Words and Bricks

Writing can be a tedious, frustrating task. I think it's a little like laying bricks. You start to build up a few words, which build upon more words and more words. Days, weeks, or months later, you've got structure. You've got something to look at, something to design and plan. You keep going, not knowing exactly how the thing will turn out, but you have hope. So you dig in. You try staying focused. You take breaks because you start to go a little bonkers. And finally, voila! After a lot of hard labor, you've got a creation to be admired, and also scrutinized.

But oh, you are not finished. This is where feedback comes in. You get some people to inspect your work--people who know all about brick laying, design, and layout. And they examine what you've done very carefully. Now imagine if EVERY time they do this, they tell you that something needs reworking. This is what happens in writing. You've done well, and bravo for your efforts, but you've got to fix some things. Maybe many things. And sometimes the bricks that need fixing are at the bottom, near the foundation. You've got to rip apart that whole section and rebuild it, brick by brick.

Which is why many people want to write a novel, or a picture book, or a chapter book, but don't ever accomplish it. It's just well, darn it, FRUSTRATING to tear down and rebuild. Again. And again.

It's why authors are a little eccentric, a little bizarre, but somehow, driven. We don't have the good sense to stop. We can't; we won't. Thank heaven for that.

And curse it.