Last month I shared that I’d begun working on an essay about being the victim of financial fraud in 2023. After dogged determination and enlisting the help of a local consumer affairs reporter, I got the $3,000 back from my bank only to find out my biological father had passed away penniless. I ultimately used some of that money to help pay for my father’s funeral.
I’ve been working on that piece for the past several weeks, and wanted to share what the writing and revision process has been like for anyone curious about the process.
First, because my essay had so many numbers, dates, and legal details involved, I dug out the folder of information I’d compiled during the process of reporting the fraud and filing claims. Thankfully, I had saved all that, but I was re-traumatized all over again reading the timeline. I had to step away from the project for a few days as I processed what I had been through.
Next, I sat down and wrote my first draft over the course of a few days, and it was long (close to 4,000 words). I didn’t worry about the word count though, because I know I would be editing and cutting words down.
After having a few trusted members of my family read over the draft, I sent it to my critique partner. Once she looked at it, she made a few suggestions, such as limiting the role of one of my family members in the piece and focusing more tightly on the estranged relationship between myself and my dad. She also suggested I make sure everyone had a name, even if I had to make one up, such as calling a bank representative “Barbara from Bank of America” to make the narrative flow more smoothly. I completed another round of revisions and sent those back to her, she brainstormed a good title with me, and offered up a few suggestions for places to submit the completed piece.
The essay is now in fantastic shape (in my opinion) but I would still like to have one or two more people read it in the latest draft. And for my final step, I’m compiling a list of places to send, “Your Claim Has Been Resolved: How a Bank Scam Helped Me Heal After My Estranged Father’s Death.”
Not only that, but this positive experience gave me some ideas on how to rework an essay I haven’t had any luck placing and braiding it with a local true crime story from my podcast. I may have finally found a good “hook” to make a stagnant piece more attractive to editors.
Have you had a positive experience working on a project recently? I’d love to hear about it!
Renee Roberson is an award-winning writer and editor who also produces the weekly true crime podcast, Missing in the Carolinas.
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