September means return, renewal, and revisions
So many revisions
Hello friends,
Before I dive in, if you’re in the Ithaca area, I hope you’re planning to attend the Ithaca Is Books Festival from September 12–15! I’ll be hosting a Story Time for Grownups on Sunday, September 15, at 5:00 p.m. at The Downstairs. Come sit back, sip a cocktail or mocktail, and enjoy being read to by Melanie Conroy-Goldman, Meredith Talusan, Jack Wang, and me.
It’s been a while since I’ve written, and yet where has summer gone? The season of vacations, broken routines, general outdoorishness, friends, family, and—this year—illness. Ah, illness. It wasn’t COVID, but I spent about three weeks sick with a mystery virus, too queasy and tired to write or do much of anything outside my limited work and family responsibilities.
But I did also get to go on a wonderful vacation with my family, to visit my husband’s old friend in Asheville, North Carolina. And I got to recharge with a six-week virtual fiction writing workshop through One Story, and I’m close to finishing a still-pretty-rough revision of my novel-in-progress to send (soon) to an authenticity reader.
So as we begin to bid summer adieu, I’m feeling fulfilled and ready for the return of structure. My sixteen-year-old will start school in a few days. The construction that’s been keeping me away from my two afternoons a week in my work office will soon be complete. The great wheel of the publishing industry will begin turning once again and my agent will send me more revisions.
September is a time of return, but also renewal, and these are the words I’m keeping in mind as pretty much all my writing these days is actually revising. Every day I return to, and hopefully renew, existing work. And as I keep coming back to the same stories, characters, and worlds again and again, just when I think I don’t want to go any further, they never fail to surprise me with new insights and inspiration.
This is the magical thing about writing—there’s always more than you can see, lurking under the surface, and if you’re willing to keep mining, the work will reward you. Up to a point, of course. You can also mine the life right out of a project if you don’t know when to stop. But that’s another letter! Today I’m focused on the work that still very much needs work.
Yesterday, as I got to the end of the manuscript of my new novel, I was overcome with a mixture of excitement and dread. I’d made it to the end! But getting there revealed how much work is still left to do! I admit that for a little while I gave into defeat. The task was too monumental. Instead of celebrating, I walked away fearing the book may never see the light of day.
But a little later, I realized that the mountain of notes I’ve been accumulating about what this novel still needs can be broken down into five basic categories:
Expand on world building
Shore up character motivations and reactions
Tie chapters more tightly together
Review timeline for consistency and sense
Implement more of my research
Once I wrote these down, the task of revising—again—began to feel within reach. As I approach the next draft, I’m going to review every chapter through the lens of these five categories. If any of them need attention, I’ll wade into my mountain of notes or brainstorm or kick and scream until good ideas come to me. But at least now I have something like a roadmap that makes the next go feel concrete and achieveable.
And once in a while, I’ll also take a breather to work on something else, because sometimes it’s also important to walk away for a bit and recharge. In fact, I feel like I should say that again. Sometimes it’s important to walk away for a bit and recharge.
As we head into autumn, I hope you’re finding an enjoyable and manageable way forward—with your words and whatever else lies ahead.
Before I leave you, however, I’m excited to share that my wildly talented friend Amy Reading’s new book is very much done and deserving of all our attention. I urge you to treat yourself today by purchasing a copy of The World She Edited: Katharine S. White at The New Yorker. As The Millions says, “Put the kettle on--or better yet, pour a classic gin martini--in preparation for this one, which underscores the many women authors White championed." Happy pub day, friend!!
Meanwhile, I look forward to next time.
Yours,
Jen