--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I work on one page, revising and…" description: "\"I work on one page, revising and polishing until I can't make it better, then move on to the next. Some pages might get 20 or more drafts before I move..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/dean-koontz-118_drafts_i-work-on-one-page-revising-and-polishin_463552.jpg" --- # I work on one page, revising and polishing until I can't… ![“I work on one page, revising and polishing until I can't make it better, then move on to the next. Some pages might get 20 or more drafts before I move on.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/dean-koontz-118_drafts_i-work-on-one-page-revising-and-polishin_463552.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/dean-koontz-118_drafts_i-work-on-one-page-revising-and-polishin_463552.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a54/dean-koontz-118_drafts_i-work-on-one-page-revising-and-polishin_463552.jpg) > “I work on one page, revising and polishing until I can't make it better, then move on to the next. Some pages might get 20 or more drafts before I move on.” [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author refines each page through many drafts before progressing, emphasizing meticulous craftsmanship. **In simple terms:** Polish each page fully before moving on. Key Takeaway Perfect each part before the whole. Themes discipline craftsmanship perseverance Mood focused determined Type process advice When to use this quote - writing a novel - academic paper - software documentation - creative projects - marketing copy Key Concepts editing iteration quality control Questions to Reflect On - How many drafts are truly needed? - When does polishing become diminishing returns? A Different Perspective Time constraints may limit endless revisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [20 Drafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/20-drafts-4021208/) [Drafts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drafts/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Might](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/might/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Next](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/next/) [Page Revising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/page-revising-4021209/) [Pages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pages/) [Revising](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revising/) [Revising Polishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/revising-polishing-4021210/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [I don't write a quick draft and then revise; instead, I work slowly page by page, revising and polishing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-don-t-write-a-quick-draft-and-then-revise-instead-i-work-slowly/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I don't read anything electronically. I don't write electronically, either - except e-mails to my family and friends. I write in longhand. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-don-t-read-anything-electronically-i-don-t-write-electronically/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Nothing quite has reality for me till I write it all down--revising and embellishing as I go. I'm always waiting for things to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/nothing-quite-has-reality-for-me-till-i-write-it-all-down-revising/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [In a story, for example, you'll start off with a character who is a little bit of a cartoon. That's not satisfying and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/in-a-story-for-example-you-ll-start-off-with-a-character-who-is-a/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [ \[While designing\] I'm mixing two lines of thought really: me as a designer for women and then me as a man. At the start… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-louboutin/while-designing-i-m-mixing-two-lines-of-thought-really-me-as-a/) [Christian Louboutin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-louboutin/) > [Sometimes I can spend as long revising a manuscript as I spent writing it in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-haddix/sometimes-i-can-spend-as-long-revising-a-manuscript-as-i-spent/) [Margaret Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-haddix/) > [“I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve sat at my kitchen table working on these pages, been interrupted by a breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/i-ve-lost-count-of-the-number-of-times-that-i-ve-sat-at-my-kitchen/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [One of the things women poets have been engaged in - among the other things they've been doing - is revising parts of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eavan-boland/one-of-the-things-women-poets-have-been-engaged-in-among-the-other/) [Eavan Boland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eavan-boland/) > [Most writers want to share their essay or book much too quickly. Those who accept the pain of hard work and revising are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-gutkind/most-writers-want-to-share-their-essay-or-book-much-too-quickly-those/) [Lee Gutkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-gutkind/) > [I do so much revising as I go along; I wonder how I could write books if I hadn't grown up in the computer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/i-do-so-much-revising-as-i-go-along-i-wonder-how-i-could-write-books/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [For example, if it's a sad scene, I need to feel that way, at least to a slight degree and for a short while,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-ray-pollock/for-example-if-it-s-a-sad-scene-i-need-to-feel-that-way-at-least-to-a/) [Donald Ray Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-ray-pollock/) > [One must keep one's character. Earn a character first if you can, and if you can't, then assume one. From the code of