I decided to rewrite one of my old short stories.

It’s about four years since I began writing fiction. I started out writing little short stories taking place in the setting I’d created. It gave me the opportunity to get to know the world better, and I created some character’s who still have stories left to tell. It was good fun.

It was fun, but really, those stories… Let’s just say there’s a lot of room for improvement.

I’ve come a long way as a writer in the last four years. Going back and re-reading those old short stories is rather embarrassing. I was so proud of them back then, but now – less so.

On the other hand, re-reading them is really encouraging. It shows how much I’ve learned and how much I’ve improved. It feels great.

For a while I’ve been thinking of rewriting some of those old shorts, to see what it’d be like, how they’d turn out now.

Rather different, as it were – even if it’s just a straight up rewrite.

I won’t link the story – either the new or the original one – just yet. I’ve done the first draft of the rewrite, but I’ll go over it again to try and correct some of the issues I noticed while on the first draft. I also want to try and strengthen the emotional connection between the reader and the main character.

When I originally wrote the story I didn’t even consider such a thing. I was more concerned with getting the grammar and spelling right, and with showing off the parts of the world I’d chosen to include. I’ve come a long way since then.

That’s not all though.

Most notably, my technical skills have improved. My writing is tighter. I’m able to maintain a coherent point of view. I understand the difference between active and passive voice, and I have a feeling for when one works better than the other.

Most of all, I’ve developed a voice of my own, and the confidence to use it. It feels great.

Also, spring is here.