Quotes Tagged "revision"

It was badly received by the generation to which it was first addressed, and the outpouring of angry nonsense to which it gave rise is sad to think upon. But the present generation will probably behave just as badly if another Darwin should arise, and inflict upon them that which the generality of mankind most hate—the necessity of revising their convictions. Let them, then, be charitable to us ancients; and if they behave no better than the men of my day to some new benefactor, let them recollect that, after all, our wrath did not come to much, and vented itself chiefly in the bad language of sanctimonious scolds. Let them as speedily perform a strategic right-about-face, and follow the truth wherever it leads.

In writing, you must kill all your darlings.

Throw up into your typewriter every morning. Clean up every noon.

I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living shit out of it.

That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.

To look at the work of your peers, and learn how to explain with kindness and precision, the nature of their mistakes is, in fact, how you learn to diagnose your own work.

I work hard, I work very hard. All the books at least 30 revisions.

Why aren’t the thinks I’m thinking getting thunk on the page any faster?!? (from Stop Lying: Writing Is Hard on ChristopherLehman.com)