Revision or Refuse?

To edit, correct, and fix the offending scenes OR to hit the delete key, fill the trash bin, and shred the offending pages. That is the question.

Today I’d like to talk about revisions and share with you a simple story. We all write like the dickens. We type our special words on the screen (or write on the page if you are Liz), loving each phrase and sentence. Then, BAM, we re-read it and it’s garbage- refuse. We scramble find a better verb, get rid of the extraneous adjective, evoke as many of the senses as possible. Is this resonating with you? How many files do you have with labels such as “Draft 1,” “Draft 2- November 2009,” Draft 3- December 2009,” and…?

I have many. So many, that at times I forget how I have labeled them. How many revisions are really necessary? And when should we just throw in the towel and begin anew?

A simple story…

A few years ago I won a “read” from Kate Duffy in the Brenda Novak Diabetes Auction. Wow! I thought. This is Kate Duffy! I submitted however many pages were expected and sat back, absolutely not waiting to hear from her. It would be months. After all, this was Kate Duffy!

I was sitting at my kitchen island THE NEXT MORNING when the phone rang. Yup, Kate Duffy. I grabbed a pad of paper and tried to calm my pumping heart. What ever she had to say, I was definitely going to capture it as best I could.

She loved my voice. She loved my use of the first person. She loved the story, but there were some plot issues that needed to be resolved. She was absolutely encouraging. I was high enough to be hovering over my kitchen island.

So, I asked, “What shall I do to fix the story, to make it right?” I waited for the pearls she would soon drop in my lap.

“Nothing, my dear. Throw it away. By the time you fix this you could have written an entirely new book. You have potential. Actually you have talent. But this is not the project on which to waste your time. It’s not worth the energy. Throw it away.”

I was deflated. At least a year had gone into this story. Could she be right?

Of course I thanked her. Nearly a half an hour of Kate Duffy’s time! And what did I find out? Refuse. Garbage. Trash.

Thinking back. I can’t thank that woman enough. She said it like it was. She was right. Today I am more critical of my work and I am writing better stuff.

So, the question for all of us is: When do we attach so tightly to our prose that we really can’t let go? When is it better to acknowledge that revisions are critical, but sometimes not appropriate? When is the litter on the cutting room floor our best gift to ourselves?

Today’s plan is to start the edits on a manuscript that has sat for months. I’m fearful of the words that will be scattered across my office floor, no longer needed or wanted. But, Kate Duffy’s comments still linger. “Make it good, girl. You can do it. Don’t hang onto baggage.”

And you? How are you dealing with the baggage we create for ourselves?