>Remember the Shiny

>Every writer knows that feeling when the spark, the star of a shiny new idea is gifted to them for safe keeping. The excitement is palpable and the potential is infinite.

Then you start writing. Then you put pen to paper, fingers to keyboard and a shadow of the shiny new idea appears on the page. You read it again and see nothing of the shiny star it once was. You try and revise the shadow into a fuller form of itself and still the shine lies hidden and forgotten.

I know some people love revision, the mere thought of making the story better is enough to get them going. For me this is dampened a whole lot by the enormous amount of effort and time it’s going to take. I need something else, something shiny.

This is one of the first things in Revise Your Novel. Remember the Shiny. Seek out the very first spark of an idea that led to the monstrosity you now have printed out in front of you. Relive the excitement and hold that shining light up high to guide you through the dark caverns of revision.

Incidentally blogs are a great help in rediscovering the early honeymoon stages of writing. I delved into the archives to find my very first post on Family Trust and remembered just what had excited me about the story and kept me going through the past two years.