Wednesday, December 2, 2009
First Thought - On Second Thought.
I hate revision... that is until I actually start doing it. I'm very of the mind "first thought, best thought", but that doesn't always get you there and you and me both know it. I don't really have a "method" for revising my work, other than the fact that I always start with the grammatical errors and misspellings. I find that if I get these out of the way then I can see what's wrong with the story itself, the holes in continuity, the details that I missed or couldn't see the first time through. My biggest challenge with revision is the actually starting it part. I have so many poems and ideas for short stories in my documents folder that I haven't even touched since I first wrote them. I always find that when I actually do look them over, sometimes I'm surprised at how much I actually got down, and sometimes I'm surprised at how fucking horrible they are. Ugh! Regardless, there's always something to do once I get in there. My only "advice", if you can call it that, is just do it. Even if that story or poem or play is a piece of shit now, there might be a diamond hiding in there somewhere that just needs some care and attention.
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I so agree with you, Matthew. I have multiple folders on my computer, filled with unfinished documents and "ideas." I have old CD-ROMs with old files I never got around to finishing or revising, and even old Floppy Discs filled with old writings. Masterpieces in their own right, when I was working with them and was enamored with them. Now, they're just files wasting memory space.
ReplyDeleteI suppose, in light of focusing on what revision means to each one of us, the lesson here is that in the end, you're right: we just have to do it.
I agree with this as well. It's definitely beneficial to look back at your work and have that ability to admit some of it is shit, but still have confidence that somewhere in that piece of shit is a diamond.
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