Writing is recursive. This three-word line has stuck with me since graduate school when a writing prof wisely told us that we need to write, revisit, and rewrite many times before we can call a piece finished. I love it! I love it because I can put words to a page without committing. Yes, you heard that right–committing. Even in these blog posts, I can go back and edit at any time. That is powerful don’t you think? How often have we sat there facing the discomfort of our own writer’s block, picking up the pen, or opening the computer, typing a few words, only to screw the paper up in a ball and toss it or in the case of modern technology, just press delete? How often have we told ourselves that we cannot get those words down? Well, if I have learned one thing in all the years of writing since the age of 9, it is this: I can write something and always come back and change it! And that is what makes writing recursive. We often need to revisit, with fresh eyes, what we have written, and we may need to do this many times!
Sometimes it helps to show someone else our writing and get their feedback. I am blessed to be part of a wonderful writer’s group, including three other ladies, who share my passion for writing and who are willing to lovingly give feedback. Aside from telling each other where to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, we help each other by providing another perspective. I just love how I can be struggling with a play and then hand it over to my writing group where someone comes back with: “Have you thought about …?” Then I can return to my writing with renewed enthusiasm and more ideas. The next draft inevitably turns out to be much better.
Writing right mean rewriting. Don’t let this scare you; embrace it and go with it. Let the writing process flow through each revision. You’ll be pleased that you rode the wave and let yourself be carried through to that final product that has you saying: “This is it, time to birth this piece.” and do just that, so you can move onto your next creative endeavor.