Revision Explained: A Question and Answer

The other day my eight-year-old asked me an important question. His eyes were wide in that way he has when he’s been wondering something for a while.

Finally, he said what was on his mind. “What does it mean to revise?”

He’d likely heard me complaining, just a few minutes ago, about a project I needed to revise and how I felt a little stuck on one section of it.

I took a deep breath. Revising is not always easy to explain. But I would try.

“Let’s say you have a log,” I said. “And you’re tryin...