Mar
Thought On A Path
Getting back on track. Really.
I can feel the words buzzing around in me ready to break loose. I have so many projects- so many things that are actually getting closer and closer to the finish line. I love it.
I’m thinking this stage of my writerly life is being dedicated to the art of revision. I know how to edit. I know how to correct and locate those naughty little typos but… I don’t think, at least looking at things through my current perception, I don’t think I’ve ever known how to look for the silver string between my words.
To clarify: I’m learning how to discern good writing from the crap. More so, I’m learning how to see the great writing hidden in the good- and how to let go of the good so the great can shine. Revision is a lot of cutting things up, moving scenes, discovering new directions, and a lot of other things I still haven’t figured out.
I’m also learning to look at it in a different light. Before it was seen as change, now I see it as transformation. Given- I still hate editing with a passion but as I work on more and more short stories I’m finding a small, but growing, thrill in it. It marks the first real end of the first real telling- when the words have been given enough power to draw the reader tight and hold them close for the duration of the journey.
I am a story teller. I have all these ideas and experiences that need to be told. Swimming around in my head like rabid fish searching for the perfect stream and dancing on the tip of my mental tongue whenever they have the chance.
I am a story writer. Ink- virtual, pen, or blood, is my chosen medium. Paper is my most base element. Together they keep my words for a time, allowing me to reach more people than I could have ever imagined.
I am a story wielder. I refine, and refine, and refine until my words are red and full like a well aged wine in a beautiful glass bottle. Fragile but unforgettable and even once the memory has gone- the experience will linger.
There are so many stages on the writer’s path. It’s beautiful. :)
07Mar
so glad you are embracing the act of revision! it really is a sign that you are moving into a new level with your writing. i didn’t want to revise for the longest time but once I gave in and realized what magic it can work I’m all for it!
07Mar
Magic is a good word for it. I hate the ‘idea’ of editing and everything it makes me think of just at the mention of it but once I really get into it- it’s just really amazing how a piece can transform from one thing to another or break down into something else entirely different. :)