You write a thing, in my case a sorta-fantasy portal story of a young wheelchair user who uses her imagination to help her solve her very real accessibility problems, and then you think you're done. Phew! I did it. I wrote a book.
Wrong.
I wrote that book well over a year ago and was so foolhardy when I finished that I didn't want to change a thing. I was in love with it and it felt perfect. I sent it off to beta readers (people who read and reflect on your work so that you can revise from there) and got some encouraging feedback. I also got some discouraging feedback-- but I didn't see it at the time, but it was a great way for me to make the story better.
Don't we all just want to make the story better? Well, I didn't. At least not then. I sat on the story for about 9 months before falling into a critique group formed by some writer-friends on Twitter/X. Again, I got some great and encouraging feedback. And discouraging feedback. But this time it didn't feel that way, because this time I was ready to make change.
I had sat with my story and my pride in this book, and now I was ready to realize that in order to make it better, I had to put in the word. So I reworked, I cut and I pasted, I deleted and I wrote. Over and over again, until I felt like I truly had something better. So, then I showed my agent. I wrapped it up in a neat and shiny bow and passed it over to her.
And again, I received some very encouraging feedback, and then some NOT. But this time, I had learned. This time I understood the task at hand. I cracked my knuckles, stretched my spine, and got to work.
I'm currently knee-deep in those revisions. I've gone from big and exciting things happening in chapter 9 to those big and exciting things happening in chapter 3. I've created character mirrors using Venn diagrams and excessive arrows. I've bought a lot of shaken espresso drinks.
Today, I'm beginning to rework chapter 17, which is now only chapter 9. I'm in a good groove, but still have a way to go. My self-imposed deadline for my revisions is the end of September. Then I will give the manuscript back to my agent and hopefully be in a spot to just make some line edits and comments throughout, not an entire revamp of plot and structure.
But I'm here for it. I want this story to be the best it can be, just as I want to be the best writer that I can be. For me, but also for the potential to reach others who need a wheelchair user protagonist too.
Stay tuned...
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