Creating a Work of Art

Our house is basically a construction zone right now. We are a little more than halfway through a summer of renovations. We’ve had these changes planned for months; we geared up for the disruption it would inevitably cause; we vowed to rise above the chaos and stay focused on the finished product.

Now that we’re in the thick of it, we have resorted to living a life of clichés. “Take it one day at a time,” we tell each other. “Keep your eye on the prize,” we gently remind ourselves. “Stay steady,” we say seriously, when it feels like the wheels are coming off the rickety go-cart of our sanity. (This one we coined ourselves; our rendition, I guess, of stay the course.)

At the same time that our house is being taken over by noise and very helpful, wonderful tradesmen, I have been seeking out quieter locations to work on the revisions to my new novel. As nail guns secure wooden boards where worn out carpet used to be, I hammer away at every scene, every paragraph, and every word trying to create something new, fresh, and vital.

Revising is about re-visioning.

A few months ago we re-visioned our house, wanting to take it to the next level of possibility that would fit our aesthetics and our lifestyle.

Today, as I re-vision every scene and character in my latest manuscript, I move sections of text around, enhance or expand a scene, as well as take a hard look at anything that slows down the pacing and effectiveness of the novel. I do this because for me, the goal is always to write a really good story – a story that will keep readers interested and engaged and have them remembering the characters long after they have finished reading the book.

To this end, revising (also known as rewriting) can be subtle, removing a word here or there, adding a different metaphor, expanding dialogue or description. At other times, revising can contain moments of complete demolition. Much of revising, or re-visioning, is about getting rid of anything (characters, scenes, extra words) that doesn’t serve the story, just like a home renovation is getting rid of anything that doesn’t serve the ultimate layout or vision a person has for their home. But it’s also about building: creating richer, more compelling characters, taking more risks and perhaps expanding the scenes that work.

Revising is about being able to hold the tension of the chaos that occurs before a creation is complete. In the end, whether you’re revising your book, your home, your work, your relationship or some other aspect of your life, for me it’s about creating a work of art.

So as the summer progresses, may we all take each day one day at a time, keep our eye on the prize and, by all means, stay steady. Meanwhile, I’d love to hear how your summer is going. And if you have any suggestions on how I might get through the rest of August without resorting to more clichés, I’d be especially grateful.

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Tagged as: creating a work of art, house renovation, novel writing, revising manuscripts, Revisions