Back to the drawing board

One of the hardest parts about being a writer is that moment when you share the piece you’ve been working diligently on, just to get the feedback that “kills your darlings”. Its a dreaded process but a necessary one.

As I’ve worked on my 2nd draft/revision of my novel I felt myself getting stuck by the story I was trying to tell and how my characters should be reacting. Switching from first person to a third person rewrite already helped get to know them and the story better, but I wasn’t prepared for just how limiting I was being. And then, someone told me… well, mutiple people told me.

Initially, I was disappointed and guarded but knew what I signed up for. It is part of the process and is necessary to grow. So after a few days of digesting the feedback, I had an epiphany. Enter 3rd draft revision.

This time I think the story will become what I had hoped from the beginning. And while there will likely be a fourth draft, I think (and am hoping) that this is the last step with such large structural changes, but if not, that’s ok. I want my story to be the best that it can be and, of course, to be published.

How is your WIP? Does the idea of revision fill you with dread? How do you cope with it? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Happy writing!