Imagination Vs. Reality

I just finished a book I've heard endless praise about: Across the Universe. I gobbled the whole thing up in a day and it's still messing with my mind. When I finished, I read the acknowledgement page.

Before I got serious about writing I would skip that page and close the book, but now I read every line. It's always fun to see people I 'know' (via the internet) mentioned on acknowledgement pages, but I thing I really enjoy is getting a glimpse into how much work it takes to make a book.

I had to laugh when I read Beth's acknowledgements becasue her writing processes sounded a lot like mine. This particular paragraph stuck out to me.

"The best part about being a writer is having writing friends. Roybn Campbell and Rebecca Carlson helped me hammer out the first draft of Across the Universe, Heather Zundel and Christina Farley helped me break it to pieces and write it back better, and Erin Anderson, PJ Hoover, and Christina Marciniak told me Across the Universe was finally done and I should just submit it already."

Um, wow. Write it back better? Yeah, I'm there. I feel that. It's hard to believe that that Beth Revis ever struggled when all I've done is read this perfectly polished book. I mean, the story is brilliant! Wasn't it that way the first time she wrote it?

Here's the thing, in my imagination the book should come out on the page how it's suppose to be, but in real life it doesn't work that way. Writing is hard work. No one should expect to get it right the first time around.

It's a struggle where only the strongest survive. I have to ask myself if I am strong enough. If I've just given up then the answer will be no. The fact that I'm still here says something. I'm stilling trying and I'm not  going to give up until it's finished.