Writing a book is not easy; it never comes easy even for the most seasoned authors in the industry. It is a trial and error process, one that requires you to revisit and revise everything that you wrote down from day one and see how it is faring with the rest of what you have written down so far. Rewriting and revising your book is 90% of the writing process as the actual face of your story changes with every little snip and cut it goes through. If your editor is sending back a lot of revisions, it doesn’t mean that you are a bad writer, it’s just that your story needs something more or needs a little less of something else to make it stand out.

There are certain myths regarding revisions that almost every author has heard before. Here are some of the most common myths about revisions and what you should know about them before believing them.

Myth 1

There is a very popular myth that an author should revise the first draft of their book. Before we delve into this myth, you should know what revision is. It is basically tinkering with what you have written, you can tweak it and rebuild to your heart’s content. So here is the question: do you really think you need to revise your first draft? Your first draft is basically what you later call the groundwork for your story. This is what is going to be the basic structure of your story, so you are going to change it very, very soon. Revising the first draft is useless; you should always rewrite it so that you can strengthen it and make sure your story has a solid foundation to work with.

Myth 2

Don’t mess with your manuscript, don’t revise it too much or else you are going to lose the essence of your story. But here is the thing: you need to mess with your manuscript and make sure that it is the way you want it to be. Any loose ends, anything that doesn’t add up or even something that just takes the attention of the reader from the main plotline is a major no-no. Your book won’t survive and it won't even make it past the agent’s desk if you are going for the publishing house route. So mess with your manuscript and make it better.

Myth 3

While revising, many authors believe that you shouldn’t mess with the situations, scenes, and sequences of your story. However, when you are revising your manuscript, you should pay a lot of attention to what you have written and how anything can be improved. There can be multiple versions of any scene or sequence and your revision is the best chance to find that one magical version that gives an extra dazzle to your book. This is a great way to find new angles for the story and especially for your protagonists and antagonists.

Remember that revision and rewriting of your book is an endless process. Your editors and proofreaders are going to suggest changes, your publishing house is going to suggest some and even you are going to find the need to change some things. However, don’t go overboard and respect what you have initially written down.