Pivot is a move that has become familiar in my writing career.
Just when I think I'm done with something I learn something new that will make my book better or more marketable in some substantial way.
That happened once again yesterday in my writing group, led by Laurel Goldman.
Fellow member Joe Burgo was struck with a thought no one had had before that would make my writing more accessible to more people faster.
He seemed worried that he'd caused me a great inconvenience. But he's really onto something, and I worked three hours last night on the first page, making tiny non-objectionable changes that I think will welcome a reader faster, especially a more casual reader. (I'm now going to do that for a lot of other pages.)
It does go against my essentially reserved nature (I say that while blogging away, like a pop tart telling a TV reporter she's a private person.) And, if I may delicately say so, it pisses me off that I don't get to speak in the way that comes most naturally to me. I did enjoy expressing myself on that subject yesterday. Writers who match the zeitgeist get a lot more work done a lot faster and more easily. But this exercise seems to be part of my dharma, and so I carry on--and with some fresh interest.
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Friday, November 07, 2008
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