New Year, New Projects

This is a picture of my NaNoWriMo 2015 project:

My as yet unnamed project is over 500 pages and is badly in need of editing. This isn’t truly a new project but it is on my goal list for the year.

Here is a picture of a novella that I wrote in October:

Though it has a name, it may change and is truly badly in need of editing. I’ve read it through and am taking notes.

Apparently the name of this post is misguided. These are projects that began last year so not really new projects.

I guess the “new” part is the actual editing. Not even editing, major revisions are in the future for each of these two projects.

Revision is new for me. I’ve done a bit in the past but nothing on this scale. It is a bit scary. After all, who wants to look at their own words and say they aren’t good enough.

I took a revision class in the fall. During that class, one of the things we confronted was our fear of necessary writing task. Every one of the people in the class had this same fear.

First things first, reading through the first draft of each. I’ve done it with my novella but not with the novel.

Next step, I’ve been making notes and spending some time thinking of where I want this particular project to go.

I’m not sure which writer said, the first draft is simply telling the story to myself, but that is what has happened. I started with an idea for each of these and has evolved into words on a page.  I’m excited to get through the next  draft.

Well, that won’t happen if I don’t get moving on it.

These are new projects because I have a new determination to actually complete at least a second draft of both of these. There are other things I want to work on but these are top on the list.

Writing has been a journey lifelong journey, this is just the next part.

My writing partner: