--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I hate editing. I love to write, but I…" description: "\"I hate editing. I love to write, but I hate to reread my stuff. To revise.\" — Barry Hannah" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/barry-hannah-10920_editing_i-hate-editing-i-love-to-write-but-i-hat_635332.jpg" --- # I hate editing. I love to write, but I hate to reread my… ![“I hate editing. I love to write, but I hate to reread my stuff. To revise.” quote by Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/barry-hannah-10920_editing_i-hate-editing-i-love-to-write-but-i-hat_635332.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/barry-hannah-10920_editing_i-hate-editing-i-love-to-write-but-i-hat_635332.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/464/barry-hannah-10920_editing_i-hate-editing-i-love-to-write-but-i-hat_635332.jpg) > “I hate editing. I love to write, but I hate to reread my stuff. To revise.” [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing is loved, but revising is dreaded; the process of editing feels burdensome. **In simple terms:** Editing feels tedious. Key Takeaway Embrace revision as part of creation. Themes writing editing creativity self‑critique Mood frustrated determined Type advice reflective When to use this quote - novel writing - blog posts - academic papers Key Concepts draft refinement authorial anxiety Questions to Reflect On - How can you make editing less painful? - What strategies help balance writing and revising? A Different Perspective Revision can improve work but may stall progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“I've found the best way to revise your own work is to pretend that somebody else wrote it and then to rip the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-roff/i-ve-found-the-best-way-to-revise-your-own-work-is-to-pretend-that/) [Don Roff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-roff/) > [I revise like crazy. I start revising before the pen hits the paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dufresne/i-revise-like-crazy-i-start-revising-before-the-pen-hits-the-paper/) [John Dufresne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dufresne/) > [I would drastically revise much of the Dodd-Frank financial-reform legislation, which I call the 'Bureaucrat Full Employment Act.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-long/i-would-drastically-revise-much-of-the-dodd-frank-financial-reform/) [Wendy Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-long/) > [I revise and revise and revise. I'm not even sure "revise" is the right word. I work a story almost to death before it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-orner/i-revise-and-revise-and-revise-i-m-not-even-sure-revise-is-the-right/) [Peter Orner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-orner/) > [Revision plays a very large role in writing. Sometimes it seems to be all revision. And the longer I write, the more I revise-until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hunnicutt/revision-plays-a-very-large-role-in-writing-sometimes-it-seems-to-be/) Ellen Hunnicutt > [“To write is human; to revise is divine!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellwyn-autumn/to-write-is-human-to-revise-is-divine/) Ellwyn Autumn > [With a pencil and paper, I could revise the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-lurie/with-a-pencil-and-paper-i-could-revise-the-world/) [Alison Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-lurie/) > [SARS was a very important event... And many countries have learned from SARS... The SARS event sort of gave them additional impetus and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-chan/sars-was-a-very-important-event-and-many-countries-have-learned-from/) [Margaret Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-chan/) > [I started on computers with 'Billy Bathgate,' a little orange screen with black letters. I thought it was really cool, but it actually slowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-doctorow/i-started-on-computers-with-billy-bathgate-a-little-orange-screen/) [E. L. Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-doctorow/) > [As we begin to become aware of the narrative patterns around which we structure our lives, we learn how to take charge, revise, refine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-aftel/as-we-begin-to-become-aware-of-the-narrative-patterns-around-which-we/) Mandy Aftel > [I've found that in business opportunities will constantly emerge or situations develop that make you revise your plans along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-cohen/i-ve-found-that-in-business-opportunities-will-constantly-emerge-or/) [Benjamin Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-cohen/) > [The economists will have to revise their theories of value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-economists-will-have-to-revise-their-theories-of-value/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'd drown in a sea of tears if I lived my life ruminating on the past. I would undoubtedly revise memories to be more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maximillian-degenerez/i-d-drown-in-a-sea-of-tears-if-i-lived-my-life-ruminating-on-the-past/) [Maximillian Degenerez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maximillian-degenerez/) > [The advice I would offer to any writer is that even when you think you have revised your book to the point where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/the-advice-i-would-offer-to-any-writer-is-that-even-when-you-think/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) ## More by Barry Hannah > [I always intended to be light and open. I misjudged the American audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/i-always-intended-to-be-light-and-open-i-misjudged-the-american/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I was born in Clinton, Mississippi, which had 1,500-2,500 people when I was growing up - a village.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/i-was-born-in-clinton-mississippi-which-had-1-500-2-500-people-when-i/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I never pulled a loaded pistol on anybody, but it got around that I did. It got turned into lore. It's a myth. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/i-never-pulled-a-loaded-pistol-on-anybody-but-it-got-around-that-i/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [“Many robins got in the church from the trees and roosted among the congregation. They were drunk from some berries and fallen persimmons. Come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/many-robins-got-in-the-church-from-the-trees-and-roosted-among-the/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [You need to see a bit of hell now and then. That, and great joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/you-need-to-see-a-bit-of-hell-now-and-then-that-and-great-joy/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [“In Mississippi it is difficult to achieve a vista.