"Sometimes I can spend as long revising a manuscript as I spent writing it in the first place"
About this Quote
That line punctures the romantic myth of the writer as a person who simply “gets it down” and then ships it. Haddix is admitting, with a working novelist’s plainness, that the real labor often starts after the draft. The specific intent is almost corrective: to reframe revision not as polishing for the picky, but as a second act of creation that can equal the first in time, sweat, and decision-making.
The subtext is craft confidence. Only a writer who expects the draft to be imperfect can revise without panic. “Sometimes” matters, too: she’s not glorifying endless tinkering, she’s normalizing the uneven reality of a professional schedule. Some books arrive cleaner; others demand structural surgery. Revision, in this framing, isn’t punishment for failure. It’s where voice tightens, plot logic stops wobbling, character motivation gets honest, and the pacing learns to breathe.
Contextually, Haddix writes high-concept, plot-driven fiction for younger readers, where the machinery has to run flawlessly. A single continuity error, a muddled timeline, or a late-emerging theme can break the spell. Her admission also speaks to the industry pressure that sits behind “author” as a job title: deadlines, editors, and the expectation that the final book reads as if it was inevitable all along. The quiet flex here is professionalism: inspiration may light the fuse, but revision is how the explosion becomes a story worth handing to strangers.
The subtext is craft confidence. Only a writer who expects the draft to be imperfect can revise without panic. “Sometimes” matters, too: she’s not glorifying endless tinkering, she’s normalizing the uneven reality of a professional schedule. Some books arrive cleaner; others demand structural surgery. Revision, in this framing, isn’t punishment for failure. It’s where voice tightens, plot logic stops wobbling, character motivation gets honest, and the pacing learns to breathe.
Contextually, Haddix writes high-concept, plot-driven fiction for younger readers, where the machinery has to run flawlessly. A single continuity error, a muddled timeline, or a late-emerging theme can break the spell. Her admission also speaks to the industry pressure that sits behind “author” as a job title: deadlines, editors, and the expectation that the final book reads as if it was inevitable all along. The quiet flex here is professionalism: inspiration may light the fuse, but revision is how the explosion becomes a story worth handing to strangers.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
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