Rewrite request!

MumblingSage

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On the one hand, yay! Another step closer to acceptance.

On the other hand, awww man. The requests are very reasonable and straightforward enough, but I'm just not sure how to go about them. Every time I pick up the pen (I edit on paper, not the screen) I feel the urge to go...I dunno...stare at a screen. I'm lazy this summer.

But the editor likes the originality in the story, which is comforting, and I feel excited enough that I just my rouse myself to make a few edits...in a few minutes. :D
 

HeronW

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do 1 ch. at a time, treat yourself after to a fav book/movie/ trip to the park/beach etc.
 

Mumut

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That's better than a straight 'no'. Well done and keep at it.
 

dawinsor

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That's fabulous!

I used to have the same experience when I wrote scholarly articles. The revision requests would come back and 90% of them would be easy but the last 10% would actually require some rethinking. I'd stare at them and think "I can't do that." And I'm not sure I ever did exactly what the reviewers requested, but I tried. And the article was alway better for it. I'm so grateful to the people who took the time to make me think harder.
 

regdog

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Just think of the edits as getting you one step closer to what you want.
 

MsJudy

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Baby steps. That's the only way to approach it.

I found that I had two reactions to revision suggestions.

1) What do you mean? That's such a nitpick! Oh, fine, if you want me to change it, I will. Yeah, I guess that is a little better. But still....

2) Ooh, ooh, ooh! If I change that, then I could do this! And then Toadflax could say that! And ooh, ooh, ooh, then that means this part should go like this, and over here I should do this, ooh, ooh, ooh!

If you can get that second feeling, where the comments inspire you, then it's like permission to play with your favorite friends all over again. That part is really fun!

Good luck with it!
 

qwerty

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If you can get that second feeling, where the comments inspire you, then it's like permission to play with your favorite friends all over again. That part is really fun!

I've been there, and loved it.

I have to edit on screen. That way I can replace words, pick up stuff and move it around and, all the time, see the difference I'm making. And because what I've just done affects something somewhere else, I zap to that and . . .

C'mon, MumblingSage. Being asked for revision because the basic story is good is such a compliment - go do it.
 

Cybernaught

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Congratulations. Rewrite requests are good things. Orson Scott Card was asked by Ben Bova to rewrite Ender's Game, and look what happened with that?