At my friend Barbara’s1 award ceremony last month, I ran into my old friend Joe,2 who told me that years ago he was disconcerted to learn his novels were classified at the Library of Congress as “20th century American fiction losers.”
Even though Joe’s main characters are undeniably drifting and down on their luck, his first reaction was to take the label personally. I had to laugh. After all, with the recent release of his 10th novel, there’s no way Joe’s a loser. But it’s a rare writer who feels like a winner, no matter how many laurels they rack up.
I hope Barbara felt like a winner that night. Her many books have won a ton of honors, but still, I don’t think it’s betraying any confidences to reveal that she too sometimes doubts herself.
Me too, of course. Over the last weeks I’ve been struggling mightily to overhaul book 2 of my time-travel trilogy. Many of you know that I love revision. To me, it’s the most fun a writer can have.
Think about it: You know your characters, you’re comfortable in the landscape you’ve built, and you know how everything turns out in the end. Revising is an opportunity to raise the stakes and polish the writing. It’s not too late to add color, depth, humor, and foreshadowing. You get to watch your book get better and better!
Sometimes, however, revision is a pain. Sometimes, the problems are so profound it’s almost like starting from scratch. Even so, it has its moments. That’s the rollercoaster:
tragic losses of whole passages and chapters that don’t fit the new plan
thrilling new chunks that arise from sharpening your theme and goals
tricky changes that raise the stakes but threaten continuity
troubling suspicions that this was never meant to be a book
For a couple of weeks, I was drowning in confusion. But now things are falling into place! The rest is going to be my summer fun.
That dilemma
Last month I noted that I was chewing over a decision, hoping to find clarity during my vacation. And I did: I decided to back away from work-related social media. After nearly 15 years of posting and tweeting, I want a reset.
So I put up “Gone Fishing” notes (not literally), took the apps off my phone, and that’s that. My archives are still online, but I’m no longer adding content. It feels great!
My new plan isn’t less work, but it’s local and personal: Write the best books I can and participate in the local scene. Such as
organizing a Chicago launch of The Time-Jinx Twins
reading to children at my local branch library
attending other writers’ book readings and launches
querying school visits, book fairs, and other kidlit events
having coffee or lunch with writer friends
joining a monthly “write-in” with other children’s book writers
Other writers have always done those things, while I’ve tended to hide behind my computer. No more!
New reads & rereads
Smithy and Me, by Darcy Day Zoells (2025)
The Making of the Atom Bomb, by Richard Rhodes (1986)
Living in Data, by Jer Thorp (2021)
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens (1850)
Barbara Gregorich, 2025 Midland Authors Award Finalist, for Adult Fiction, for Exit Velocity. A book about social justice, donuts, and a highly evolved parrot from another plant here to help save the Earth. This book has it all!
Joseph G. Peterson’s newest novel is The Perturbation of O. I haven’t read it yet, but it was a hoot listening to him talk about it, and I’m a longtime fan of his other novels, so I’ll stick my neck out and recommend it to you right now.
"troubling suspicions that this was never meant to be a book" indeed! I also "left" social media (I still post through the Meta business portal and I'm here on Substack). It's a relief not to be caught up in all the crap that I was sure I was ignoring successfully. Given the feeling of relief, I guess I hadn't been all that successful at ignoring it!