There’s a book I can’t wait to read. I guess it will have to wait until after NaNoWriMo – it’s Francine Prose’s Anne Frank: The Book, The Life, The Afterlife which, among other things, reveals the full extent of serious revision Anne Frank undertook to make her diary read like a good novel.
That’s right, up in that infamous attic, Anne did what any pro writer knows must be done. She revised. She wanted to make a fascinating story even more fascinating. She wanted to be a real writer.
Years ago, I hated revision. I made every conceivable excuse not to revise, including everything from “it betrays spontaneity” to “it gives me a nervous breakdown.”
Then I encountered a situation where I had no choice. An agent threw down the gauntlet: revise one more time…or else, forget it.
That lesson stayed with me: real writers know that the quality of revision they can muster will always make the difference between a forgettable story and a page turner.
Anne Frank knew this. That’s one reason why, even in death, she survived that attic room–and why we still read her today.
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Great post, and such a good example! Writing and revising are two totally different activities, requiring different brain faculties. Fo rmost people, it is as impossible to write and revise together as it is to be in first gear and fifth gear at once.
Thanks for introducing me to this book. I can’t wait to read it–also after NaNoWriMo. For me, writing IS revision BUT not in November…. Good point by dirtywhitecandy.