Revisions are not copy edits; they are major surgery and they suck. I didn’t understand this one for the longest time. I would hork up a first draft, turn back to page one, and start hunting for typos, feeling smug. Don’t do that. That’s like digging up a lump of coal and spit polishing it in front of Tiffany’s. … Don’t read it like it’s your precious perfect baby darling. Read it like it’s your worst enemy’s magnum opus and your job is to expose its every tragic flaw. … If you get bored reading it, so will your audience.[18]
