The Secret Art of Rewriting

One of the best parts about being a writer is striking the keystroke to the first word in your new masterpiece and watching the characters, worlds and colors that have been swimming around inside your head all magically come to life.  Ah, what an exhilaration!    

What’s the worst part about being a writer?  Admitting finishing that masterpiece was only the beginning and somehow mustering up the same enthusiasm you had writing it to rewrite it.

As a writer I have to unwillingly confess the rewrite is the most important work an author does to polish their manuscript.  Sure you’ve spent many hours grueling, maybe even drooling, over the keyboard to create a full length novel but the reality is the first draft to any manuscript, well, stinks.  Coming to terms with that is the first sign you are well on your way to becoming an author. 

Now unless you are fortunate enough to have a team of writers, an overly devoted agent or perhaps a magic wand to help polish your story the truth is you have many, many and many more hours before you should even think about sending your manuscript out for submission.  How about you do you spend many long hours reworking sentences, plot twist and even dialogue or do you have a magic wand?

So what is the secret to the art of rewriting?  Taking time away from your newly written manuscript and digging deep down inside your writer soul to rediscover why you became a writer in the first place.  What is your passion, when did you discover it, where did you get your story idea and why can only you tell it? 

Then when you are ready, relook at your masterpiece with your rediscovered writer eyes and passionately, and consciously, rewrite the parts that stink.  You will be amazed at how many times you will find yourself saying, “Oh my, I can’t believe how bad that was!” 

Stretching yourself as a writer is the single most important goal you can set on a daily basis.  I do and it is amazing how far you will find yourself traveling down the road to publication.    

Until next time,

Keep on thriving, keep on striving and keep on writing!

T.K. Millin

The Unknown Author