Hot off The Press

Have you ever made a purchase, gotten home and then said, "I wish I had never spent the money for that item?" If you had waited a little longer, gone home, thought about it, you would not have purchased the item. It helps to step away from it and give it time. The same is true with our writing and making it "publisher ready."

I am writing this because of something that I did yesterday. I was all excited about something that I had written and decided to read it to someone. It was so "not ready." I almost laughed. It reminded me of being the "eager beaver" and saying something that should have been kept inside. I am sure that you understand.

Do yourself a favor.

Never send out anything that has not been declared your BEST. It might have to be revised later, but make it your best. You want to impress the publisher, you do not want to turn them off to your writing.

Keep in mind that the computer will delete, copy, cut, paste, and a whole bunch of other things. Just like the weather, this too shall change. Make your writing smooth. Listen to me, and I get all goofy on here with this blog. I guess that is allowed.

I discovered something by accident. I do myself a favor by writing on a project, putting it away for a few days, and then going back to it. During the break, from that project, I work on something else. I have found that it forces me to look at the project in a different way, when I pull it back out of the folder.

It reminds me of what I said in an eaelier post concerning Art. Sometimes, you have to turn the work upside-down to see it in a new light. This forces your mind to see it differently. It works.

Try it, you'll like it.

Also, do yourself an even bigger favor. Think twice before ripping something into a million pieces and burning it in an ash pot. (What is an ash pot? I do not know. It just jumped into my head.) Years ago, I wrote a lot of poetry. I got in this mood one night and I burned a notebook that contained some really special stuff. I can not explain why. I just got this "wild hair," and I did it. I am mad at myself now for doing it.

I did not learn from that. Still later, I was taking an art class at the local college and I got mad at the instructor. He showed favortisim to a couple of students that hardly came to class. I had worked my rear off.

The instructor walked over and looked at a drawing that I was doing in his class. He stood there. I just knew that he was going to say something good. He reached out, took the drawing from my board, ripped it down the middle and said, "I don't like it. Do it again." Then, he dropped the two halves in the floor.

I went home and burned my sketch book from his class.

Hmmm, I have this issue with fire, I think.

I got over it. No, I take that back. I did not get over it. I decided to stop letting it hurt me. My reactions were keeping me awake at night. He was at home asleep, snoring, and having a nice rest. I passed the class with a "B." I never took him for a class, again.

The main point of this post is to keep the good and the bad. Improve the bad. It just might become your best seller one day.

I am going to look at my NEW creation today and try to improve it. It can be better. I want to make it my BEST WORK today. It might not be all that it can be, but I can make it my best work today.