The problem is that I've had a shitty first draft, having been in a "marriage" to a very bad man for decades, and a shitty second draft, having been married to a great guy for only 8 months before he suffered a traumatic brain injury. I'm in the shitty third draft right now, being a 24/7 caregiver which is challenging every single day. I have to look at my life through eyes of faith, knowing that God has been with me through it all, and that He has never forsaken me. I know He will bring good out of it, but mine is a hard story to write. Plus, right now, I simply do not have the time. I'm grateful for people like you, Aimee, who write with honesty and vulnerability. I resonate with much of what you write, so thank you.
Thank you for sharing this hard story, Janet. Being seen when we are in such difficult and painful times can be powerful. Thank you for letting us see and hold it here in this space.
Sticking with the application to writing, there's an Australian author I found last year who has a great series of mysteries. She's also written a few stand-alone suspense novels. Two of those involve fiction writers who write first drafts so outstanding they are offered contracts before their manuscripts are complete. No one writing fiction gets a contract before the manuscript is complete, and no one I ever heard of has written a first draft that is ready for publication, not needing a shred of revision or editing.
Now either that Australian author somehow writes pristine first drafts so she's writing from personal experience, or she knows better and for some reason does not bother with the verisimilitude of accurately portraying the writing life. I've given up on her stand-alone novels but am looking forward to her next installment in the mystery series. She doesn't write about writing in those, so reading them doesn't give me heartburn.
Good stuff, Aimee. Combined with my reading chapter 15 of First Corinthians this morning, your post is a very practical reminder for me to write and re-write and then re-write some more until the Glory that is surely coming! Thanks again.
The problem is that I've had a shitty first draft, having been in a "marriage" to a very bad man for decades, and a shitty second draft, having been married to a great guy for only 8 months before he suffered a traumatic brain injury. I'm in the shitty third draft right now, being a 24/7 caregiver which is challenging every single day. I have to look at my life through eyes of faith, knowing that God has been with me through it all, and that He has never forsaken me. I know He will bring good out of it, but mine is a hard story to write. Plus, right now, I simply do not have the time. I'm grateful for people like you, Aimee, who write with honesty and vulnerability. I resonate with much of what you write, so thank you.
Thank you for sharing this hard story, Janet. Being seen when we are in such difficult and painful times can be powerful. Thank you for letting us see and hold it here in this space.
This has made me think about so many important things. Thank you. Thank you.
Sticking with the application to writing, there's an Australian author I found last year who has a great series of mysteries. She's also written a few stand-alone suspense novels. Two of those involve fiction writers who write first drafts so outstanding they are offered contracts before their manuscripts are complete. No one writing fiction gets a contract before the manuscript is complete, and no one I ever heard of has written a first draft that is ready for publication, not needing a shred of revision or editing.
Now either that Australian author somehow writes pristine first drafts so she's writing from personal experience, or she knows better and for some reason does not bother with the verisimilitude of accurately portraying the writing life. I've given up on her stand-alone novels but am looking forward to her next installment in the mystery series. She doesn't write about writing in those, so reading them doesn't give me heartburn.
Maybe she's that one person Anne Lamott says that we don't like!
That’s the only scenario I could come up with. ;-)
Good stuff, Aimee. Combined with my reading chapter 15 of First Corinthians this morning, your post is a very practical reminder for me to write and re-write and then re-write some more until the Glory that is surely coming! Thanks again.