Sarah Z. Creates

Revisions are going well on “On the Edge of Truth,” but as I work my way through my second set, I’ve come to a realization. (I’m having more and more of these as I spend more time writing for fun and with an eye toward publishing.)

I used to think that drafting a story was hard. That getting all my thoughts and dreams and imaginings on paper in a coherent(ish) fashion was hard. Ha! That’s not difficult; that’s diligence. And that’s a habit you can start, hone and strengthen pretty much whenever you have the time to do so.

Chiseling a good story out of a draft … whew. Now that, my friends, is work. I’m not concerned about meeting my self-imposed publishing deadline for “On the Edge of Truth” (end of this month, by the way). But wow! The amount of rewriting, revising, and “making sure I did X, Y and Z” is intense! I didn’t realize how much I relied on familiar (and vastly over-used) phrases in this draft to convey emotion.

I think this is growing as a writer. (Ug, growing pains … I thought I’d gotten past this point in my life!) I’m not saying it’s the most fun part of the process, but if I end up with a better book – and I think I will – then bring it on!