Narrative Writing

 

Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde

The famous author Oscar Wilde was known for the meticulous care he put into revising his work. One day, at lunch, a friend asked him: "What did you do this morning?"

Wilde answered, "I've been hard at work, revising an essay."

"And did you make many changes?"

Wilde shrugged. "I put a comma in."

That evening, at dinner, his friend again inquired about his work. "And how about this afteroon, did you get much done?"

Wilde sighed. "I put the comma back in."



After working on a draft for a while, you'll find yourself making small changes that really don't improve the piece significantly. You've reached the point of diminishing returns: the point where large efforts produce only negligible improvement.

That's a good thing. That means you can finally stop revising. It's time to submit your work!

Quiz