CRINGEworthy...

CRINGE: My 14YO daughter uses "cringe" for everything: "That's so cringe," "Her hair is cringe," "My feet smell cringe," etc. You wanna know what's truly cringe? Revising your first novel after 2-3/4 years since first writing it. In that time, I've grown exponentially. There are some cringeworthy moments, but mostly, I'm relieved. Relieved that I have significantly more knowledge of composition and story--and comma usage (still working through that one). I'm reviewing more critically, detached from the story, and implementing things I learned from my editor, books I read, and intuitive elements that I was afraid to use. Unfortunately, some of the criticisms from reviews echo as I re-read sentences, but I'm suppressing quite a bit because, heck, it's my story and detail is critical (within reason). There are so many writing tips swirling in my mind that have previously created a block, but I'm just nursing my work and getting it into shape. No cringe allowed.