Drafts, drafts, drafts, how many drafts does it take to get to the center of a story?
Well, it depends on the story, I guess. What I have come to accept on this new writing journey is that rewriting can be an excruciating process, especially when you painstakingly choose every word you type in the first place. Letting go of your treasured words (some of them, at least) is an absolute necessity. It makes the story more piercing, stronger because it allows you to get at the heart of the matter. And that's where you find the real story.
If Ever We Meet is a story near and dear to my heart, inspired by a conversation I had with my mother. It is not a life story, by any means, but I want to do it justice. I want the heart of the story to really shine through. And as I write this post, I now understand whose heart, whose love, I am revealing within the pages of the novel--mine.
So, how many drafts does it take to get to the center of a story? I'll let you know when I've written the very last piece of my heart onto the pages.
Stay tuned. . . .
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