Like that one guy said: Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Welcome to the place where all things have been lifted, looted, and otherwise pilfered…Remember, possession is 9/10s of the law.
Posted on May 1, 2012 by jenny maloney
Grr. Tuesday snuck up on me this week. Time to be held accountable.
1. I showed up to be critiqued at my writer’s group on Sunday. Took lots of notes on a short story that I’m going to send to Hayden’s Ferry Review for their “In the Dark” themed issue. (Ali posted it as a challenge to all y’all as well on a Saturday Pages post – so there’s still time guys!)
So, at the very least there’s gonna be some revision going on around here.
2. Annnnd there’s already some revision going on. I’ve been working on my La Llorona story – adding some scenes mostly, and cutting stuff that’s not important to the main plot. I’m up through the third chapter (I have twenty-two total and plan to work my way through all of them by the 15th).
I also went through the notes that I have from my original readers. I’ve discovered that if you wait a year you will come to the exact same conclusions as your original readers. My opinion of waiting between drafts has always been wait a looooong time. Way longer than you think. It’s the best way to get perspective.
Plus it’s easier to ‘kill your darlings’ when you don’t necessarily remember writing them….
Short and sweet, huh? I’m still baseballing too.
Category: Revision, short stories, That's How It's Going, What I'm Working On
I write dark fiction that my mother hates. I also review mysteries for criminalelement.com. When not writing fiction/reviews, I'm creating plays at Springs Ensemble Theatre in Colorado Springs.
Sounds busy, baseball lady š Revising is cool, though–it's where the real magic happens.
You accomplished a lot, even with baseballing.
I've got the first part of MMG marked up and all the new scenes written (finally!). For May, I'm going to retype the first part so I can smooth out any awkward transitions and know right where I am for Part 2. And I'm going to mark up the second part. I shouldn't have to write any new scenes.
Hey, it's May. Who's the new Mentor?!?