Revision Process

I'm getting so frustrated with this revision process! I had no idea what I was getting into. I thought the rough draft was an irritating process at times, but that was cakewalk compared to what I'm dealing with right now. It is nice, however, that I have a great little foundation for my book with a decent rough draft with some very usable and loveable scenes. I'm actually doing something that is slightly weird and combining two characters from the rough draft into one character. We will see if that works. If not, I guess it is back to square one. Personally, I think it is a good move and will make things a little more interesting and allow for more character development.

For some reason, a big frustration with this process has been that I cannot seem to get motivated to write! Probably because my mind is not used to having to go back and rewrite and revise. I've trained myself just to write and be done with it. I've never really been one to rewrite and revise. With a project this large I know it is necessary. My undergraduate education probably gave me some bad habits that way. I tend to write maybe a second draft and then I'm done. Or I just try and write it as perfectly as possible right from the get-go (another impossibility when writing a novel).

While it is grating on my nerves it is also interesting to see the story take shape and become more fully developed. I'm certain I will be satisfied with the story the more I work on it and it will become less of a chore as I keep working at it. I am currently rewriting the beginning (which was horrendous in the rough draft) and it is coming together nicely. This is like molding something into a beautiful masterpiece, but it is also like tying together a quilt and making things match nicely and seamlessly. Someday I will perfect my art, but for now I'm learning as I go. I don't understand how authors can write more than one book a year. Granted, they are all more learned and experienced than I, but it still blows my mind. Maybe I am biased, but I tend to think that, if you are spitting out books that fast, they can't be that great of writing. I'm still doing well with working on this novel for just a year. I'm hoping to start sending queries to agents and publishers by June. We shall see if this frustrating process takes on hyperspeed before then.

Until then, I guess I will just keep dealing with it. If you hear screams of frustration in the distance, you will know I am working on my book.