.JPG)
I think one of the most difficult parts about writing is
that first round of revision. During drafting I push through, writing as fast
as I can and telling myself that I can fix it later. After letting my book
breathe for several weeks, later becomes now, and usually, it’s completely
overwhelming.
Later rounds of revisions are tough too, but by then your
story has a shape and you are just slowly chipping away at a few errant pieces.
But that first revision, when you are staring at the huge block of stone that
you must sculpt into a thing of beauty, can feel like an impossible task.
For me, I don’t really get a sense of what I want a story to
be until I’ve almost finished drafting it. So when I sit down to make it so,
there are too many things to fix, too many hurdles to jump, too much ground to
cover. I know what I need to do to make the story what I want it to be, but
sometimes I doubt whether or not I have the ability to do it. It’s like passing
a road sign that tells you your destination is 2,000 miles away. You know where
you’re going and that you are headed in the right direction, but man it’s going
to be a long drive. Because it’s night. And it’s storming. And you’re tired.
And why the hell aren’t you there yet?
I don’t know about other writers, but I find my story in the
revisions. Each round uncovers something beneath that stone that I didn’t know
was there and teaches me more about my characters and my craft.
In the end, I have to take my own advice. Every year, as my
students are starting their research papers, I can see by the panicked look on
their faces that they are overwhelmed with the given task. Looking at the whole
piece can be daunting. But I tell them they have to write their paper just like
they would eat an elephant—one bite at a time. So when I feel overwhelmed with
all that I have to do to fix a story, I take a step back and focus on one
chapter, one page, one paragraph at a time, and do what I can to make that part
better. And then I do it again. And again. And again.
Running taught me that lesson first. 26.2 miles can be an
overwhelming distance. You’ve got to run the mile you’re in.
