Lessons Learned

Another contest come and gone, another lesson learned.  More than one, actually.  I haven't read through all of the entries, but I did read a bunch, and commented on some.  Ones that already had a lot of comments, I figured they had enough and didn't want to overwhelm.

It was an interesting experience. This whole blog thing has been.  I never really followed any blogs before (I did have some I checked out when I thought about it), and I've found some interesting ones now.  Not that I have really lacked the drive, but it does make me want to write more.  And try more.  Play with things a little differently.

It's an interesting shift. In part, I wonder if it hasn't been working on the new story as well. It has a very different tone than my finished work, and I'm really enjoying it.  I'm beginning to think I need to apply that to my "finished" book, or at least the beginning of the finished book.

The other part of me is thinking, "You haven't been rejected nearly enough to think you need to rewrite your beginning!"

To which the first part replies, "If you thought your beginning was perfect, you wouldn't be reconsidering rewriting it, would you?"

Of course perfection is elusive. But I wonder if I need to jump into the action sooner. It is meant to be an action-y book, after all.  And if I'm thinking that, then shouldn't that mean something?

Am I second guessing myself too soon, or did I stumble upon something that is a flaw and now that I'm aware of it, I can't look away from it?

And here I thought I'd be re-writing after my first writer's conference, not before it!

Wes
might have fallen into self-awareness. Damn it.