I used to think the best part of writing was imagining new worlds and painstakingly (or in a sudden rush of elation) drafting a new scene.
Don’t get me wrong, those parts are still fun, particularly if I already have a good handle on the characters and I’m putting them into situations where they really have to show who they are to get through. But the real work of writing for me, and the real joy of it, comes in revision.
I adore those butterfly breeze changes that trickle through an entire story from start to finish. Change how a character reactions even slightly to one thing and you’ve either done nothing very relevant or altered the course of the entire story.
Words matter in the revision phase. Every minute detail brings my characters to life and gives them beating hearts and emotions and depth in ways that I never even imagined possible when I was drafting their original stories.
… now all I have to do is keep myself from being caught in the joy of revision to the point of never actually being DONE. *grin*