Posted by Atticus on December 10, 2004, at 18:45:49
In reply to Re: Love Remodeled » Atticus, posted by Toph on December 10, 2004, at 12:40:50
Hi Toph,
One of the great frustrations of PB Writing is the inability of the author to edit something after it's been posted. If, with a bit of perspective, I see a line in my own work that seems clumsy or out of rhythm, I fix it in the version posted on my own Web site (link is in post below). The nice thing about having my own site is that I can keep going back in and refining things as often as I want, even once a poem is posted there. For here, what I usually do is write the poem in Word, polish it up there to catch all the typos and the wince-inducing cliches, then copy and paste it into the posting box on PB Writing. This actually started because my rotten computer freezes up so often, and since you can't save a post while it's in the progress of being composed, I lost a lot of half-written pieces. But now I do it all the time. That way I can play with a piece for days (although this isn't my habit -- I tend to bang through the thing in one day and several sittings if needed; I suspect that comes from constantly writing on deadline at work and being used to finishing things fairly quickly). Rather than superimpose my literary "voice" on your work by playing editor, I think this is the best suggestion I can offer. And just remember that no piece is ever perfect in the eye of the creator. I have the same experience with my illustrations and paintings. There will always be that sense of "Dammit! I only I'd done this instead of that." Being dissatisfied with your work is a good sign, I think. Only people who are dissatisfied work to improve. Still, I felt the story worked well, despite your perception of flaws. Give it some time and come back to it later. I usually have immediate regrets, but then come back later and am better able to see the bits that worked. By all means, keep at it. Like anything else, the more you do it, the better you get. Atticus
poster:Atticus
thread:426247
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/write/20041210/msgs/427420.html