After writing a YA story, you revise and revise and revise it. The revision itself takes twice as long as the actual writing. You are determined to make the manuscript the very best it can be.
But where is the line between polishing and obsessing?
After five months of editing, I can still add/delete/change at least ten words on each page.
It just never gets perfect.
At the Big Sur Writing Conference last winter, literary agent Laura Rennert advised us that the more we revise, the stronger the book’s voice becomes.
How do we know when that voice is strong enough?
Maybe we don’t.
Maybe we get to a point where we need to trust our writing groups and readers.
It’s hard to do, that letting go. Especially when, after one more revision, or maybe two or twenty, the book would be absolutely flawless.
Until an agent gets her hands on it.
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2 comments:
Keep writing Jennie, you're getting there.
Marcia
Jennie,
The important thing is that you are still writing! At some point maybe you need to let it fly off into the publishing cosmos in it's perfect/imperfect form...
Kerry
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