Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde (Coaxing the Muse - Pt. 4)

This is the fourth post in a series about Coaxing the Muse (see previous three posts).

Principle 4 of Writing: Revise yourself into eloquence.

This works in tandem with principle 3, though it might not seem that way initially.

Revise ruthlessly.

We are each Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde stuffed in one body: The not-knowing, unpredictable Mr. Hyde, who invents wildly, versus the more measured, logical Dr. Jeykll, who shapes and edits the mess. Writers must find a balance - A tolerant stand-offishness that acknowledges begrudgingly the other’s necessity. If you indulge either side, end up with dreck. Avoid dreck by keeping the balance.

Most of us need someone to look over our shoulder at times and register an opinion. (Editor, writer’s group, etc. Not someone who loves everything you write.)

Throw out any bad lines, or revise them till they are compelling.