Pearl S. Buck
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Quote
"The human brain is the laziest apparatus in the world. If you start to revise before you’ve reached the end, you’re likely to begin dawdling with the revisions and putting off the difficult task of writing. Unless I find I’ve made some drastic mistake in characterization or basic structure, I never go back until I’ve written the last page."
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3 comments:
You've identified my problem. I revise as I go, and yes, it slows the entire process. A few years ago I joined Survivor Writers, an online accountability group. We had to turn how 10 or 12 pages a week, and we had to prove it or we'd get the ax--tossed out of the group. I finished my novel but it was a horrendous mess. So bad that I haven't yet figured out how to edit or rewrite it. It's tucked away in a drawer - thinking of me. :D
If your novel's been in a drawer for a few years you'll now have perspective. Take it out. Read it. And you'll know what to do.
This is great advice for people who like writing and not wordsmithing. My greatest pleasure comes from finding a better word or a new detail to add to what I've already written. Wish I had read this ten years ago before my habits were formed.
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