I needed a break from the critique I was working on this morning and decided to transcribe The Lonely Orchard that I handwrote earlier this month. The transcription was a disaster, as my handwriting has severely deteriorated. I could hardly salvage the story. I picked out what I could and focused on what I remembered and just rewrote the story. Just, haha right–just. It was heartbreaking. Through the rewrite I knew the story lost its magic, I knew I had ruined it by not transcribing right away. I read it again once it was typed up and surprised myself. By focusing as I did, I managed to eliminate the extra (unncessary) story elements and write the core story, which in my opinion, makes it stronger.
Strange how these things happen, isn’t it?
DAWN BONANNO 