My Writing Process, Part Two

I’m not saying that the work of an author to create a story is not a special skill,

one requiring a set of distinct talents, abilities or training. It is truly extraordinary to

comprehend the world in such a way that one can make a well-crafted story line out of

her impressions. Isn’t it equally extraordinary for a talented and well-trained cook to turn

each recipe, time after time, into meals which never fail to satisfy even the most

demanding diner? Or my wood man to have all the knowledge, experience and

equipment going into into the splits that keep my house warm all winter.

TRIMMING AND CUTTING (Rewrites)

More organized and orderly now, the crews break out chainsaws smaller than

those used in the winter woods. Tree-length logs are craned onto a long sawbuck or

propped up on a sturdy wooden frame. The cuts are uniform, set at lengths required by

each customer to fit into their stoves. Those cut for me would be 18-20”. Working in the

sun and out of the winter woods gets easier as the weather warms.

My own writing process also gets easier as I start the rewrite. Sentences strung together

line after line are cut and structured to be more grammatically correct. By using cut-and-

paste my scenes are cohesively linked to make orderly chapters. The light of a coherent

story-line which lingered in the shadows of my scribbling and hesitating, false starts and

research dumps, begins to shine. This is the fun that follows the burden of vomiting up

the rough draft. Instead of piling word upon word to reach a proper novel size, the saw

of my creativity cuts with abandon. Delete becomes the favorite key on my IMac.

Just as tree after tree becomes a pile of rounds, ready for the splitter, my second

draft at last looks promising, no longer a collection of bits, chips, and bark; but a form

worthy of the next stage. The third draft.