Editing and Revision

My short story, Gilded Lilies, is now called Smokescreens. I'm not sure how I feel about the title. I am still considering it a work in progress.

This week has been wonderful for me to really focus on this short story. I really don't think I will be done revising it anytime soon, but at least I'm getting to participate in the process.

When I did creative writing at the university level, the revision and editing process was far more painful. Comments from teachers were designed to be helpful, but since grades were attached to them, and the desire to please professors was far too high, I usually ended up feeling like the worst writer of the lot, a fact that definitely was not true.

I really am loving this process now because I can see the changes that are taking place. I'm mature enough now to receive constructive criticism and not take it too personally. Above all, I'm actually learning so much from this that I wish I could employ a full-time editor to do some line-by-lines with everything I write! No wonder the publishing industry requires so much experience before hiring editors! They are truly some talented people! I won't say that I'll always feel this happy about ripping apart my work, but at this moment in time I am truly happy working on this piece of work.