Jeff Ayers - Author
  • Home
  • Books
  • About
  • Press
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Books
  • About
  • Press
  • Contact
Available now!
Click here for chapter 1
Click here to purchase

Past me is not that bad

5/5/2018

0 Comments

 
As I get near the end of the school year, I always get into a reflective mood. How much have my students grown? What have they learned? What did I do that worked well, and what could I do better next time?

As I start the editing process on my next manuscript, this is a useful headspace for me to be in. That is, after all, the whole driving force behind editing and revising creative work. What are my characters arcs? What are their trajectories? How have they grown? What needs to change in order to fit?

I mentioned in a previous post that editing and revising is my least favorite part of the writing process. It is absolutely necessary and vital – there is no perfect first draft, and as writers, we must hone our craft to make the best possible story we can, every time – but man alive, is it painful. It strains the eyes and the brain. It forces you to look at what you did before and acknowledge how (for lack of a nicer word) bad it really is, even when in the moment it felt super fun and good. When I look at what I’ve written before, I start to develop a sense of disdain for “Past Me.” How could Past Me have written this? Did he think it was good? Past Me is a terrible writer.
​
That’s not true, of course. There is no meaningful difference between Past Me and Present Me beside the fact that I’ve let my mind wander a bit before coming back to the draft. But that impulse is there, and it contributes to making the editing and revising stage terrible. Terribleness aside, it’s work that’s got to be done, so into it we must go.

Write your story!
-J. E. Ayers
0 Comments

    Author

    Jeff Ayers writes books that are pretty good.

      Subscribe!

    Subscribe to Newsletter

    Archives

    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.