Revision Blues

Note: This blog was originally published on my MySpace blog, April 30, 2007.

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Revising sucks toes.

The main reason I believe this is that you can't listen to music while doing it. When I write the first draft of a story, I've got all kinds of music playing depending on what sort of scene I'm working on. Fight scene—Rob Zombie rocks. Intimate sex scene—anyone from Fiona Apple to Gerald Levert. Scary sex scene—right now I can't think of anything better than Time is Running Out, by Muse. Those all important scenes just after everything gets shot to hell? Need the angst from Blue October or Snow Patrol.

You get the idea.

Music helps me to create a mood. More than once I've set my playlist to random and had my story go in a totally different direction just because the tunes went from Seether to Muppets in the blink of an eye. In most cases it wasn't a bad direction, but it's exactly why I can't revise with the music on. Music influences how you think, how you feel. When you're getting ready to submit your story, you have to make sure that the writing does that.

So revising happens in total silence. Unless the mutt is asleep. Then revising happens in a cacophony of snoring. Let me tell you—if a sex scene is still sexy in the midst of that, then it's gold.

Right now I'm revising two works—a short story called Chains, inspired by this nifty picture I stumbled across one day, and a novel called Touching Fire: Paul's Dream. Both are kicking my ass. I keep getting distracted by the urge to finish (or even start) other stories. I'm trying to achieve focus by reminding myself that all the work I put into writing these things is sorta pointless if no one gets to read them.

Yeah yeah. I write for myself and not for others. And—really—nobody in their right mind would do it if they didn't love it. There's just too much aggravation to do it for any other reason. Still, I live for that "I made this!" moment. I think it's a good goal to strive for.

With that in mind, I suppose I should get back to work. This whole blog was an exercise in procrastination, by the way. Thanks for that.