Psssst.

I'm going to let you in on a secret, and show you something that writers don't always show anyone. I'm going to show you some DRAFTS AND REVISIONS. 

Here's why: It's good to know that writers have to redo things a lot--because if writers have to work hard on things, don't be surprised if you have to, also. That doesn't mean your work is not good.

It does mean this, though: Usually, work is not good, right away.

At the beginning, your work (or mine) may be pretty good, or even very good. But it's probably not "all-done, ready-to-go" good.

Here, I'll prove it, with my own stuff. Here's a version of a poem called "Skipping." It's not a first draft; but it's a pretty early one.




Remember that, when you work--especially when you start. You may look at what you've done and say, "Ugh." Or you may look at what you've done and say "Great!"

The funny thing is, you're probably right both times--and wrong. You're looking at a first draft! A first draft can be nothing! It's a speck of dust, a dewdrop, a pebble on the road. You have to DO something with it. Poke it around,