--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've often made revisions at that stage…" description: "\"I've often made revisions at that stage that turned out to be mistakes because I wasn't really in the rhythm of the story anymore. I see a little bit o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/alice-munro-1231_end_i-ve-often-made-revisions-at-that-stage_1623909.jpg" --- # I've often made revisions at that stage that turned out to… ![“I've often made revisions at that stage that turned out to be mistakes because I wasn't really in the rhythm of the story anymore. I see a little bit of writing that doesn't seem to be doing as much work as it should be doing, and right at the end, I will sort of rev it up. But when I finally read…” quote by Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/alice-munro-1231_end_i-ve-often-made-revisions-at-that-stage_1623909.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/alice-munro-1231_end_i-ve-often-made-revisions-at-that-stage_1623909.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c27/alice-munro-1231_end_i-ve-often-made-revisions-at-that-stage_1623909.jpg) > “I've often made revisions at that stage that turned out to be mistakes because I wasn't really in the rhythm of the story anymore. I see a little bit of writing that doesn't seem to be doing as much work as it should be doing, and right at the end, I will sort of rev it up. But when I finally read the story again, it seems a bit obtrusive.” [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Revising late in a story can feel forced because the writer loses the narrative flow, leading to clunky, obvious changes. **In simple terms:** Late revisions can feel forced and out of sync. Key Takeaway Maintain rhythm; edit earlier. Themes writing editing rhythm storytelling Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice process When to use this quote - Drafting - first read-through - final polish - peer feedback Key Concepts Narrative flow authorial voice revision timing Questions to Reflect On - How can you tell when a story is still in rhythm? - What strategies keep revisions seamless? A Different Perspective Early edits preserve natural voice; later changes may feel intrusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Mistakes Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes-wasn-309904/) [Revisions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revisions-309901/) [Revisions Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revisions-stage-309902/) [Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story/) [Turned Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turned-mistakes-309903/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [Hell is when we look back during that fraction of a second and know that we wasted an opportunity to dignify the miracle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/hell-is-when-we-look-back-during-that-fraction-of-a-second-and-know/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I made some mistakes, but I wasn’t a coward. I lived my life and did what I had to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-made-some-mistakes-but-i-wasn-t-a-coward-i-lived-my-life-and-did/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Paradise is being able to say at that (second before our death) moment: "I made some mistakes, but I wasn't a coward. I lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/paradise-is-being-able-to-say-at-that-second-before-our-death-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Time had the power to cancel all changes wrought by human artifice, overwriting all new revisions with further revisions, returning the flow to its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murakami-haruki/time-had-the-power-to-cancel-all-changes-wrought-by-human-artifice/) [Murakami Haruki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murakami-haruki/) > [“History isn’t a tale told once, it’s a series of revisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lavalle/history-isn-t-a-tale-told-once-it-s-a-series-of-revisions/) [Victor LaValle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-lavalle/) > [Writing the first draft of a new story is incredibly difficult for me. I will happily do revisions, because once I can see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-lu/writing-the-first-draft-of-a-new-story-is-incredibly-difficult-for-me/) [Marie Lu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-lu/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-bracken/i-ve-learned-to-really-love-revision-over-the-years-and-worked-hard/) [Alexandra Bracken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-bracken/) > [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/) > [I'm a big advocate of revisions, of living with something for a month and then realizing what needs changing, what was lazy, what could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-flay/i-m-a-big-advocate-of-revisions-of-living-with-something-for-a-month/) [K. Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-flay/) > [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/) ## More by Alice Munro > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. 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You put it away for a little while, and now and again you look in the closet for something else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/this-is-what-happens-you-put-it-away-for-a-little-while-and-now-and/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [She sits in her usual ample armchair, with piles of books and unopened magazines around her. She sips cautiously from the mug of weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/she-sits-in-her-usual-ample-armchair-with-piles-of-books-and-unopened/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [The images, the language, of pornography, and romance are alike; monotonous and mechanically seductive, quickly leading to despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/the-images-the-language-of-pornography-and-romance-are-alike/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) > [I was a grade B housewife, maybe a B minus. 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What I wanted \[to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/peoples-lives-in-jubilee-as-elsewhere-were-dull-simple-amazing/) [Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) [Explore all 261 Alice Munro quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/) ## More End quotes > [When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought 'Lord' was super rad, but really masculine - ever since I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorde/when-i-was-trying-to-come-up-with-a-stage-name-i-thought-lord-was/) [Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorde/) > [I feel I handle the pressure situations well, and that's why I want to be there at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ab-de-villiers/i-feel-i-handle-the-pressure-situations-well-and-that-s-why-i-want-to/) [AB de Villiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ab-de-villiers/) > [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [I ask for tips, for advice. 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