How Much ReWriting is Too Much?

Do we realize when editing and rewriting hurts our creation?

Similar to the 1982 Modern English hit, I Melt with You, as a writer, you may see “some changes and it’s getting better all the time”. Or something like that.

Although it is not discussed as often as other stages of writing, my biggest personal challenge has been editing and rewriting. I realize my lack of confidence makes me beleive that maybe it’s just me, but I suspect the smaller quantity of articles, tutorials or sage advice is an indication that it is a very difficult subject for many to explore, explain or contemplate.

Of course there are old bits of wisdom like “Good Writing is ReWriting”, “Kill your darlings” and “Keep editing and rewriting until your ears bleed” (maybe I made up that last one). On the other side of the coin, if we over-edit do we lose the qualities and dimensions provided by spontaneity, improvisation and raw guttural expression?

Now, I’m not saying we should not edit or rewrite at all. I think like many things in life, what writers personally feel is right for them will vary infinitely. I’m just exploring for my own sake and for whomever gains anything from this contemplation, is it ok not to edit to infinity? Does it make us a bad writer if we only do a two pass or four pass edit?

I heard a writer on a podcast the other day say that a particular short story was a masterpiece because the author spent 14 years editing it. I wanted to ask him if he knew he had spent 14 years editing it before he read and loved it. I fear that I would not be able to edit the same thing over 14 years and have any confidence in it.

The origins of storytelling, whether fiction, non-fiction, historical or any kind, is oral. In oral storytelling there was no editing. Scripts to read from did not appear for a long time, it was all stored upstairs and released as best we could. What mattered was the story. A great story forgave a mispronounced word, a hiccup, a jump in the plot. It was performative, interacting with the audience, raw and unedited, spontaneous. There was and is a connection in oral storytelling that writing sometimes misses. An understanding that storyteller and audience both are fallible, both make mistakes, are not perfect and bear countless flaws, but we are both worth it. We become both represented in the story being told, warts and all.

I fear that for some writers, too much editing and rewriting could take their soul, personality or even humanity out of their creation. I don’t have the answer but urge writers to think about that as they edit and rewrite. When is the point at which we are no longer editing and rewriting to improve our creation and instead are editing and rewriting to unconsciously support the lack of confidence in our own abilities? Or simply to avoid the fear of the next steps after editing? I consider this when I edit myself, when the rewrites and corrections feel forced or contrived, I realize I am working through fear and not creativity.

Everyone has a story. Someone needs to hear it. Trust in yourself.