“The bright side of working on a second draft is that it gives you the opportunity to play with words. Words are the writer’s pigment. We mix, we measure; we try this combination or that.

Original ideas and thoughts are the single most important element in the creative process. It is up to us, as writers, to give them form and voice and let them soar. While you’re writing and rewriting, remember the importance of the process rather than the end product. When you only focus on making your book marketable, it dampens your enthusiasm and blurs your vision.” — “A Writer’s Journey,” by Maureen Crane Wartski, The Writer, December 2000