Looking Back at What I've Written

Looking back at my first book, I sometimes cringe at what I wrote, thinking, Oh, I could have written that so much better than I did. But, there it is, out there for the whole world (wouldn't that be nice) to see. But, that's exactly what first books should do, I think. We want it to be perfect, but, in my case at least, it's not. Reading my first book in the local newspaper's serialization makes be go back over what I'm writing now, and helps me to check and re-check my verbs and descriptions; helps me to eliminate unwanted adverbs, unneeded phrases, and to use better, more descriptive adjectives. It's a process. Jane Yolen has written that her writing is constantly evolving and becoming better. Yolen says it never stops - this personal writing evolution. So I'm not deterred. I admit to my mistakes. There they are for everyone to see. But I'm getting better. And, hopefully, I will continue to improve at what I love doing most: writing for children. What a wonderful journey.