When All Else Fails: Revise.

Writers and other creative people are never completely satisfied with their own work. It takes a lot of courage to step away from a piece and deem it worthy of being presented to the masses. So, when I walked away from my first novel, A Teaspoon of Fiction, I was quite proud of myself. However, I recently gave my work of art another once over, and realized that it wasn't a book that I would boast on my bookshelf. Back at square one, and I'm learning that it takes even more courage to pick up a piece that was once considered complete.

A Teaspoon of Fiction was supposed to be my golden ticket into the exciting world of publishing. I'd written what I thought was a killer query letter, compiled my list of relevant agents, and shot out my call for a representative. I took the rejection letters in stride and blamed the undesirable responses on the failing economy. Then the inevitable occurred: I realized that the manuscript I penned was simply not up to par.

Now, I'm not only undertaking the task of writing novel #2, but completely revising #1.

As a word to fellow writers, please don't fear multiple revisions and edits. While it's a challenge to lay down a piece, it's also very difficult to pick it up again. It's very easy to give up on a project when it's not shaping up to what you want it to be. However, I've concluded that a piece worth starting is a piece worth completing.

Wish me luck!