If I had to choose one of my favorite parts of writing, I would pick revision. No, I’m not being sarcastic. It that may sound surprising since writers usually hate revision, but it really is my favorite part of the process. And, I think, the main reason is because I separate revision from editing, which I think is essential in the process.

Take any writing course and you’ll hear it: revision is not editing, and editing is not revision. And I really do mean any writing course. They say it in freshman composition courses in college, and they say it in graduate creative writing courses.

The main idea is simple. Editing is fixing grammar and style, pretty much anything that does not change the story. That’s why you can pay people to edit work. They won’t actually change the story. At least, a good editor will not change the story. Sure, they might provide feedback as to how to improve the story, but they won’t make actual changes. That would be revising, and that’s the author’s job.

The best way a professor taught me this idea was by breaking down the word. “Re” usually means to do something again, and “vision” means to see. So, revision is to see the story again. Doing so allows me to enjoy the process much more.

When I revise, I look at the story and think about it in pieces. I try to see how they all attach together and how they don’t. I look at what did work and what didn’t. I think of it like one big puzzle and think, “how can I rearrange the pieces to make it better?” When I finally find how to improve the story or how to fix an issue I kept experiencing, I feel proud.

Another way to see it is to see revision as an opportunity. I remember seeing a quote somewhere online that said, “writing is not brain surgery. You can mess up and no one dies. That’s why there’s revision.” I’m paraphrasing (and I should look into who said the quote), but the idea is good enough. Revision is a moment of thought and contemplation about the story as a whole. It’s a moment that the writer allows themselves to experience the story and improve it.

I liken it to watching a movie and coming out of the theater with friends. Someone will say, “I loved this!” Another person might respond with another positive comment. But, eventually one will say, “but this sucked.” Wouldn’t it be better if that part wasn’t there? Wouldn’t that have made the experience perfect? A normal movie watcher lacks the power to change anything on the story. Sure, they can have a head canon if they want. But that doesn’t change the truth. The writer though. They have power over their story. They have the authority over their own words and can change those parts.

I should warn, however, that revision is refinement of what you have. You cannot revise until you’ve finished. It’s perilous not to wait until the end. I’ve seen that first hand. I’ve tried revising things before they were done, and I can say doing that is how you end up with a whole bunch of chapter 1s. You don’t want that. How can you see something again when you haven’t seen the whole thing?

That’s also why I love revision. It allows you to sit and stare at your work at a distance. It allows you to be proud. And understanding that the first draft, second draft, or thirty second draft, can all be revised allows you to see them as stone ready to be turned into a beautiful statue.

If you haven’t seen revision in this way, I recommend trying it. It’s liberating. Being able to see drafts as the stone and revision as the process of molding the statue has made it easier for me to get first drafts done. Whatever doesn’t work can be revised later. Worst case scenario, you can use something you remove in a different story.

So, give it a shot. Look at revision as refinement. Look are revision as an opportunity to see your work from a far. Take what you’ve done and enjoy it.