"Of course I re-write! Writing is re-writing!" That’s my response to the question that I am asked most often by teachers and students. What follows here is an example of the kind of evolution/revision that I go through with my books.

This book began as a series of 40 vignettes divided into the four seasons, depicting a young girl’s view and thoughts about the life she lived in the city. It came of course from my thoughts and feelings as a child growing up in Chicago. I called it CITY THOUGHTS. It took me about six months to compile the 40 vignettes. I tried to shape each vignette to its content. Here’s the evolution of one of them: First notes:

Final version: When the manuscript was completed, my agent sent it out. Only one publisher showed any interest at all – and not enough to want to publish the book. After two years of rejections, I put the manuscript into my file drawer.

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© 2007 Sue Alexander. All Rights Reserved.
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