Revising Writers by Kristina L. Martin

Back in September when I started thinking about what I would write for this post, the Internet and social medias were in a dither. Half my Tweet-stream was talking about if folks were going to read JK Rowling’s new novel, The Casual Vacancy.

Nearly a month has passed and Rowling’s latest book-baby can be found at every brick and mortar bookstore, Target and Costco, as well as electronically. The reviews are mixed, with the reactions from industry-insiders and plebian alike running the gamut of emotions.

I have to believe that if JK Rowling had published it under a pen-name, people would have reacted differently. Of course, they most likely would not have plunked down $21.00 for a hardcover or $14.99 for a Nook version without her name on the cover. It was a decision that Rowling and her agent/editor/publisher must have thought about far longer than many other decisions.

The nature of those imagined conversations reminds me of my neighbor. Years ago my oldest child was getting ready for first grade and I mentioned to my neighbor who his teacher would be. Upon hearing the teacher’s name, my neighbor exclaimed, “Oh, she’s my favorite teacher. And she loved [redacted name of grandson] so much that she’s now our family friend!” Her message’s emphasis was clear: the teacher would never like my son as much as her grandson and only had the ability to be personal friends with a small number of people.

In other words, my neighbor had created an idea of this elementary teacher and wouldn’t allow any deviations from that idea.

The same thing happened to me many times back when I was a classroom teacher. I’d overhear a student say to another, “No, she’s my teacher!” as if saying all my other students didn't exist. As if saying it made it true. Even in education, or perhaps especially in education, people create their own realities.

I think to some extent that is what happened to Rowling. She is so tightly connected to her Harry Potter series that fans are unable to let her be anything else. A reality has been created for Rowling as a writer and it will only be with great effort that that reality will change.

A big part of who we are, is who we are perceived to be. As writers, this both works for and against us. But how can we ever grow into the most well rounded writer we can be if we are held back by an identity created for us by our readers? And yet without our readers, what is our identity?

The truth is, we are like our novels – always in the process of being edited into a new version of our selves. Most of us tend to look a bit dog-eared and decorated with a mark or two, just like our manuscripts. No matter how unappealing that may sound, without revision, we will not grow as authors.

And that would end the world of storytelling. So carry on revising the writers world; we need more books written by revised writers!