I love it when seeming unrelated things connect
like paper dolls in my mind. Beer goggles (for those too innocent to know) are
what people claim to have been wearing when they've had a few drinks too many and
the Star Trek fan who never caught their eye before suddenly becomes HAWT and
fascinating and all sorts of kissable.
So what would beer goggles have to do with a first
draft of a manuscript? Lots, my friend. Lots. Creating words and worlds, chaos
and conflict—it’s intoxicating. We come up for air enamored and hazy, buzzing
enough that the lines between a good start and a good manuscript get blurry and
sometimes disappear.
One of my current favorite shows is Tattoo
Nightmares. It’s a reality show where people with awful tattoos come to three
amazing artists to get cover-ups. The backstories? Fascinating. The finished
products? Mind blowing. You can hardly see traces of the botched pieces they
used to have. They each leave with a masterpiece of skin art.
Being a part of a critique group keeps me from beer
goggling after a first draft. I am still the artist, but discussing my
manuscript with other writers helps sober me up and transform a good beginning
into a work that’s ready to show others.
So how about you? Ever fall in love with an awful
first draft or get a terrible tattoo? Comment and tell us about it.
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