---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've learned to really love revision over…"
description: "\"I've learned to really love revision over the years and worked hard to build up my craft muscle to make my revisions less and less painful with each bo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png"
---

#  I've learned to really love revision over the years and…

![“I've learned to really love revision over the years and worked hard to build up my craft muscle to make my revisions less and less painful with each book.” quote by Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png)

> “I've learned to really love revision over the years and worked hard to build up my craft muscle to make my revisions less and less painful with each book.”

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Through repeated practice, revision becomes easier and strengthens one’s writing ability.

**In simple terms:** Revision improves with practice, making it less painful.

Key Takeaway

Practice revision regularly to build skill.

Themes

writing skill development perseverance

Mood

determined reflective

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- author workshops
- personal writing projects
- editing drafts

Key Concepts

craft muscle iteration learning curve

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you measure improvement in revisions?
- What habits support effective editing?

A Different Perspective

Progress may plateau without fresh feedback.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Muscle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/muscle/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [I love revision. Where else can spilled milk be turned into ice cream?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revision-where-else-can-spilled-milk-be-turned-into-ice-cream/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [The writing is what gives me the joy, especially editing myself for the page, and getting something ready to show to the editors, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/the-writing-is-what-gives-me-the-joy-especially-editing-myself-for/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [My advice to writers: thank goodness we can revise and adjust and tighten and rethink before going public with our words. Revision is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinty-w-moore/my-advice-to-writers-thank-goodness-we-can-revise-and-adjust-and/)

[Dinty W. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinty-w-moore/)

> [I love revisions...We can't go back and revise our lives, but being allowed to go back and revise what we have written comes closest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/i-love-revisions-we-can-t-go-back-and-revise-our-lives-but-being/)

[Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/)

> [The novel is never really in the first draft. The novel really happens in the revisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tama-janowitz/the-novel-is-never-really-in-the-first-draft-the-novel-really-happens/)

[Tama Janowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tama-janowitz/)

> [I think one of the reasons I'm so thrilled with writing is because it is an act of reading for me at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/i-think-one-of-the-reasons-i-m-so-thrilled-with-writing-is-because-it/)

[Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/)

> [But Blake's voices returned to dictate revisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-hall/but-blake-s-voices-returned-to-dictate-revisions/)

[Donald Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-hall/)

> [“I am hard at work on the second draft ... Second draft is really a misnomer as there are a gazillion revisions, large and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-am-hard-at-work-on-the-second-draft-second-draft-is-really-a/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [There are days when the result is so bad that no fewer than five revisions are required. In contrast, when I'm greatly inspired, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-are-days-when-the-result-is-so-bad-that-no-fewer-than-five/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [I'm obsessive. That's the word for me. I obsess - perhaps to the point where it's moderately dysfunctional. I tend to put a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/i-m-obsessive-that-s-the-word-for-me-i-obsess-perhaps-to-the-point/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I came to a dead stop and began major revisions. Sometimes these entailed the shredding of all existing manuscript for a fresh start -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-manchester/i-came-to-a-dead-stop-and-began-major-revisions-sometimes-these/)

[William Manchester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-manchester/)

> [Most poets' revisions are disastrous. They buckle and dent what was originally forged at a red-hot heat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-longley/most-poets-revisions-are-disastrous-they-buckle-and-dent-what-was/)

[Michael Longley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-longley/)

> [The writer’s life is a life of revisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/the-writer-s-life-is-a-life-of-revisions/)

[Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/)

> [“That’s the magic of revisions – every cut is necessary, and every cut hurts, but something new always grows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-barnhill/that-s-the-magic-of-revisions-every-cut-is-necessary-and-every-cut/)

[Kelly Barnhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-barnhill/)

> [If you start to revise before you've reached the end, you're likely to begin dawdling with the revisions and putting off the difficult task…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/if-you-start-to-revise-before-you-ve-reached-the-end-you-re-likely-to/)

[Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/)

## More by Alexandra Bracken

> [“Me and nice things didn't go well together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/me-and-nice-things-didn-t-go-well-together/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“Do you think the memory of someone should dictate how we live going forward?' he asks, threading and unthreading his fingers together. 'It depends,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/do-you-think-the-memory-of-someone-should-dictate-how-we-live-going/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“You just had to be willing to let the people around you serve as supports, and take their share of it when it seemed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/you-just-had-to-be-willing-to-let-the-people-around-you-serve-as/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [You can destroy a factory, and they'll build another. But once you destroy a life, that's it. You never get that person back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/you-can-destroy-a-factory-and-they-ll-build-another-but-once-you/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“I’m going to guess you probably don’t want to hear about the time he pushed my head through the neighbor’s fence.…” “Was there a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-m-going-to-guess-you-probably-don-t-want-to-hear-about-the-time-he/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“I didn't have time for tears anymore. I had questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-didn-t-have-time-for-tears-anymore-i-had-questions/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [Because she knows what it's like to live in a world of black, and black, and the tiny bit of white, but when she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/because-she-knows-what-it-s-like-to-live-in-a-world-of-black-and/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“What is it about horrible, violent things that capture us?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/what-is-it-about-horrible-violent-things-that-capture-us/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“Better to risk helping someone than regret what you could have done.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/better-to-risk-helping-someone-than-regret-what-you-could-have-done/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“Let me tell you what I think about your fucking rules ," he said, his voice dripping with venom as he pushed past Liam.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/let-me-tell-you-what-i-think-about-your-fucking-rules-he-said-his/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [I had this almost secret life of going to 'Star Wars' conventions because,' when I was younger, Star Wars' had phased into the uncool…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-had-this-almost-secret-life-of-going-to-star-wars-conventions/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“It was nothing that would hawe seemed odd from the outside, looking in, or drawn attention unless you were really, truly staring at it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/it-was-nothing-that-would-hawe-seemed-odd-from-the-outside-looking-in/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“The only thing Liam ever said about him was that he used to set his toys on fire when he didn't get his way”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/the-only-thing-liam-ever-said-about-him-was-that-he-used-to-set-his/)

[alexandra bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“Liam is safe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/liam-is-safe/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

> [“I'm thinking that it's frustrating to feel like I know certain parts of you so well, but others parts of you..." What coud I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-m-thinking-that-it-s-frustrating-to-feel-like-i-know-certain-parts/)

[Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

[Explore all 344 Alexandra Bracken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/)

## More Book quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/)

[Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/)

> [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/)

[Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/)

> [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/)

[Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/)

[Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/)

> [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/)

[Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/)

> [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/)

[Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/)

> [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

[Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I've learned to really love revision over the years and worked hard to build up my craft muscle to make my revisions less and less painful with each book.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexandra Bracken"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-over-the-years-and-worked-hard/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Book"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-over-the-years-and-worked-hard/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d87/alexandra-bracken-863_book_i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-ove_738462.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I've learned to really love revision over the years and worked hard to build up my craft muscle to make my…” — Alexandra Bracken",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alexandra Bracken",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I've learned to really love revision...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-over-the-years-and-worked-hard/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-over-the-years-and-worked-hard/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