morals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/one-must-keep-one-s-character-earn-a-character-first-if-you-can-and/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [The human race may be compared to a writer. At the outset a writer has often only a vague general notion of the plan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-adler/the-human-race-may-be-compared-to-a-writer-at-the-outset-a-writer-has/) [Felix Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-adler/) > [I believe Jack Smith might have written THE BOOK on writing and revising for publication. Clean, direct, succinct--a book that is full of pure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil-suarez/i-believe-jack-smith-might-have-written-the-book-on-writing-and/) [Virgil Suarez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil-suarez/) > [“Revising while you generate text is like drinking decaffeinated coffee in the early morning: noble idea, wrong time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-j-silvia/revising-while-you-generate-text-is-like-drinking-decaffeinated/) [Paul J. Silvia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-j-silvia/) ## More by Dean Koontz > [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) [Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) ## More Drafts quotes > [Recently a study proved that working from a larger, less cluttered computer screen increases concentration. I could have told them that. And yes, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/recently-a-study-proved-that-working-from-a-larger-less-cluttered/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [With my first book, I was hired to write a draft of the script. I was so young and less confident. They put me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/with-my-first-book-i-was-hired-to-write-a-draft-of-the-script-i-was/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [I have to re-write a lot. I couldn't tell you how many drafts I write, but I know I've done at least twenty rewrites…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-willis-holt/i-have-to-re-write-a-lot-i-couldn-t-tell-you-how-many-drafts-i-write/) [Kimberly Willis Holt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-willis-holt/) > [I number my drafts, and by the time a book is done, I'll have 75 or 80 drafts of some sections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-number-my-drafts-and-by-the-time-a-book-is-done-i-ll-have-75-or-80/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I don't read anything electronically. I don't write electronically, either - except e-mails to my family and friends. I write in longhand. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/i-don-t-read-anything-electronically-i-don-t-write-electronically/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [Obviously, drafts sometimes are good ones, or bad ones; I think you can get a good, quality player late in the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-hill/obviously-drafts-sometimes-are-good-ones-or-bad-ones-i-think-you-can/) [Grant Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-hill/) > [I'd really be happy with any team that drafts me. It means they see something in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ja-morant/i-d-really-be-happy-with-any-team-that-drafts-me-it-means-they-see/) [Ja Morant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ja-morant/) > [I'm pretty obsessive-compulsive, and I'm very fast. I tend to not write for a long period of time until I can't not write, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rapp/i-m-pretty-obsessive-compulsive-and-i-m-very-fast-i-tend-to-not-write/) [Adam Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rapp/) > [I'm constantly at war with myself to quit goofing around, and the internet hasn't helped that any. I've learned that I have to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-abu-jaber/i-m-constantly-at-war-with-myself-to-quit-goofing-around-and-the/) [Diana Abu-Jaber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-abu-jaber/) > [It's always hard, but it's always fun to attack a premise that you think is interesting. It does take a few drafts for sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-levin/it-s-always-hard-but-it-s-always-fun-to-attack-a-premise-that-you/) [Victor Levin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-levin/) > [I haven't had trouble with writer's block. I think it's because my process involves writing very badly. My first drafts are filled with lurching,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-haven-t-had-trouble-with-writer-s-block-i-think-it-s-because-my/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [The thing about our movies is, we write thirty drafts. That's a very detailed script. Which means that if you try to crank it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-chandrasekhar/the-thing-about-our-movies-is-we-write-thirty-drafts-that-s-a-very/) [Jay Chandrasekhar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-chandrasekhar/) > [I wrote the screenplay for 'This Is Where I Leave You' - all 40 drafts of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-tropper/i-wrote-the-screenplay-for-this-is-where-i-leave-you-all-40-drafts-of/) [Jonathan Tropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-tropper/) > [I can get really obsessive. I like writing many drafts, and I try not to because it is very time-consuming, especially when you're working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-windley/i-can-get-really-obsessive-i-like-writing-many-drafts-and-i-try-not/) [Carol Windley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-windley/) > [I began my first novel when I was 15. It went through three drafts, of around 40,000 words each. If I find it, I'll burn it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/i-began-my-first-novel-when-i-was-15-it-went-through-three-drafts-of/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) [Browse all 132 Drafts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drafts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I work on one page, revising and polishing until I can't make it better, then move on to the next. 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