The Joy of Rewriting - Reasons You Need to Revisit Your Work

Through divine intervention (also known as Craigslist) I found a writing partner who is more than willing to suffer through early drafts of Phoenix Rising.  Thank the LORD.  Though we have only begun the process, it has made me realize several things about myself that were previously hidden.

Before I had written any pieces of length, I thought I hated reworking a piece of writing.  I always felt like I was scrounging at corrections before having to go through the creative process all over again. Because I associated the transition from one piece of writing to another with the rewriting process, I thought I hated rewriting. Now I realize that having a piece of significant length to rework is a god-send. I don't have to worry about trying to find inspiration or researching to create some alternative world in which to delve.  Rather, I get the joy of fine-tuning and honing.  My further in-depth descriptions become the fine toothed sandpaper of a carpenter or the final buffing of a stone-sculptor.  The re-writing process is a gift.  It allows you to render your writing more beautiful and more refined.  By freeing up the need to create an entire piece, I am able to focus on the finer details (helped along by a fellow editor who is teaching me what I should look for in order to best fine-tune).

Every time I turn around I learn something new about my relationship to writing.  The more I practice this art, the more it divulges and the more it changes me. If you have been nervous about revisiting the last piece you created, or you've been sulking over the feedback you received for the piece you submitted to your writing group, get over it.  When you do, you'll be pleasantly surprised at the delightfully crafted story that reveals itself to you.