Greetings,
I have been in the chaotic midst of completing a short story. It was a challenging feat, as there were word limitations and literary devices enforced for its acceptance.
Countless hours were spent on the draft, and it had been revised a painfully excessive amount of times. This experience taught me that the original draft is not your final one. READ THAT AGAIN! This is important to consider because we often write assuming that when we finish, we are done. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Greatness begins when you rewrite, revise, and reinvent your story. Such is true with life, but we will get into that later.
The first draft of my story was filled with raw emotion, comprising of characters with a clear definition of a protagonist or antagonist. Initially, I thought it was magic….After hours of deleting and rewriting the same sentence twenty-seven times, I patted myself on the back for my cleverness and thought I created something special (insert sarcasm). I should mention that hours were spent banging my head on the desk, not quite getting the sentence structure correct, but as the due date was approaching, I knew I had to let it go and press the dreaded submit button.
The first draft of “My Journey Back To Me” was a story of trauma, triumph, redemption, and rediscovery meant to enrage readers into action. I was proud of the draft as I held no emotion back, accosting my readers with incredible emotional battles while, by the end, leaving them with insurmountable heartbreak and pride for the victimized character.
I submitted the work with a sense of delusional victory and waited anxiously for others to revel in my characters’ pain. While I received praise and accolades, I was challenged to dig deeper, think in a broader sense of gender inequality, and create a champion rather than a victim.
No one wants to hear about the trauma inflicted on someone without resolve. Readers root for round characters who grow and learn. In other words, I realized that my first assessment of “brilliance” needed to be seriously reconsidered.
I reread my first draft through the revision and editing process and immediately identified the flaws surrounding the characters, plot, and lack of essential literary devices.
Had I submitted my first draft feeling elated and triumphant (which I did) as my final draft, I would have missed the necessary gut-wrenching revision process. Truth be told, many writers live for criticism and self-deprecation. It’s an odd anomaly that I can’t quite explain except to say it’s true. Throughout the day, I sabotage my progress, doubt my literacy, question my sanity, and know there is nothing I would rather be doing in the world. It’s bizarre, I know. We can talk about my mental health at another time. For now, let’s continue the discussion of revisions.
Accepting the original version would have cheated me and my readers out of round characters, vivid scenery, and dynamic narrative arcs. Ultimately, I revised the piece for a more subtle ending, leaving the reader invested in the protagonist’s success.
There are so many valuable lessons in the revision process. Far more, in my opinion, than in the writing process. It often takes a writer some time to understand this concept, but once you surrender to the necessary task, your writing will improve, and you will challenge yourself not to settle. I relish in the editing process now, to a fault, and am a self-proclaimed “editing whore.” There isn’t a sentence rewritten, revamped, or re-edited after I compose my first draft of a story. I marvel to find a different angle, an improved sentence, or a better trope. To be fair, if I don’t press submit at some point, I could easily continue working on the same piece for six months and perhaps go mildly insane. However, reality does set in; I surrender, submit my work, and bang my head on my desk, thinking of everything I should have written instead. Presently, I am pretty sure I am one submit button away from that now anyway.
Which brings me to the next conversation about revising. Similar to reevaluating, editing, and reinventing my work, I have learned the importance of doing the same with life.
Spoiler alert: In my world, everything leads back to writing…. Over the last couple of years, I have experienced unimaginable trauma and pain, which I won’t get into now. I had to evaluate some of the people I allowed into my life and make some big decisions. Some characters in my life needed to be “killed off” (figuratively, not literally), others needed to become the protagonists in my life story, others needed to learn lessons, and others required to teach them. Like stories, the characters in our lives play essential roles in how our narrative arc pans out and how and if we prevail. Most often, we are the round characters I mentioned above, complex people with goals, successes, failures, and conflicts that transform throughout time.
Life is an ebb and flow of change. Depending upon the season of life depends upon what point of the narrative arc you are experiencing. Ultimately, the most important lesson is to remember to always be the main character in your life. Too often, we get so wrapped up being a parent, a child, a caretaker, a sibling, a friend, or an employee that we lose sight of our needs and drudge through life with no passion, authenticity, or purpose. Insert the distractions of overindulging with food, alcohol, drugs, sex, and any other activity that will keep you from obtaining your goals.
While on my seemingly endless revision journey, I appreciated the importance of revising and editing my life. Frankly, it was essential. Every now and then, we must look around and observe our own lives to see what works and needs revising. This could be our relationships, hobbies, work, and mindset. Adjusting our lives enables us to magnify the sweet spots while rejecting the crumbs we often accept for ourselves.
In my podcast, we will discuss the revision process in my life and my work. I will read my most recent fictional short story, “The Journey Back To Me,” which is a small portion of a larger piece of work I am embarking on.
In the meantime, think about your own revision process. How do you revise? What entails reasonable revisions? What advice do you find most helpful when editing a piece? More importantly, take a moment to think about your life and analyze what part of your life needs revising.
Resist the urge to remain stagnant and explore all the fantastic stories you have yet to tell.
Be brave enough to change friends. A great story always has a rising action.
Write on.
With love and gratitude,
dlm~