"Finished" vs. FINISHED
11/29/08 14:18
So today
I “finished” BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN. Its
first rough draft was begun in December 2005 and
“finished” in June 2006. Then there were major
retools in spring 2007 and summer/fall 2008 (gaps as
a result of child/husband/job/life), plus there are
always little tinkers. It feels really good to have
this draft “done” and polished. It’s my favorite
revision of all.
But I know it won’t last. Some agent or editor will say, “hey, have you thought of . . .” or “you know, I don’t like . . .” and it will change. That’s as it should be, and I like to revise---a lot, maybe too much---because it always leads you to new ideas. But sometimes I just want a manuscript to STAY THE SAME.
But it won’t. It’s the nature of the game. For today, it’s “finished,” and I’m not fooling with it until it’s agented. I’m damn tired. Given how busy agents are, it will be “finished” for months.
But is a book *ever* really FINISHED? No, probably not. Someone will always have a new idea for it, even if you never meet that person. That’s one of the cool things about meaning, in the philosophical sense. Ideas build on ideas that build on ideas, and . . . . then it’s infinity.
Cool and frustrating, all at the same time.
But I know it won’t last. Some agent or editor will say, “hey, have you thought of . . .” or “you know, I don’t like . . .” and it will change. That’s as it should be, and I like to revise---a lot, maybe too much---because it always leads you to new ideas. But sometimes I just want a manuscript to STAY THE SAME.
But it won’t. It’s the nature of the game. For today, it’s “finished,” and I’m not fooling with it until it’s agented. I’m damn tired. Given how busy agents are, it will be “finished” for months.
But is a book *ever* really FINISHED? No, probably not. Someone will always have a new idea for it, even if you never meet that person. That’s one of the cool things about meaning, in the philosophical sense. Ideas build on ideas that build on ideas, and . . . . then it’s infinity.
Cool and frustrating, all at the same time.