back in the drawer

'kitty kat' 5.83" x 8.27"

many years ago, i had a job organising workshops for health professionals. one of the workshops was 'writing for publication' presented by a popular professor. being the organiser, i would sit at the back of the room while the workshop was in progress, doodling and making notes. i picked up some valuable tips, applicable to any piece of writing.

the professor told us to write and write and write, then put your manuscript in a drawer and forget about it. for a week, a month, preferably a year..... don't even think about it during this time. then when you come back to it, be prepared to edit harshly - don't say in ten words, what can be said more articulately in five. this is the part i love the most - the challenge of reducing my words to the minimum. it's the same buzz that you get from completing a puzzle!

so i did this with the children's story i'm writing & even though it is only nine pages long, i shut it away for a few weeks. i took it out of the drawer this week and of course there was much editing required and new ideas bubbled up. i tinkered with it some more today & it is in much better shape now. yes, it's exciting, but it's back in the drawer again, just to be sure!

the first water-colour illustration is almost completed - eight more to go! it is a constant weaving of the visual with the written word. a creative dance!