My thoughts...

Observation on Editing

As I go over and over the stuff I've written, I notice two things.

One, I keep finding things that can be changed. For the better? The more I edit, the less I can be really sure that I'm going in the right direction. However, I do have a feeling that the process has it's place, because I find more and more ways to say what I am trying to say, the more likely that my style and voice will rub off on them.

The second, is that I still feel intense emotions about some of the stories I edit. In fact, I am certain that the reader will not feel so strongly. "No tears in the writer, no tears in the reader." Robert Frost may have it right, but I am compelled to leave a caveat: just because the writer feels it, does not mean the reader will.

At least, I'm not so sure it means the reader will. Maybe, when the edit is complete, and you have actually conveyed your message, you might find the same feeling in the reader. Not before!