July 15, 2008

Visions and Revisions

By RACHEL TOOR

Is it better to revise your first draft, or junk it and start over?

In the late 80s, I got a contract for a book. It was a work-for-hire project, kind of like intellectual prostitution. I had to write a biography on demand.

I had done all the research and was almost finished with a complete first draft when something happened to my computer. The screen went funky. And then, nothing. The files were gone.

Naturally I hadn't backed anything up, hadn't made copies, hadn't

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