Revisions.
I love them and I hate them. I love them because revisions mean I’ve finished something. I hate them because revisions are work. Drafting a book is an adventure. I don’t really outline so I’m always discovering something new about my story or characters. Drafting is exciting.
There are writers who disagree, such as my friend and critique partner Karen Dudley who insists I’ll grow to love them (I’ve heard the same thing about sea food, and THAT hasn’t happened yet). Karen insists that getting the draft out of the way is the hard part. It just goes to show all writers are different (ain’t that the truth) as are their processes.
But the revisions will end (I hope) soon and there will be a finished Thunder Road at the end of this journey that readers can actually buy. After which I can go back to revising the second book in the series. But hey, at least I have writing book three to look forward to.
Write on.
Chadwick Ginther 
Good to meet you Chadwick.
Revisions, revisions, revisions, and all I really want to write is the next novel. Why don’t I ever learn to finish the one – really finish it – complete, page numbers and capitalization and commas, before I embark on the next word journey?
How can I revise a novel? I can’t keep eighty thousand words in my head. I don’t know what happened in chapter eleven. It seemed to flow when I wrote it, when I walked that word road and the characters carried me through the low parts.
Send the first draft to the publisher and wrestle with the editor. Revisions are just doubt given manifestation. The first draft is probably as good as the fiftieth revision, just different, and what the hell does an author know about his work before a reader tells him what it really means anyway?
And I really like your “Write on” COOL
harold johnson
Harold,
Thanks for stopping by! And for the advice. I love this: “I walked that word road and the characters carried me through the low parts.”
Cheers!