Automatic Edit Mode.

I often talk about how I don't much like editing.  I wish I was one of those authors who loves going over their manuscripts again and again.

I believe in a light touch.  I'm leery of messing too much with what I've written.  On the other hand, I'm open to any improvements.

Anyway, an interesting thing has happened as I've gotten back the edits from Lara and Bren and others over the last couple of years.  I find myself incorporating their suggestions into my new writing.  And I find that I automatically change the wording of things upon the second reading, almost without thinking. 

It's tempting to just "accept changes" when there are a lot of them.  After all, I think 99% of them are correct, so what am I gaining by checking them all?

But I find that if I understand what the editors did, that I can avoid the same mistakes the next time.  A steady learning process.  I do believe I'm making fewer mistakes, and that my writing is becoming more "active" with every attempt. 

This may be what they mean by "craft."  Maybe I'm just learning the craft. 

My attitude all along has been to write the stories as they come to me, and of course rewrite them until the story comes across.  But there is another step which I'm often tempted to take -- to really bear down and "Work" at it with a capital W.

I purposely decided not to do this -- because it has always been a recipe to me for writer's block.  And I'm not sure it helps.  That is, I feel like these really "Worked" out answers are often 2 steps forward and 3 steps back.  I've always sort of held the idea of really you know "Working" it in reserve, but until now, I've tried to keep the stories fresh and unhindered.

But it seems to be happening anyway -- not so much the "Work" as the necessary changes.  That is, by writing so much and being diligent and trying (without bearing down) to make it better, I'm improving despite myself.