The challenge I find with revision is the approach. Where do you begin? The piece can hang in front of you, mocking, hissing, and beating its unfinished or unrefined chest bleating at me. I take deep breaths and think that it's probably better to begin something new, just move on bud there's nothing here for you. But I think about a Tom Waits interview where he says that he treats each song like it's its own entity; one's a fireman, the other is a doctor, another is a school teacher. I think that my story has a life to it (dead as it may seem) or my poem has a pulse and that they have SOMETHING of ME in them. So I breathe again and attempt something like the following:
I think one of the best, and one of my most favorite ways of revising (or even preparing) is to sit down before I begin (or begin again) a piece and starting to draw out a scene or characters. This is literal. Take out a blank piece of paper and start to draw a character you are working on or an image from the piece. One of the methods I also use is to start a film (hopefully something with with interesting imagery or characters), at any point in the story and pause on a scene or character you enjoy and start to draw them or it in great detail. Drawing is meditative and clearing, it also can get your imagination working in new ways.
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It's been years since I picked up my pastels or charcoal, but just reading your post makes me remember how much I used to love to draw. I’m going to find out where I stored my supplies and then give your technique a try. Thanks!
ReplyDelete- K. De Melo
i really like this idea. using visuals is a great way to fire up the ole imagination. occasionally i will look at an old photograph of people i do not know or have never seen before and try to imagine their story. maybe this is something that you could do with the characters in your own story - try to imagine them somewhere else, outside your story or just living every day life, what are they doing then? who are they talking to? ect... this could shed some new light onto your characters and maybe help you in the process on revision.
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