There’s a scene near the end of Amadeus where Mozart dictates the “Confutatis” movement of his Requiem mass to Salieri. Mozart gives Salieri the notes to the music he hears in his head, while the rival composer struggles to keep up. He grows more and more frustrated in the face of the genius that has eluded him until you see the light bulb go off.

“Yes, yes, I understand,” he says, and the audience sees it in his face.

Then he asks Wolfi if they’re done, and Mozart replies, “No. Now for the real fire.”

I think I know how Salieri must have felt. Over the weekend, while plowing ahead with my revisions on SISTERS I had a total light-bulb  moment. I was projecting ahead to the end, thinking about the changes the editor wanted me to make to later chapters. She also asked me to incorporate certain elements of backstory I hadn’t considered before.

Like Salieri suddenly hearing the same chords as Mozart, it all became clear in my head. The pieces fell into place and the entire thing came together. My story is going to be so much better for these changes. Like Salieri, I am forced to bow before complete brilliance.

(Ahem, but no one should read any more into that scene, since it ends with Mozart’s death…)

Category Writing • Tags: Amadeus, brilliance, editing, genius, Mozart, revisions