I’d like to say I’m an organized writer, but I’m not. I
don’t have the whole plot mapped out ahead of time and every piece carefully
crafted in advance. While I do some outlining and write a lot of notes as I research,
when I write, it turns more into a ‘stream of consciousness’ process.
What that means is there is a lot of revising and editing. I
mean a lot! Sometimes an important idea comes late in the manuscript and I need
to go back and weave that idea into the initial pages of the story. The other
thing it means is that I am continually cleaning up the manuscript,
particularly from excessive wordiness. Children’s literature needs to be clear,
with strong description and dialogue. Kids need action and appealing sensory
images.
When I think I have something effective, I set it aside for a few days or even weeks, and then come back and look at it with fresh eyes. On the next read, the need for more revisions always arises. What that means is that its never done.
I remember a group of language arts students complaining bitterly one day about having to do more than one draft of their story. I would really like to be able to tell them now, that Mrs. Orr had to do ten drafts of hers!
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