Thoughts on revision

I'm back in town. Unfortunately, DH needs the computer to plan our upcoming trip to Tennessee, so I'm not going to get a lot of edits done today.



I do think revisions are something many authors tend to spend too little time on. I've read a few ebooks that would have been greatly improved by the simple removal of redundant words and a little alteration of repetitious sentence structure. My editor has published most of my books virtually unchanged, so it is crucial that I do my own editing and make sure the book is as good as I can make it. I also depend heavily on DH's sharp eyes to catch errors and awkward writing. It's a long, slow process for me.



Conversely, some authors may not need that much time for revisions. I just heard from an online friend who finished her latest WIP on Friday. It's due Monday, so she'll spend two days on edits before she turns it in. She says she edits so much as she writes that very little remains to be done. I've read her first two books, from a major NY publisher, and they're brilliant, so I believe her when she says this. But I can't help but be envious... I wish my writing were that clean! Alas, it's not, and I suppose there's no point in comparing my writing habits to anyone else's.