. I'm adding layers, filling out areas that seemed a little sparse in the first 147 drafts, and just generally making it a better story.

That's one of the things I have learned through the revision process. You can't get everything you need to make a story perfect into the story in the first draft. The first time you write a story, you're focused on getting to the end and making sure your plot makes sense. When you read through the finished draft a few times, you realize you might have skimmed over certain parts. For instance, your main character might walk outside and then proceed to get run over by a car. When you read through, the plot might work, but you might realize that it doesn't make sense that your character just walked outside, for no reason. So you need to add some motivation and answer the question of what she was doing out there to begin with. Was she getting the mail, in hopes of finding her Reader's Digest Sweepstakes entry form? Did she hear a noise and take her binoculars out to see if it was the elusive ruby-throated hummingbird that she's been hoping to see? These are the kinds of details that you add when you revise. And this time around, I'm adding lots of details. Lots!

So, I have been busy. I haven't blogged in quite a while because I didn't have much to say about writing. I was fixated on my story and not so much on the writing process. Truthfully, I stopped to briefly wonder why I blog at all, especially after reading Kidlit.com's post, "Should Unpublished Writers Have to Blog?" I don't have any books published yet, so, other than people that I ask to read my works-in-progress, I don't have readers following me. But I do have an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults, so I do know a lot about writing. And someday in the hopefully not-too-distant future, I'll have readers or even fans who may be interested in reading my blog.

In the meantime, I know I have friends who come by. (Anyone owe me an email? Time to pay up. Okey-dokey?) I've met some great agents and editors who may pop in too. (Shout out to my editor friends in Brooklyn! Thanks for the Cheerios!) And of course, I need to keep the spammers busy. What would life be if they didn't have a place to repeatedly post links for all their male enhancement products? (Thank heavens for comment moderation.) But otherwise, I'm happy just to have a little web presence here. I have a web page, too, if you haven't visited there yet (see the link at the top of the blog). It was fun to put together, and is due for some updating.

But I need to get my revisions done first. I'm almost done this round.

Almost.

-PLB

PS Visit us over at JacketKnack! I post there every month.