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August 4, 2014: The Writing Life: Re-Vision, Part I

Today, overcast for the duration of the day, sky spitted rain some. I have this feeling, based upon past years, that we are now in the midst/mist of the early fall monsoon season. If this is like past years, August will be rainy, wet, and cold, and September will be warm and dry.

Rain is good; it just requires one to have the right attitude about it. Me? I’m more apt to stay inside during the monsoon and get writing done. If it’s warm and sunny, I head on outside early on, and stay outside. Today, I stayed inside and worked at length on my Writing Sustainably proposal, which I will have done and to the editor on August 15.



He told me that the board will be meeting on October 15 – but we agreed that it would be best to go for this deadline. This way, I can, if need be, further revise it. I hope that it’s perfect and that I don’t have to do this. I just want to get on with it.

So, this morning I dove into revising this proposal. I began by taking a hard slam at the first few paragraphs with my wrecking ball mind. Then I remained seated in the crane, and watched as text went flying every which way. I slammed again, again, and a few more times after that, that is until the original (and previously carefully constructed proposal) was no more.

I knew from past experience that the tricky part is going to be reassembling it, using new and old materials. I’m an old pro at this, so I began doing what I do so well – I took old ideas, integrated new ideas, and set to constructing a new text/building. I do not (at this point in time) know whether or not the new edifice will be better than the old. The old edifice was drafty (pun intended) so we shall see, seeing again being re-vision.

I wish that good writing just happened, and that I could get my ideas out there and in order the first time around. This never happens. I suppose if I talked to writers whose work I admired, they’d say what I know to be true – the final product appears as if it was easy to write, but was not.

I have said this repeatedly, and will say this again. All good writing presents a specific challenge to the one creating it. In this case, conceptualizing what Writing Sustainably might be about has been difficult. When I finished graduate school I presumed that I’d never again have to write a proposal. I presumed wrong. My attitude now is just let me have at it. However, with each revision, I take my ideas one step further.

I am also not allowing myself to think that in the time that I’ve taken to revise this proposal, others have written and published several books. This is because I sense that my taking the conventional route, which is going with an established, reputable and well-known press will open more doors at this point in time than will my self-publishing this book. We shall see. Before things change, they must remain the way they are.

Next: 213. 8/5/14: The Writing Life: Re-Vision Part II