Revision. Take a big gulp of air and cut out a big hunk of text. “Kill your darlings” — the most famous dictum, from Faulkner. Or, conversely, add those three little words that make all the difference. You can’t possibly make it right the first time, so you have to go back, again and again and again, until you get it. The writing will never be perfect, but perhaps less imperfect.
Jean Zimmerman 