Revision

I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil.


--Truman Capote


I think I agree with this quote. I find that when I write, the first few paragraphs, or lines or even pages tend to be me getting warmed up. If you revise properly, you should be able to cut away a lot of the fluff and "warmup writing" and get down the the real meat of what you're trying to get at. I think a lot of writers can benefit from cutting away everything that is not vital to the story or message of their writing.

Revision should really be a "re-seeing," not just changing a few words or a few commas. I always try to second guess and question everything in my writing when I really revise, though sometimes I leave it to the eleventh hour and I only have time to change a few major issues.

I always take into account comments from my peers and professors, and they can be very helpful, but I think it is incredibly important to take your writing in the direction YOU want it to go. I wouldn't change a piece of writing just to get an "A" on it. Fortunately, most professors grade revisions based on how much effort you put in, and not how much they actually like the piece.

I think I like revising better than actually writing something for the first time. I like making discoveries about my own work, and realizing things about characters and plot lines that I never meant to happen when I sat down to write the original.

So, there you have it, my thoughts on revision. I can't wait to read what others of you have written!

<3 always,
Heather