Rewrites

I recently encountered a writer -- and I'm a little loathe to use that word, writer -- who said to me that he refused to do rewrites because he felt that a piece ought to be perfect the first time it's written. My first thought was, "Someone has been reading too many parables about Faulkner." My immediate second thought was, "I have no rebuttal." I am going out on a limb here to say that this person is not a writer.

Why? Because rewrites are almost mandatory in our line of work.

I have never had a piece published that didn't require a rewrite. Even "In A Flash" -- a piece that is only 263 words -- got a rewrite to change a whopping six words from the original. If you're a writer who believes in self-improvement, rewrites are almost part of your fiber.

So here are some tips I give to folks at the Milwaukee Writers Workshop who might not be as well-versed in the art of rewriting.

1. Read your piece like a reader. It's a difficult trait to master, but it's essential. Be subjective about your own work in order to create the best possible piece.
2. Keep the goal in mind. Your story should have a resolution; every story needs one. Is your rewrite getting you to that resolution?
3. Don't over-correct: if you find yourself substituting words, put your pen down.
4. Allow yourself time. A lot of times you can spend too long on rewrite a piece. Sometimes put it down and work on another project (or better yet, submit it).

Just a few thoughts on revision and rewriting. What are your thoughts? What's your process?

Things That Make Me Cry

I've been running a writers workshop in a town north of where I live. Last night was the third meeting, and it went well -- as have all the others. We are working on characters and character development, because the majority of the writers there are new to the craft and have a lot to learn. I think creating believable characters are always a great place to start to write memorable stories.

As a good example of character development, I read Mary Robison's Yours, which is a poignant story about a man and his wife carving pumpkins before Halloween. I've read the story a dozen times, or more, and yet something about it at that reading nearly made me cry in front of the group. There's something about short stories -- and I suppose novels are the same way, only they take longer to read -- that hits you at a certain time and strikes a chord. That's part of why I love short stories. Each reading gives something new to the reader; each new interaction with the story sheds some new light on the reader's perspective of the world. It is that moment -- that personal revelation -- that I really strive to find in others' works, as well as my own.

Writing has been going well lately, though, which I'm happy about. NaNoWriMo is in full swing and even with folks in town and a new niece, I've been happy to have reached my word count every day (plus a little extra).