Seeing through new eyes

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A screenshot from this morning's revisions of The Hawk.

Coming home, even from a brief absence, usually proffers an altered vision. That used to not be the case on a consistent basis, but lately I've found even a weekend away brings insights not previously considered. I don't know if it's aging, I guess it must be. Suddenly I see things, from writing to sewing, in a different light.

Perhaps it's the light itself, altering from spring to summer, adding to the emerging notion of change. The lengthening days are a beauty in themselves, as though the winter months were fiction. I know better, lol, but it's still a sight to behold.

Currently I'm reading from the Alvin's Farm series, not having checked out those books in a while. I make notes where I find prose that needs a lift, then last night I scrolled through the story on my phone, updating the manuscript. I'm not alone in this task, recently reading about Alice Munro, the Canadian short story author and Nobel prize winner who also invested her time in rewrites. I was grateful to know such an accomplished writer felt the need to revise, and that perhaps she enjoyed her own work as much I do mine.

While rereading my books, I'm both amazed at my growth as a writer, as well as keeping the perspective of not ravaging older stories, leaving them mostly for what they are, steps on my authorial journey. However I did use my virtual red pen this morning while reading through The Hawk; all the redundancies in the Alvin books spurred me to eliminate those in a series I am hopefully revising for the last time. While I love the story line in The Hawk, its length makes me hesitate to consider a future revision. Although, if I live as long as Munro, who knows?

Part of the ease is modern technology; I read on my phone, make notes, then scroll through the ebook, correcting the manuscript. How simple is that? I'll be away from home in July, visiting family in the Midwest, and am uncertain if I need to bring my laptop. Hanging out with my granddaughters doesn't allow for heavy revisions, so The Hawk will stay at home. But reading through other books and making notes will occur, and I only require a phone for that. Modern technology is a boon for twenty-first century writers, and I'll use all the help I can get.

Yet at the end of a writer's day is the necessary sense of wanting to tell a story, and wishing for said tale to be as interesting and vital as one's ability permits. I made great strides from when I crafted Alvin's Farm to The Hawk, and I am not at all interested in restructuring the former series, although it could certain benefit from extensive alteration. Those benefits would merely be cosmetic; that collection of books needs to be left mostly as is. I'd never get anything new written if I delved too deeply into my older stories, so best to use my time wisely. I'll revise what most requires it, enjoying the stories for what they are and who I was when crafting them. Then harness those lessons into my current series, of which I am eager to return to.

Just a little snapshot of my life as a writer, all done for pleasure and that I honestly don't have a choice in the matter, lol.

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