All summer I worked on revising my YA science fiction novel. Through the whole process I tried to keep reminding myself that this was only the first of many revisions I knew were necessary. But it’s so tempting when you are working hard on something to fantasize that you might be done, or even close to done.
I would compare it to my students who love to write “The End” at the end of their first drafts. It’s their way of saying they’re done, no matter how much I might encourage them to revise. And who can blame them, it feels good to be done. Barry Lane wrote a terrific book about teaching revision called After The End, that addresses these issues.
Of course it’s one thing to tell my students they need to revise and quite another to tell myself. I think I’m worse. I know I’m worse. I want so very much to persevere and write something truly great. And yet I also want so much to be at “The End”.
Ideas In Things 