--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I rewrite a great deal. I'm always…" description: "\"I rewrite a great deal. I'm always fiddling, always changing something. I'll write a few words - then I'll change them. I add. I subtract. I work and f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/ellen-goodman-6219_add_i-rewrite-a-great-deal-i-m-always-fiddli_1590792.png" --- # I rewrite a great deal. I'm always fiddling, always… ![“I rewrite a great deal. I'm always fiddling, always changing something. I'll write a few words - then I'll change them. I add. I subtract. I work and fiddle and keep working and fiddling, and I only stop at the deadline.” quote by Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/ellen-goodman-6219_add_i-rewrite-a-great-deal-i-m-always-fiddli_1590792.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/ellen-goodman-6219_add_i-rewrite-a-great-deal-i-m-always-fiddli_1590792.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/13b/ellen-goodman-6219_add_i-rewrite-a-great-deal-i-m-always-fiddli_1590792.png) > “I rewrite a great deal. I'm always fiddling, always changing something. I'll write a few words - then I'll change them. I add. I subtract. I work and fiddle and keep working and fiddling, and I only stop at the deadline.” [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) ## 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 an iterative, messy process of continual revision until the deadline forces completion. **In simple terms:** Write, revise, repeat until done. Key Takeaway Embrace editing, meet deadlines. Themes creativity process discipline Mood thoughtful practical Type advice process When to use this quote - drafting articles - academic papers - creative projects Key Concepts iteration editing time management Questions to Reflect On - What steps help you know when to stop revising? - How do you balance perfectionism with productivity? A Different Perspective Risk of endless tweaking, missing deadlines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Add](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/add/) [Deadline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deadline/) [Deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deals/) [Few words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/few-words/) [Fiddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiddle/) [Fiddling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiddling-63521/) [Fiddling Changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiddling-changing-6029134/) [Negotiation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negotiation/) [Rewrite Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewrite-great-6029132/) [Working Fiddling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/working-fiddling-6029133/) [Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [If you love music hear it; go to operas, concerts, and pay fiddlers to play to you; but I insist upon your neither piping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/if-you-love-music-hear-it-go-to-operas-concerts-and-pay-fiddlers-to/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [“He's fiddling around in his pocket...nothing to worry about...all the young ones fiddle around in their pockets...a pistol? an erection?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/he-s-fiddling-around-in-his-pocket-nothing-to-worry-about-all-the/) [Louis-Ferdinand Céline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) > [I have a little garden, and I quite enjoy fiddling about in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-galetti/i-have-a-little-garden-and-i-quite-enjoy-fiddling-about-in-it/) [Monica Galetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-galetti/) > [“The older lady kept fiddling with the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellie-keaton/the-older-lady-kept-fiddling-with-the/) [Ellie Keaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellie-keaton/) > [“Narcissists only play for their own business, whereas Distortionists play with other’s business only to gain personal advantage. 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