That's a Lot for a Saturday

I've had a busy day! I got out of bed when the alarm sounded and actually went running before the sun had fully risen. After dropping Ibis off at work, I bought groceries and vented in my journal. I'm feeling a little better now. Then I finished reading The Elements of Style (more on that in a minute) and finished a nagging scene in my wip.

Phew!

Then I researched wedding photo albums for an upcoming freelance project. A good friend of mine is a photographer in LA and needs a fabulous designer to help with the album layouts.

*stretches arms, pats self on shoulder*

While clicking through the various links she sent me, I was getting worried that the designs she wants may be beyond my abilities. I worked on auto ads for so long that soft and fluffy weddings seem like an alien being. Can you shove a close-up of a Hemi in there? Really jazz it up! The voice of my former boss whispered in my ear. But the more I compared her notes with the different sites, I realized she and I share a similar vision. Besides, she can't expect me to nail it on the first try, right? That's was revisions are for.

That's when a passage I'd just read in EoS came to mind and I realized Strunk & White's writing advice can apply to more than just writing:

Revising is part of writing. Few writers are so expert that they can produce what they are after on the first try. Quite often you will discover, on examining the completed work, that there are serious flaws in the arrangement of the material, calling for transpositions... Do not be afraid to experiment with what you have written. Save both the original and the revised versions... Remember, it is no sign of weakness or defeat that your manuscript ends up in need of major surgery. This is a common occurrence in all writing, and among the best writers.

Switch the writing terms with whatever task you're facing - design, cooking, or child-rearing - and this advice applies to most anyone (ok, maybe not that last one). I've always tackled design projects with the idea that it's easier to work on something one the bones are already there. It only makes sense that the same applies to writing. I just hadn't figured that out yet.