Inspiration

I'm going to post more on my favorite books like I said I would, soon, but...

I've got a lot of irons in the fire now. A manuscript revised by an editor that I'm shopping around. Another manuscript I'm working on revising. And a work in progress that I can't get out of my head.

Thing is, I'm loving revising right now! I usually hate revising, but this time around, I'm actually enjoying myself. I think it's because of my new critique group. The little comments--both good and bad--have been very inspiring. One comment from a critiquer about a voice sparked a whole new page of text...another about motivation made me cut two pages. A plea for more description of the scenery gave me a flash of inspiration to add a little bit of foreshadow to the background. A comment about a character's reaction made me explore her thoughts for a whole new paragraph.

When I revised before, I paid a sharp eye to grammar (I am an English teacher, after all) and consistency, but I had trouble identifying my own plot problems--I know how my characters feel/think/act, why doesn't everyone else?! Seeing my work through others' eyes has helped me see new ways to improve it...and helped me be so much more creative and happy with the finished product.