Saturday, August 16, 2008

On Doing Revisions

Whenever I'm working at revisions, which is the stage I'm at with my latest novel, it often happens that I cut the very bits I thought were so brilliant when I first wrote them--the most clever lines of dialogue, the most original piece of narrative.


But when I first wrote them, all those months ago, I had no idea where this story was going, nor how that character would develop. How can that character speak those words, given what I know about him now?


Sometimes it has to do with theme. After the novel is finished, I will make changes to reinforce its theme. And the theme only reveals itself after many drafts.


So, if that brilliant bit of writing no longer fits, out it goes.


Funny how that happens. But it's all right. Those words were all part of the process.


It was my thinking "hey, this is pretty good stuff," that kept me writing. And that's what this is all about, isn't it.


Write on.

We'll talk later.



Peggy

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