I appreciate this advice for getting started on an idea, and for working through its early stages. And there is a time when my ruthless inner editor, Cruella, must be called forth. But it is way more complicated than  a two-part process for me. When I get to later drafts, oftentimes the writing and the editing become intertwined. This has become more evident to me as I work through this novel manuscript. I saw it when I was a full-time writing teacher, too. We tend to want to simplify this process for students and say, “Ok first write a draft. Then edit.”  Not so simple. Yes, write like the blazes when you are getting the idea thrashed out, but understand that revising, editing, polishing are often about finesse and being willing to loop in and out at different stages of the process. There is a finished piece out there somewhere if you’re willing to work through it. I’m convinced.

 The current draft of Altitude Sickness is sending me cosmic messages to step back for a bit. So I am doing just that. In this interim, I am going to the opera. Last week, I saw Janacek’s Jenufa when a friend had an extra ticket and invited me. Wonderful performance and nice surprise–I wouldn’t have chosen it. In three more weeks, back to Santa Fe for this summer’s production of Cosi Fan Tutte. Another Mozart opera, Don Giovanni, plays a role in Altitude Sickness so operatic activity during this manuscript composting time is perhaps just what the Writing Doctor ordered.

Are you still working on that novel?

“It’s always such a long road, and the temptation to give up is huge. We all struggle with that, believe me. But don’t give in to it. That’s what divides the people who write novels from the people who get them published.”    Michelle Barker, Senior Editor, The Darling Axe (darlingaxe.com)