Monday, October 09, 2006

Bottom Line

“Bottom line, will the story that goes to print be the story you wrote??”

My friend LaConnie just asked me this over the weekend. You see, LaConnie just sold her first book – Congratulations! – and she had some questions about the revision process.

I imagine there are quite a few writers who cringe when they hear “revisions.” I read an interview where the author likened the revision process to driving bamboo splinters into his eyeballs while tearing his novel apart, chapter by chapter.

Ouch.

LaConnie’s question made me realize how comfortable I feel with Seventh Window. I like working with Ken *waves*. He answers my questions, and he explains stuff. His suggestions and comments come across as just that, suggestions and comments. He manages to focus my attention on just what’s missing or unnecessary in whatever chapter I am working on.

Bottom line: He’s not making me write a new novel based on the original. He’s helping me polish the original’s rough edges.

And I’m happy to report he does all that without the aide of bamboo splinters :-)

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