The Pain of Looking Back

This week I've had two people reading my rough draft for 'Adventures of Amy' book four. I'm still not positive about the name yet, but I think it's going to be Never Forget. Anyway, while other people have been critiquing my book, I've gone back to the first three 'Adventures of Amy' books. As I said in a previous post, I'm working on splitting them up into three books but I wanted to re-edit them first.
    When I first started writing the 'Adventures of Amy' at the age of thirteen, I thought they were great. I had done the best I could and I was happy with the results. Now, looking back, I see so many problems that I never saw before. Not just grammatical problems but also story problems. It's hard knowing that my readers have read things I wrote that I look back at and groan. I guess my readers will have to grow with me.
    Looking back I can't believe how much I've learned since I started writing. I can't believe the mistakes I used to make. However the worst part, is knowing that in a few years, I'm going to look back at the things I'm writing now and groan about them. Right now, I think Never Forget is coming a long great! But someday, I'm going to look back at it and be horrified at my poor writing.
    I guess what I'm learning through this is that we can't quit just because we're  not perfect. I think this applies to all areas of life, not just writing. If you're ever going to be good at something, you have to be willing to fail. Great writers don't just put pen to paper and become famous. Often, hard work and failure pave the road to accomplishment.
     So don't give up. Yes, it's embarrassing looking back at past mistakes but don't let that stop you. It's been said that "It's better to aim for success and fail, than to aim for nothing and succeed." So don't give up on your dreams. Don't quit striving for excellency. Even if you never attain your dream, you will be a better person for it.

     On another note. "WHAT IS TAKING ME SO LONG?" Good question, I'm glad you asked. The whole editing process is taking a lot longer than I had hoped. So I'm going to quit giving you my estimated deadlines... because they're never accurate.
      Someday soon, I'm hoping to give you an update on my 'other project' and I'll be posting an excerpt from Never Forget someday. So stay tuned.
  Until next time, this is Priscilla J. Krahn reminding you to stay strong in the Lord!

“I love being a writer. What I can’t stand is the paperwork.” – Peter DeVries