On Saturday, I posted about ripping out my knitting. I likened it to revising writing.
Last night I sat down to finish the second sock. I thought I knew where I’d left off and how much longer I had to knit before getting to the toe. You think I’d have learned, but I didn’t measure. When I got close to where I thought I should make the transition, I finally decided to measure.
The sock was too long.
Sometimes, writers do the same thing. We write too much. We need to revise by removing the excess. My students certainly do it. I have told students that they really have two stories and they should focus on one or the other. Sometimes they see it; sometimes they don’t. It can be hard. It all feels important to them though.
The excess in the foot of my sock did not feel important to me. Once more I ripped out and restarted. I am much happier with the finished product.
booksandbassets 