Thoughts on Revising pt 2

I’ve got revisions on the brain this month, so you might expect to continue hearing my thoughts on the process…

I am a part of a creative group that meets virtually once a week or so and this past week we had a thoughtful conversation about decluttering. 

One member mentioned that she participated in a minimalism challenge where she parted ways with a new item every day. And after the obvious stuff went, she found it hard to parse through the smaller things that were just…there. She said that once she weeded out all the tchotchkes that she had just to have, she realized it made room for the good stuff.

Read that again: After she cleared out the stuff that was “just there,” she made room for the good stuff.

The good stuff.

That’s what revising is. Taking a look at what you wrote, with sometimes a harsh or straightforward eye, and seeing what you can cut to make the good stuff really shine.

So take a look at your words: what is just there? For me, it’s the middle portion of my book. Which is slightly soul-crushing, but I’m seeing it as an opportunity to grow as a writer, to challenge myself to think about my characters differently, and to have fun with the scenes I’m about to write and rewrite.

Good luck with your writing,