MENTORSHIP RECIPIENT

Mentor Commentary:
Katie Strine

Recipient Reflection: 
​Maria Odessky Rosen

On the Revision Process for "Chernushka"

by Maria Odessky Rosen

When I submitted the reality-based piece to the Gordon Square Review, like any proud parent, I thought it was perfect. When I heard from Katie that the work had been accepted but that we would need to work together to edit it, I was surprised and intrigued. What edits could possibly make my creation better? In one of her first set of comments, Katie suggested changes to the opening paragraphs. I worked on her suggestions and deleted explanatory parentheticals, which, she said, would be better addressed in the following paragraphs. Katie also challenged me to rewrite the ending to bring together the various pieces of the story – the cultural and generational divide and Chernushka’s lasting influence on me as well as to reflect on the future.
 
After rereading the story with Katie’s first set of edits and comparing it to the original, I couldn’t wait to receive more comments. I loved seeing the improvements to the structure and flow with each new revision. Katie reminded me to think about the purpose of each paragraph. 
 
That’s what I love about writing; there is no one right way to do it, but there is always a better way to say it. Katie helped me sculpt a much better story, and I am grateful for her help and honored that she picked me to work with her on this mentorship. 

Maria Odessky Rosen

Maria Odessky Rosen is a practicing attorney by day. At night she works on her writing. Her work was published in Literary Mama and she is also a recipient of a Certificate of Honorable Mention for the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest. She likes to tell herself that she would have had many creative writing accomplishments to her name if only her parents had not forced her into law school.