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/in-mississippi-it-is-difficult-to-achieve-a-vista/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [Where is the angry machine of all of us? Why is God such a blurred magician? Why are you begging for your life if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/where-is-the-angry-machine-of-all-of-us-why-is-god-such-a-blurred/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [My stories do have plot. They're not just scattered language; they're controlled, toward an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/my-stories-do-have-plot-they-re-not-just-scattered-language-they-re/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I wake my wife up at 3 a.m. and say, "Listen to this!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/i-wake-my-wife-up-at-3-a-m-and-say-listen-to-this/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I lost my second marriage because of drinking, and I loved the woman very much. But I thought I needed booze to write. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/i-lost-my-second-marriage-because-of-drinking-and-i-loved-the-woman/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [“...it's always your first attempt every time you write, with your only companions being fear and coffee. That's the way it is a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/it-s-always-your-first-attempt-every-time-you-write-with-your-only/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [Honestly, I envy painters, who can have a masterpiece in one morning. Or musicians, who can write something in 30 minutes and arrange it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/honestly-i-envy-painters-who-can-have-a-masterpiece-in-one-morning-or/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [Professional Southerners sicken me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/professional-southerners-sicken-me/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [I don't go around thinking about regret; regret doesn't consume me as a person... I'm not certain about whether any writer, any artist, any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/i-don-t-go-around-thinking-about-regret-regret-doesn-t-consume-me-as/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) > [The wild stuff is all so overrated. Drinking, you don't feel good all the time. There's a lot of down, a lot of misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-hannah/the-wild-stuff-is-all-so-overrated-drinking-you-don-t-feel-good-all/) [Barry Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) [Explore all 62 Barry Hannah quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-hannah/) ## More Editing quotes > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [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/) > [It's not writing in the traditional sense, but I've always said that the writing process continues on the set and even into the editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/it-s-not-writing-in-the-traditional-sense-but-i-ve-always-said-that/) [Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/) > [Whenever I finish a film, I feel that this is the worst film that I have made. This is bound to happen because while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajkumar-hirani/whenever-i-finish-a-film-i-feel-that-this-is-the-worst-film-that-i/) [Rajkumar Hirani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajkumar-hirani/) > [A perfect movie is a different thing, but a funny movie is easy. I was really happy that I got everyone that I got.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-walsh/a-perfect-movie-is-a-different-thing-but-a-funny-movie-is-easy-i-was/) [Matt Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-walsh/) > [When I see my movies on the editing table, I do think I could have done them a certain way. The satisfaction is never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sajid-nadiadwala/when-i-see-my-movies-on-the-editing-table-i-do-think-i-could-have/) [Sajid Nadiadwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sajid-nadiadwala/) > [I've driven people mad on films that I've made - I want more takes; I want to try new lines. Then I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/i-ve-driven-people-mad-on-films-that-i-ve-made-i-want-more-takes-i/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [Songwriting is like editing. You write down all this stuff - all this bad, stupid stuff - and then you have to get rid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/songwriting-is-like-editing-you-write-down-all-this-stuff-all-this/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [I think what holds people up in creative processes is the expectation of what it is they're doing. It's also the sense of judgement,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-hegarty/i-think-what-holds-people-up-in-creative-processes-is-the-expectation/) [Antony Hegarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-hegarty/) > [And then to see the whole movie, you're pretty much waiting until the end of production. And the major lifting in terms of editing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/and-then-to-see-the-whole-movie-you-re-pretty-much-waiting-until-the/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) > [I believe there's a platonic ideal for every book that is written, like there's the perfect version of the book somewhere in the ether,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/i-believe-there-s-a-platonic-ideal-for-every-book-that-is-written/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [“It’s easy to see what to do once it’s already been done. The difficult time is before it’s to be done, and while you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/it-s-easy-to-see-what-to-do-once-it-s-already-been-done-the-difficult/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Once you sign on as an actor, you know, you don't go to the editing room, you don't see how they cut, you don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/once-you-sign-on-as-an-actor-you-know-you-don-t-go-to-the-editing/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [The momentum of production keeps you from giving up, so it's really the editing and writing phases where things can look bleakest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rian-johnson/the-momentum-of-production-keeps-you-from-giving-up-so-it-s-really/) [Rian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rian-johnson/) > [I spend a lot of time in preproduction working with authors, and a lot of time in postproduction.: editing, music, all that sort of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kaufman/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-in-preproduction-working-with-authors-and-a-lot/) [Charlie Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kaufman/) Browse all 938 Editing quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I hate editing. 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