Like any writer, aspiring or professional, redrafts are usually the bane of one’s life. Well, they’re definitely the pain in the bum for me.
I decided to enter a writing competition. (The link can be found at the bottom of the page.) It would be great practice for myself, and what better way to prepare me for creative writing at university than writing a short story.
So far, I’ve redrafted three times, and each time the story has changed. Now, I’m not saying that’s a bad thing because it definitely isn’t. Practice makes perfect after all, and in order to sound like professional authors like J.K Rowling or Lee Child, well that practice is needed.
In a way, these redrafts have opened my eyes to my future. If I do become a professional writer, this is what my life will consist of. Throwing out drafts, redrafting, revising, editing…it’s all part of the bigger picture. A piece of writing that you can share with people. A piece of your imagination for the world to see, take a peek inside that head of yours.
It’s tough. Like, really tough, but don’t give up! Through numerous of redrafts, the papers piling up, your brains thinking of at least a hundred and two things, and by this point you’re willing to give up, hold you hands up in the air and say: You know what, maybe I’m not cut out for being a writer.
If you do that, then you really aren’t cut out for being a writer. What makes you a writer is when you power through. You ignore that little voice that always plants the seed of doubt in your mind and you keep going. It’s only when you keep going and don’t give up that you become a writer because you produce something so magical, so unique, it’s worth the pain by the end of it.
I’m off to start revising my new short story. Maybe I’ll share it with you once it’s complete. I’m not going to give up, this is my life now.
Link for the writing competition