13
The Writing Process and Revision
I have rewritten—often several times—every word I have ever published. My pencils outlast their erasers.
—VLADIMIR NABOKOV
In graduate school, I once submitted a workshop story that nobody liked, not one person. I remember one woman: she dangled my work in front of her and said, her lips curling in distaste, “I don’t understand why this story even exists!” As I walked home that night—dejected and furious—I could still tell that her comment, though poorly worded, had something in it I needed to hear. It has stayed with me throughout the years, and now, when I’m at the final stage of revision, it’s her question I hear in my head: Why does this essay exist? I go back to work.
At this stage in the writing process, ...
Get Tell It Slant, Third Edition, 3rd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
