Writing is looked upon by a great many as a romantic endeavor. In fact, the act of creation—whether it be chiseling beautiful forms from naked granite rock, capturing the living essence of someone on canvas, or placing lyrics to song—historically has been looked upon as of the divine. Inspiration to do these marvelous forms comes from somewhere outside of the self, a gift from God or the gods or the marvelous ether.

Writing is in that same category. There is a mystery about it. And yet unlike the other creative endeavors listed people believe they can actually do it. Without education. Sculpt? No way. Paint? I don't know how colors go together. Write music? I'm tone deaf. The majority of people have these responses. But when it comes to writing, everyone can do it.

The reason for this is simple. We learn from a very early age to put words to paper, to conceive various themes and summaries as we pass through our education system on our way to adulthood. We read, and since we read words therefore we have the power—nigh, the authority—to do it as well. How hard can it be, really?

Until the person tries it, and tries to do it every day for a year.

I've already discussed the importance of sitting down every day and writing one's story until it is finished. The majority of those people who think they are good writers because they succeeded in putting words down on paper fail at even completing a story. To them I say, "It's hard, isn't it? Now keep writing and finish it!"

Another common misconception is what finishing a book means. So many people think that is the end. "The book is done. It is ready to be published. Where do I sign up to have a publisher give me money for the child of my mind? If you say no to it I am willing to sell that child really cheap..."

But there are many steps between finishing a book and getting it published. Rewriting is one of them, one that those people who think they are writers tend to forget.

Two agents have given me their feedback. But like the book but feel it needs to be rewritten in places. In my case, it is a simple tightening up and reworking the early chapters. But there is nothing glamorous about rewriting. It is real work. It takes up time I'd rather spend on my next book. It is also difficult reading what I've already written and seeing how bad my writing used to be. Why is that so bad? Because now I have to clean it up!

So I wake up in the morning and I print off that day's chapters. Tomorrow I will rework Chapters 3-5. I move away from the computer, my red pen in hand, and sit at my kitchen table which has a great view of the neighborhood and the lake. And I begin to read. And I shudder. And the red ink flows. Because now that the entire story has been written and I've moved on from it, I can now come back to it with an objective eye and see where improvement can be made.

It isn't easy. As I said, I am ripping apart my own work. It can be hard. But it is very rewarding as well, because I see how far I've come as a writer compared to a year ago. Where once I thought I'd written a pretty good book I can now see it is a good book trapped within extra stone, lacking the correct colors, the dialogue dead to the ear. To find the great book within, I have to put away my belief I am a writer and embrace the book as a reader would. It is in that way I will see the problems with it and eventually improve it.

Rewriting is not glamorous. It is rigorous and difficult. It can be fun but only once you get going. When I wake and print off the chapters to be rewritten, I grumble, wishing I could be creating something new. But now I've realize as I rewrite I am creating something new. And it is better than the original. The effort is unsung in the end—after all, people think the writer gets it right the first time—but it is definitely worth it.