Learning about writing Part 1 of a zillion

I’ve been thinking about all I’ve learned so far. Maybe I should just list them-

The magic of 3. I knew that. I noticed that along time ago when reading to kids and using books to teach reading strategies.

Bad rhyme is like garlic breath, it really stinks. I knew that. I’d be reading a book and then stop, stutter, reread it again, stutter some more and try to change it. It never works and so I continue reading but not really enjoying the book because I’m waiting for the next stumble.

Critiques are valuable. I knew that. I’ve read enough blogs and hear enough writers give credit to their critique groups to know that critiques are part of the journey to finding a home for my stories. I also know that they make me step back and try to see the story through someone else’s eyes.  I’m good at that. I have a fair amount of empathy and interpersonal gifts to see another’s point of view.

There is more reading some days than writing.  I didn’t know that. I was not aware of how much time I could spend reading blogs, articles, books, reviews, interviews, submissions guidelines, others stories rather than write. I read somewhere that if you are reading that’s all part of writing. I guess I do think about writing and characters more now than before even when I wasn’t writing.

The slush pile is where my stories have ended up. I knew it would take time to get someone to notice one. Or I should say, to have a story written well enough to be worthy of publication.

Writing a draft can be quick and easy. I didn’t know that. I seem to write in my head the storyline before I put it on paper.

Writing revisions takes forever. I didn’t know that either. I did know that revision happens again and again, but I didn’t know it would happen again, and again, and again, and again, and again….  Someone wrote about how do you know when you’re done revising?  I saved it.  It’s good.  One thing I remember is, you know when you are debating with yourself if it should be ‘the’ or ‘a’.  I wonder if I’ll ever get there?

Writing takes patience.  I didn’t know that.  I thought I had learned about patience when planting a garden.  Planting a seed and waiting days for it to develop mature, ripen and fully produce a fruit. Then I thought I had learned all there was about patience when I made my first batch of wine.  Waiting, straining, waiting, testing…not days but months this time.  Gardening and wine making have taught me patience and yet in the end, the product is celebrated by consuming it.  Writing a book is another level of patience.  Beginning with the revisions, over and over. The query letters, rejection letters, the no letters. The acceptance of an editor or agent and then the wait for final acceptance followed by not months this time but most likely years until the final ‘fruit’ of all the labor is seen. This time, the celebration is with a consumer and book, the ‘fruit’ is around to be loved, touched, shared, hopefully cherished by kids through their lives.