“First drafts are for learning what your novel or story is about. Revision is working with that knowledge to enlarge and enhance an idea, to re-form it.... The first draft of a book is the most uncertain-where you need guts, the ability to accept the imperfect until it is better.” NeedsFirstsBookIdeasStoriesFormAbilityAcceptingNovelGutsImperfectUncertainRevision Book:Conversations with Bernard Malamud Source: Conversations with Bernard Malamud
“A novel which has been too much worked over often goes flat, and no amount of laborious revision can take the place of careful planning beforehand.” Has BeensNovelToo MuchAmountCarefulPlanningFlatsRevisionToo Much WorkCareful Planning Book:Three Ways Home Source: Three Ways Home
“For me writing is an organic process that starts with engaging the language and then thinking about the structure of the novel as you move along. Especially in revision you start to notice correlations. Things come up, not self-consciously, because you're busy feeling your way through sentences and trying to push the language into new places.” ThinkingWayWritingTryingSelfFeelingsMovingLanguageProcessNovelStructureBusyCome UpSentencesEngagingRevisionCorrelationNew Places Author:Dana Spiotta
“Along the (writing) way accidents happen, detours get taken... But these are not "divine" accidents; I don't believe in those. I believe you have constructive accidents en route through a novel only because you have mapped a clear way. If you have confidence that you have a clear direction to take, you always have confidence to explore other ways; if they prove to be mere digressions, you'll recognize that and make the necessary revisions. The more you know about a book, the freer you can be to fool around. The less you know, the tighter you get.” IfsKnowsWayWritingBelieveBookHappensI BelieveNovelTakenClearDivineFoolProveMereDon't BelieveAccidentsRoutesConstructiveHave ConfidenceRevisionDetoursAccidents HappenClear Direction Author:John Irving