Before and After—Revising Your Manuscript from James W. Ziskin

Choose a block of your writing—past or present—and walk us through its revision journey. What worked? What didn’t? What did you learn in the process?
I believe that good writing is the result of careful revision. Sure, there may be a couple of writers out there who spit out perfect first drafts, but I’ve yet to meet one. And I’m certainly not that guy. In fact, I probably revise more than most writers. Typically, I go through three drafts of my books before I even let anyone look at them. Then I ...